Directory_and_Chronicle_1919 — Page 856

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SANTUAO-FOOCHOW

DIRECTORY

亞細

C+

ASIATIC PETROLEUM Co. (SOUTH CHINA),

LTD., THE-Tel. Ad: Petrosilex

Wong Siu San, agent

W. Hurlow, Oil Hulk "Rhameses”

和英

ODELL & Co., Morchants

Mei Chi-chao, agent

Steamers-"Kongmun" and "Chanpo”

局郵澳都三

官事頜總利大義大

Tai I-tai-li Chung-ling-sz-kún

CONSULATE-ITALY

Consul-General

Commendatore Z.

Volpicelli (residing in Canton)

Fu-hai-Kwan

CUSTOMS, CHINESE MARITIME

Acting Commissioner-F. W. Carey

Assistant-A. S. Deane Examiner-F. W. Rowland Asst. Eaminer-P. E. Samuelsen Tidewaiter-A. E. V. Nielsen

Tieng-siong

DODWELL & Co., LTD., Merchants

POST OFFICE, CHINESE

Postmaster-Wang Hung Chung

(N.B.-Letters should be addressed:

Santuao via Foochow)

竿

美

STANDARD OIL Co., OF NEW York

H. W. Livingston, manager (Foochow)

Hsü Baik King, agent

司公船翰安太

TAI ON STEAMSHIP CO.

Wong Tai Wo, manager

TELEGRAPHS, CHINESE

Y. D. Wei, manager Y. S. Wei, clerk

FOOCHOW

州福 Fuh-chau

Foochow (or Fuh-chau-fu) is the capital of the Fukien province. It is situated in lat. 26 deg. 20 min. 24 sec. N., and long. 119 deg. 20 min. E. The city is built on a plain on the northern side of the river Min, and is distant about thirty-four miles from the sea, and nine miles from Pagoda Island, where foreign vessels anchor.

The attention of foreigners was early attracted to Foochow as a likely place where commercial intercourse could be profitably carried on in the shipment of Bahea Tea, which is grown largely in the locality. Before the port was opened, this article used to be carried overland to Canton for shipment, a journey which was both long and difficult. The East India Company, as early as 1830, made representations in favour of the opening of the port, but nothing definite was done till the conclusion of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. The early years of intercourse with the natives were anything but what was anticipated. The navigation of the river was difficult, there was no market for imports, and several attacks by the populace rendered the port an undesirable place of residence for some time. It was not until some ten years after the port had been opened that there was much done in the export of tea from the interior, but after that the quantity shipped increased largely, and Foochow became one of the principal tea ports in China. Since 1880, when the tea trade of the port reached its highest figure, the prosperity of the place has been on the wane. Local teas are only wanted now if they can be bought cheaply enough to bring down the prices of Indian and Ceylon blends. Within 20 years a valuable trade has dwindled to the most meagre dimensions, and thousands of acres must have gone out of cultivation.