Directory_and_Chronicle_1920 — Page 938

862

YOCHOW-SHASI

DIRECTORY

古太 Tai-koo

關州岳

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE (John Swire & CUSTOMS-CHINESE MARITIME

Sons, Ltd.)

CANTON HANKOW RAILWAY

District

Sinclair

Engineer Malcolm R.

CHINESE POST OFFICE (Hunan District)

Acting Postal Commissioner-E. É. S.

Newman (Changsha)

Acting 1st Class Postmaster-Chia

Seng (Yochow)

Commissioner-N. E. Bryant

Tidesurveyor and Harbour Master-

C. H. Hardy

Tidewaiters-C. P. Berge, C. More, S.

A. Kitson

MISSIONS

(For Protestant Missionaries see

separate Directory)

POLICE-E. Shelton, superintendent

SHASI

市沙 Sha si

Shasi (the "market on the sands") is one of the ports opened to foreign trade under the Japanese Treaty of 1895, the official declaration of the opening being dated the 1st October, 1896. The port is about 85 miles below Ichang and is situated at the crossing point of two most important routes of commerce in Central China, namely, from east to west and from north to south and vice versa. It is reclaimed from the river and the sea by a magnificent system of dykes and canals, and is "a monument of ancient

commerce, and a witness to native perseverance and engineering skill." The district suffers periodically from the flooding of the Yangtze. In July, 1908, the river rose to 30 ft. 9 inches, and caused the destruction of all the earlier summer crops. The general commerce of the port has increased yearly since the Re- volution and a succession of floodless years has brought prosperity to the agriculturalists. The population, which is steadily increasing, is estimated at about 80,000, and the floating population, of which no account is kept, may be estimated at 10,000 more. A con- siderable amount of washing for gold is done between Shasi and Hosueh, chiefly on the Tukkechow. Formerly Shasi was an important distributing centre, but the opening of Ichang to foreign trade diverted much of the traffic to the last-named port. It was hoped that when Shasi itself was opened it would regain its importance as a point of distribution, but the experience now gained shows that the development is likely to be slow. On the 9th and 10th May, 1898, a serious anti-foreign riot occurred at Shasi. The Customs Office and the residence of the Commissioner, the Customs boats, the premises of the China Merchants' Company and their hulk, the office of the Foreign Board, the Japanese Consulate, the premises occupied by the native agents of Messrs. Butterfield & Swire and Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., and a number of newly-erected Chinese houses were burnt by the mobs, kerosene oil being used to feed the conflagration, and the foreign residents were driven out of the port, narrowly escaping with their lives. The Custom-house was re-opened on the 1st July of the same year. In August, 1898, an area 3,800 Chinese feet in length, by 800 to 1,200 in breadth, lying along the river side below the town, was assigned to Japan as a Japanese concession. The foreign_commerce is mostly in Japanese hands. The British Consulate was withdrawn in January, 1899, British interests being placed under the care of the Consul at Ichang., Calling steamers anchor in the river, which is very swift during the Summer, and discharge and load at pontoons, but some bunding work, commenced in December, 1904, and finished in April, 1905, provided berths for three hulks, with jetties. Unfortunately, in 1908, this bund