744
SHANGHAI
foreign hongs and even private houses have to give themselves fancy Chinese names, by which only they are known to the natives. The system is, however, found to have its conveniences. No less than 8,129 jinrickshas, 7,204 passenger and cargo wheel- barrows, 888 ponies and 711 horse carriages ply for hire in the settlements, besides large numbers outside. Of private vehicles there were licensed in 1906, 5,466 rickshaws, 976 carriages, 64 motor cars, and 1,162 ponies. The water conveyances licensed numbered 955 foreign cargo boats, 9,702 native cargo boats, 807 ferry and passenger boats, 19,140 other boats, 2,687 sampans and 93 steam launches. There are 10 foreign and 21 native theatres registered within the Anglo-American Settlement.
The currency of Shanghai is the tael weight-equal to 579.84 grains troy, of fineness 0.916, but reckoned at 98. That is to say that an actual weight of 98 taels is counted as 100. The Shanghai tael thus contains, or should contain, 520.43 gr. troy of pure silver, but varies owing to the crude methods of assay. This is however the mean. The silver known as "sycee" is cast into “shoes” of fifty taels, more or less. The foreign banks issue notes of the value of one dollar and upwards for both taels and dollars. Smaller transactions are conducted in clean Mexican dollars, or equivalent dollars from the various provincial mints, smaller subsidiary provincial silver coins and copper cash. There are eight foreign and numerous native banks in the settlement. In 1896 the Imperial Chinese Bank, under Chinese and European management, was opened by Imperial Decree.
TRADE AND COMMERCE
Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and Northern and Corean ports, and to some extent for Japan. The total import and export trade of 1868 amounted to sixty-five million taels. It steadily increased each year until 1881, when it reached Hk. Tls. 141,921,357, but afterwards showed a great decline, the total for 1884 having been twenty per cent. less than that of 1881. There has since, however, been a rapid recovery, the total trade in foreign bottoms, import and export, for the last nine years, as given by the Customs Statistical Depart- ment, being :-
1898... Hk. Tls. 251,205,837 at Ex. 1.51 Mex. $379,320,814 at Ex. 2s. 10ĝd., £36,241,775
1899...
"
306,701,390
""
1900...
243,606,777
1.53 1.55
99
""
>>
1901...
17
298,454,780
1.52
1902...
346,122,864
1.51
11
1903...
351,200,609
1.54
"
1904...
405,064,260
1.55
99
1905...
"
443,954,262
1.55
$469,253,127 $377,590,504 $453,651,286 $522,645,525 $541,348,938 $627,849,603 $688,129,106
38. Od., £46,164,949
""
11
}}
"1
19
1906 ..
"
421,956,496
1.54
* 649,813,033
"1
11
""
>>
3s. 1d., £37,809,802 2s. 11., £44,224,159 2s. 74d., £44,995,972 28. 7jd., £46,338,969 2s. 103d., £58,059,210 3s. 0,d., £66,778,120 3s. 34d., £09,447,006
The following tables show the export of Tea and Silk for seven years:—
Tea- Black Brick Green
1900...picuis 210,912 230,623 196,542
1901... 1902... 1903... 1904... 1905... 1906
"
>>
""
"1
·
175,803
178,075 168,877 192,277 185,255 101,643 250,560 231,025 181,832 182,810 137,532 243,341 104,323 98,389 259,077 269,485 223,837
294.861
Silk Wild Waste Cocoons 1900...48,355 13,068 39,157 6,484 1901...71,358 14,115 36,668 4,823 1902...63,370 10,819 39,515 1903...38,162 15,945 1904...54,135 27,276 1905...45,763 19,201 55,570 9,247 1906...30,520 18,865
49,708 8,443
9,493
45,692
15,633
35,626 6,958
The Import trade in Foreign Goods for 1906 was as follows:--
From Foreign Countries and Hongkong
From Chinese Ports
***
***
***
Hk. Tls. 225,043,251 2,492,293
...
...
Hk. Tls. 227,535,546
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