Directory_and_Chronicle_1915 — Page 978

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NANKING

Although Nanking has recovered to a small extent from the prostration which attended its ill-treatment during the Taiping rebellion, it has never yet attained any commercial importance, but a brilliant future is predicted for the port if the railway schemes are carried out. "A new and brilliant era," a Commissioner of the Chinese Maritime Customs has written, "should dawn upon the port of Nanking, on account of its excellent position as a terminus for the railways which will bring down the immense mineral and other wealth of the provinces of Anhwei, Honan, and Shansi. The distance from either Honan or Shansi is about the same to Nanking as to Hankow, and the engineering difficulties of a railway down to the river opposite Nanking are no greater than those of a line to Hankow. The great advantage, then, which should secure to Nanking its position as the outlet for these rich provinces is the fact of its being so much nearer the sea than Hankow and accessible to the deepest- draught ocean vessels at all seasons of the year. It is therefore only natural that a line should have been projected from the mineral fields of Shansi to the village of Pukow, on the other side of the river to Nanking. Work has now commenced on a third line to run from Nanking to Changsha, to be known as the Ning-hsiang Railway, connect- ing up with the Shanghai-Nanking Railway at the Nanking end and with the Canton- Hankow Railway at the other end. Yet another line, from the mineral district of Hsin-yang in Honan, through Anhwei, with its terminus at Pukow, is also in contempla- tion. These three lines should revolutionise the commercial conditions at Nanking." The line from Shanghai to Nanking does not seem to have given the impetus to commercial life anticipated. Trains are running daily from Shanghai to Nanking and a short line has been completed connecting Hsiakwan, the port of Nanking, with the southern part of the city, a distance of six to eight miles. Work was commenced on the southern section of the Tientsin-Pukow line in January, 1909. The total length of the southern section of this line is 2363 miles, which was completed in 1912. During the past two or three years there has been "quite an air of progress," especially in building, and quite a Western aspect is being given to the ancient Capital of the Mings, as the new government buildings are all in foreign style, and so also are a growing number of shops and residences recently built for Chinese. The Naval College, a large pile of buildings, was opened in 1890. It was closed during the Revolution, but has since been reopened. The Nanking University was founded in 1888 by the Central China Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is now an imposing and well-appointed school, with a large roll of scholars. The Arsenal and Powder Mills, for many years in charge of foreigners, are now entrusted to native direction. They are situated just outside the South Gate. A macadamized road has been built from the steamer landing clear through the city to the Tung-Tsi Gate in the south wall, a distance of eight miles, and many similar roads in other parts of the city have been added during the last few years, so that it is now posssible to go "almost anywhere" in carriages. The carriages and jinrickshas which have been introduced are much appreciated by the people. British, American and German Consulates were opened in 1900, and since then a Japanese Consulate has also been established. The net value of the trade of the port has averaged for some years between ten and eleven million taels, but the figures for 1912 show a considerable increase over those of previous years. A grand industrial exhibition-the first of its kind in China-was held in 1910, the principal buildings being devoted to liberal arts, foreign exhibits, agriculture, fine arts, education, Chinese exhibits from foreign countries, a model hospital and an arsenal

Nanking as the scene of much fighting in the revolutionary campaign during October and November, 1911. The whole city was occupied by the revolutionaries in the early days of December, the Tartar City was sacked and burnt and Nanking became the seat of the Provisional Government with Dr. Sun Yat-sen as President. Here the Republican Constitution was drawn up and promulgated and the Revolutionary leaders sought and still hope to make Nanking the capital of the Republic.

In July, 1913, a military outbreak occurred which rapidly developed into an armed rebellion against the Central Government, and from the 15th August until the 1st September the city, until it capitulated to the Government troops, was under a severe bombardi ment. All of Hsia-kuan was burnt, and Nanking was looted. Advantage is being taken of the destruction of Hsia-kuan to widen the existing streets and build new ones, and the Chinese are showing, to the fullest extent, their wonderful powers of recupera- tion from catastrophes that would seem fatal elsewhere in the world. A very large garrison of Northern troops is now maintained in the city.