WEIGHTS, MEASURES, MONEY
CHINESE
WEIGHTS
1 liang
16 liang
(tael) make 1 kin
100 kin
(catty) make 1 tan
120 kin
(catty) make 1 shik
(tael) 1.333 oz. avoir., or 37.78 grammes 斤(catty) 1.333 lbs. avoir., or 604.53 grammes
(picul) (stone)
=
133.333 lbs. avoir., or 60-453 kilogrammes
160.000 lbs. avoir., or 72-544 kilogrammes
Four ounces equal three taels; one pound equals three quarters of a catty or twelve taels; one hundredweight equals 84 catties; one ton equals 16 piculs 80 catties.
MEASURE OF CAPACITY
1 koh 合(gill)
10 koh 合 make 1 sheng 升 (pint)
10 sheng make 1 tou (peck)
斗
= 0.103 litre
1.031 litre
= 10.31 litres
MEASURE OF LENGTH
1 fun 分
14 inch English
10 fun
芬 make I tsun f(inch)
=
1*41 inch English
10 tsun
make 1 chih (foot)
R
=
14.1 inches English
10 chih
尺
make 1 chang (pole)
about 31 English Miles
5 chih
R make 1 pú
360 pú
make 1 li
= 11 ft. 9 inches English
The length of the Chang is fixed by the Treaty of Tientsin at 111 inches.
about 5 feet English
== about English Mile
步(pace) 里
10 li
里 make 1 tang-sun 迅塘 (league)
250 li
里 make 1 tu
度 (degree)
1 chih 尺
5 chih
24 pú
步make
分
LAND MEASURE
make 1 pú
make 1 fun
60 pú 步wake 1 kioh 角
4 kioh 角 make 1 mow
100 mow make 1 king
13.126 inches
30-323 square feet
80-862 square yards
= 202.156 square yards
= 26.73 square poles
16-7 acres
-
The Mow, which is the unit of measurement, is almost exactly one-sixth of an acre.
Weights and measures in China vary in every province and almost every district, and differ in the same districts for different kinds of goods. The words picul, catty, tael, mace, and candareen are not Chinese.
10 li
10 fên
芬
10 ch'ien
MONEY
1 li 釐 (cash)
(candareen)
make 1 fên
make 1 ch'ien錢(mace)
make 1 liang (tael)
The Tael may be taken as worth one and a third silver dollar,
032 of a penny -32 of a penny
3.2 pence
2s. 8d.
The above are weights of silver. They are not represented by any coin except the copper cash, which is supposed to be the equivalent in value of a li of silver, but the value of which differs greatly in different districts and at different times. They have no uniform intrinsie value, being made large and small and of varying composition. Silver is used uncoined in ingots, usually of fifty tacls more or less, in weight, called "shoes," the usual shape being not unlike a Chinese shoe. In the maritime district from Canton to Amoy chopped dollars are the general medium of exchange. In 1890 a mint was established for the coinage of silver dollars and subsidiary pieces, and more recently mints for silver and copper coinage have been opened at Nanking, Wuchang, and Tientsin, and others are projected. The coins, although supposed to be of equal weight and fineness, are differently inscribed. Some of the foreign banks issue tael and dollar notes of the value of one dollar and upwards at the larger of the Treaty Ports.
HONGKONG AND STRAITS SETTLEMENTS
MONEY:-The legal tender in Hongkong is British er Mexican Dollars, local 50, 20, 10 and 5 cent silver pieces, to the amount of $2, bronze cents and mils. The circulation of any foreign silver or copper coin other than the Mexican dollar is prohibited. Some of the banks issue notes from one dollar upwards. Mexican and British dollars were demonetised in the Straita Settlements in 1904 and a Straits dollar substituted. The value of this dollar is fixed at 2s.
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