Directory_and_Chronicle_1909 — Page 868

PEI-TAI-HO-CHINGWANGTAO-NEWCHWANG

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seaport. The railway station lies from four to six miles from the various settlements, and the journey is made by chair, donkey, or walking, Carriages cannot be used. There are six miles of beach of every possible variety, and the bathing is excellent from the middle of May to the first of October. The country rises at once from the shore to undulating uplands; and most of the houses are at an elevation of fifty or a hundred feet above sea level. At the west end the country is diversified by the Lotus Hills, a series of granite rocks which come close to the sea, and are an off-shoot from the Pittah Hill, twelve miles inland. The Lotus peaks rise to about 400 feet. The soil is chiefly a sand formed by disintegrated granite; it is very dry, fertile and non-malarial. The water is excellent. In 1896 there were about twenty tenements, in 1899 about one hundred; in July, 1899, the population was slightly over four hundred, chiefly from Tientsin, Peking and the mission stations of Chih-li. There were three major and two minor settlements; West End, Rocky Point and East Cliff being the designations of the former, but the settlements were wholly destroyed on and after 20th June, 1900. Most of the Tientsin and Peking laymen were then at West End; it had the advantage of proximity to the Hills and the Station, and had more pleasing scenery near at hand. Its demerits were a somewhat tame beach-nothing but sand-and inferior bathing. The latter is due to stinging medusæ or jelly fish, and to the nearness of the River Tai, which often discolours the water: both demerits have, however, been exaggerated. The missionaries were chiefly at Rocky Point; there they had an Association which regulated their land tenure, sanitation, Sunday observance, etc. A strong body of laymen settled to the west of this 'Association' settlement, attracted by the central position, better beach and bathing. The East Cliff was originally a mission investment, but in time became a general settlement. Some thirty or forty foreign visitors who were in residence when the Boxer cyclone burst were taken off by the boats of H.M.S. Humber, and conveyed to Chefoo in June; immediately after which the natives joined a small party of soldiers in first looting and then burning every house in the place. The natives carried off every scrap of the building material that was portable; even the bricks and dressed stone, and in some cases they actually dug up the foundations. Their action was due to greed and not to anti-foreign malice-as a matter of fact, they had always been on good terms with their foreign neighbours, to whose presence they entirely owed their prosperity. The I-Ho-Chuan or Boxer sect is not known to have had any following in the district. The people simply believed the foreigners were to be exterminated, and would never return; and in this belief resolved to resume possession of their lands and as much else as was possible. During 1901-2 the German forces encamped at Pei-tai-ho and made roads; a small gauge steam tramway was also constructed from the Railway Station to Rocky Point. In the early spring of 1902 many of the houses were rebuilt and during the summer quite a number of families were in residence for a short season. The rains are heavy in July and early August, but the sandy soil enables one to be out of doors at once after a heavy rain. The temperature varies from 4° to 10.° below that of Peking and Tientsin in the height of summer; there are no hot winds as the prevailing breeze is nearly south and is sea-borne. During the summer the number of visitors in residence are between 300 and 400, including several from Shanghai.

NEWCHWANG

莊牛 Niu-chwang 子營 Ying-tsz

Newchwang is the most northerly port in China open to foreign trade. It is situated in the province of Sheng-King (or Fengtien) in Manchuria. It is called by the natives Ying-tz, and lies about thirteen miles from the mouth of the river Liao, which falls into the Gulf of Liao-tung, a continuation of the Gulf of Pechili.

Before the port was opened, comparatively little was known of this part of the Central Kingdom. Manchuria has since, however, been largely colonised by the Chinese, who now outnumber the natives. The phrase Ying-tz means military station, and that

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