Directory_and_Chronicle_1919 — Page 857

FOOCHOW

795

A few years ago extensive mining concessions were granted in the north and west of the province of Fukien to a Chinese and French syndicate, with a view to mining for gold. A French mining engineer of high repute made a careful survey of all the gold fields at Shao-wu Fu, and reported them very valuable and all worth working. A company with a capital of one and a quarter million dollars was reported to have been formed to work the mines, but operations were delayed until the privilege expired and nothing has been done.

The city is built around three hills, and the circuit of the walled portion is between six and seven miles in length. The walls are about thirty feet high and twelve feet wide at the top. The streets were narrow and filthy, but during the past few years re- markable improvements have been carried out, shop fronts have been set back, street stalls done away with, the old paving stones have been utilised to make drains and the roads have been macadamised. A fairly wide and well made road has been con- structed from the Long Bridge to the city, trees have been planted on either side and the Electric Company are responsible for the excellent lighting.

The Long Bridge has been repaved, the stone steps on either end have been taken away, and now it is possible to ride in jinrickshas from the Nantai Island into the city. A large number of rickshas and a fair number of carriages are now employed; the roads however are not sufficiently wide to allow of the introduction of motors.

The climate of Foochow is mild and delightful for about nine months of the year but in the summer it is rather trying, the range of the thermometer then being from 74 deg. Fahr. to 98 deg.

The scenery surrounding Foochow is very beautiful. In sailing up the Min river from the sea vessels have to leave the wide stream and enter what is called the Kimpai Pass, which is barely half-a-mile across, and enclosed as it is by bold, rocky walls, it presents a very striking appearance. The Pass of Min-ngan is narrower, and with its towering cliffs, surmounted by fortifications and cultivated terraces, is extremely pictur- esque, and has been compared to some of the scenes on the Rhine. The Yung Fu, a tributary of the Min, also affords some charming scenery, the hills rising very abruptly from the river bank. The Min Monastery, the Moon Temple, and the Kushan Monastery, all occupying most romantic and beautiful sites, are fine specimens of Chinese religious edifices, and are much resorted to by visitors. Game abounds in all the ravines and mountains in the vicinity of Foochow, while tigers and panthers are common in the more remote hills, and some of these beasts have been killed within ten miles of the city.

Foreign vessels are compelled to anchor at Pagoda Island, owing to the shallow- ness of the river, which of late years has been increasing the difficulties of navigation; even at the anchorage the river is still silting up in several places. The limits of the port of Foochow extend from the City Bridge to the Kimpai Pass. The Mamoi Arsenal, near Pagoda Anchorage, is an extensive Government establishment, where several good-sized gunboats have been built, but it now stands practically idle. The Arsenal was bombarded by the French on the 23rd-24th August, 1884, and reduced to partial ruin, but was restored. The establishment was later reorganised, and was for some years administered by French experts. There is a dock in connection with the Arsenal on Losing Island. The dock is over 300 ft. long and has very powerful pumps and a good steel caisson. Until 1905 one mint, known as the City or Viceroy's Mint, served to supply the coinage requirements of the local province, but in that year the government set up two additional mints, for which there was no need, but only an alluring prospect of profit on the export and sale of copper 10-cash coins. It was calculated that two million pieces per day were being turned out by the three mints. The market value of the coins quickly fell below par, and orders from Peking reducing the output to 300,000 coins per day, and forbidding the export of coins to other provinces, necessitated the closing of the two mints before they had been in operation twelve months. In June, 1900, the port was visited by the most disastrous floods known there in living memory, the river, rising through heavy rains, overflowed and deluged the country, sweeping away villages and causing immense havoc and loss of life. The population of Foochow is estimated at 650,000.

The net value of the trade of the port coming under the cognisance of the Foreign Customs in 1917 was Hk. Tls. 15,223,269 as compared with Hk. Tls. 20,114,610 in 1916, Hk. Tls. 19,247,779 in 1915, Hk. Tls. 19,073,617 in 1914 and Hk. Tls. 23,206,413 in 1913,