Directory_and_Chronicle_1922 — Page 951

HANKOW

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right bank of the Yangtsze one sees enormous lakes and lagoons both to the north-west and south-east sides of the hills beyond the provincial city."

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The port was opened to foreign trade in 1861. The British Concession is located at the east end of the city. It is well laid out, the roads being broad and all lined with well-grown trees. A scheme is under consideration for the reclamation of the fore- shore in front of the Concession. The Bund affords a very fine and pleasant promenade, and has an imposing appearance from the river. There are a large Roman Catholic and small Protestant and Greek churches, the last-named a rather handsome structure built by the Russian residents. Several brick-tea factories owned by Russians are located in the Settlement. France, Russia, and Japan have since 1895 acquired concessions along the river front. The British concession has been extended, but the Russian concession was taken over by the local authorities on November 1st, 1920, and placed under the control of the Chinese chief of police of Hankow. The French, Japanese and British have Municipal Councils. Thus while there was formerly a bund of only half a mile in length, in front of the British concession, there is now a continuous line of concessions measuring in all over two miles of river frontage. Houses and godowns have been springing up fast of late years especially in the British concession, the oldest section, which is changing rapidly. The China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, having completed their new and extensive bunding, started to build handsome new offices for themselves in 1919, and these were completed in December, 1920. Messrs. Butterfield & Swire have erected a four-story reinforced concrete godown on the site of their old office, and have further improvements in mind. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ld., have put up a very fine niodern four-story reinfor- ced concrete godown, on the site of the buildings destroyed by fire in 1917, the total measurement of the building being approximately 74,772 square feet. The Inter- national Banking Corporation have erected a five-story building on the British Bund, opposite the new premises of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, while the Asia Banking Corporation have purchased the adjoining site, next to the China Inland Mission compound, in order to build there. The palatial new block of buildings comprising the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was opened in 1920 and dominates the whole Bund. Messrs. Liddell Brothers & Co., Ld., have added new godowns to their already extensive plant. The Taiping Road, border- ing upon the native city, is rapidly assuming the features of the Nanking Road in Shanghai. The Menkwa Building, the Bank of Taiwan and the Hankow Waterworks and Electric Light Co., Ld., were the chief additions during 1919, but a large number of other less pretentious buildings, mostly occupied by foreign-style Chinese_shops, have also sprung up, and the whole street is brilliantly illuminated. The English Church was re-built, and consecrated in May, 1904. A new Union Church was built in 1916-17 in the French Concession, and opened in April, 1917. The new British school building was occupied at the end of the summer holidays in 1920 and is a vast improvement on the former accommodation.

The native city of Hankow was burnt by the Imperialist army in October, 1911, and a population of about 800,000 were thereby rendered homeless. At the end of 1914 it was estimated that fully 80 per cent. of the burnt area had been reconstructed, though unfortunately on the old lines, all the laudable plans for modernising the city having fallen through, owing to difficulties in obtaining the necessary funds. During 1919 large tracts of land in the back of the native city were reclaimed and several new roads were constructed. A scheme for the development of a Greater Hankow has been started with the backing of the Government. This new scheme can be roughly outlined as follows. The first step will be to develop the land between the Foreign Concessions and the Ching-Han Railway embankment. A boulevard is planned to start from the Yangtsze bank, north of the Japanese Concession, and run west to the railway embankment. It will then be continued alongside the embankment until it reaches a point opposite the Hankow Waterworks tower, where it will turn east and run into the existing road near the tower. Ultimately an attempt will be made to extend it from the water-tower, through the city, to the Yangtsze. This area will be intersected by streets and properly laid out for building purposes, with a complete drainage system. The second step of the scheme will be to develop the land on the west side of the Ching-Han Railway embankment from the vicinity of the foreign racecourse, past the Chinese racecourse, up to Kiaokow. The third step will be the development of the remaining land up to the dyke. A railway along the dyke, connecting with the Ching-Han line, will be constructed and circular passenger trains started. Plenty of room will thus be provided for cheaply-built houses to accommodate workmen and the poorer Chinese classes. At present, owing to the