Directory_and_Chronicle_1918 — Page 963

AMOY

Hiá-mun

Amoy was one of the five ports open to foreign trade before the ratification of the Treaty of Tientsin. It is situated upon the island of Haimun, at the mouth of the Pe Chi or Dragon River, in lat. 24 deg. 40 min. N. and long. 118 deg. E. It was the scene of trade with Western nations at a very early date. The Portuguese went there in 1544, but in consequence of their cruelty towards the natives, the Chinese authorities forcibly expelled them and burned thirteen of their vessels. The English had com- mercial dealings there up to 1730, when the Chinese Government issued an edict prohibiting trade with foreigners at all ports except Canton. They made an exception as regards Spanish ships, which were allowed to trade at Amoy.

In describing Amoy Dr. Williams says: "The island upon which Amoy is built is about forty iniles in circumference, and contains scores of large villages besides the city. The scenery within the bay is picturesque, caused partly by the numerous islands which define it, surmounted by pagodas or temples, and partly by the high barren hills behind the city. There is an outer and an inner city, as one approaches it seaward, divided by a high ridge of rocky hills having a fortified wall running along the top. A paved road connects the two. The entire circuit of the City and suburbs is about eight miles, containing a population of 300,000, while that of the island is estimated at 100,000 more. The harbour is one of the best on the coast; there is good holding ground in the outer harbour, and vessels can anchor in the inner, within a short distance of the beach, and be perfectly secure; the tide rises and falls from fourteen to sixteen feet. The western side of the harbour, here from six hundred and seventy-five to eight hundred and forty yards wide, is formed by the island of Kulangsu. It is a picturesque little spot and maintains a rural population of 3,500 people. Eastward of Amoy is the island of Quemoy or Kinmun (Golden Harbour), presenting a striking contrast in the low foreground on its south shore to the high land on Amoy." The population of the city is, however, now estimated at 96,000.

Amoy ranks as a third-class city. It is considered, even for China, to be very dirty, and its inhabitants are unusually squalid in their habits. There are several places of interest to foreigners in the vicinity, and excursions can be made to Chang- chow-fu, the chief city of the department of that name, and situated about 35 miles from Amoy The island of Kulangsu ["Drum Wave Island," from a hollow rock in which the incoming tide causes a booming sound] is about a third of a mile from Amoy and the residences of nearly all the foreigners are to be found there, although most of the foreign business is transacted on the Amoy side. It is a remarkably pretty island and will become exceedingly popular with tourists and holiday-makers as its attractions become better known. The island of Kulangsu was handed over by China as an International settlement on the 1st May, 1903. In the opinion of the Commissioner of Customs, Kulangsu bids fair to become one of the most charming little republics on the coast of China. The value of land on the island of Kulangsu has enhanced 100 per cent. compared with the prices ruling a decade ago. Hotel accommodation is satisfactory, and an electric lighting plant was installed in 1913. There is a good club in the settlement, adjoining which is the cricket ground. A golf club has been formed and a course laid out on the Racecourse. The course is a sporting one, abounding in natural hazards, and is well patronised. A neat little Anglican Church has also been erected. A Japanese Settlement was marked out in 1899 and a fair number of Japanese, officials and others, reside there. There is a slipway at Amoy, owned and managed by foreigners. The Standard Oil Co. of New York have erected oil tanks at Sing-Su on the mainland, and close to the site of the new station of the Amoy-Changchow railway kerosene oil tanks, capable of turning out 4,000 tins a day, the property of the Asiatic Petroleum Company, have also been erected. The foreign residents number about 280. At the end of October, 1908, the Chinese Government welcomed part of the American battleship fleet at Amoy, the officers and men being entertained on a lavish scale.