Directory_and_Chronicle_1923 — Page 937

YOCHOW-SHASI

DIRECTORY

879

亞細亞

ASIATIC PETROLEUM CO., LTD.

古太 Tai-koo

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE (John Swire

Sons, Ltd.)-Ageut at Chengling (port

of Yochow)

Liang Chung Chien

Agent

China Navigation Co., Ld.

CHINESE POST OFFICE-Hunan District

Acting Postal Commissioner-T. N.

Manners

Yochow 1st Class Post Office-Chih

Yung Chin

Postmaster (at Chenglingchi)-Ho Kia

Kwin

州岳

CUSTOMS, CHINESE MARITIME

Revenue Department

Commissioner-K. H. von Lindholm Assistants Leung Shi-wai, Chwang

Tsel Tsong

________

Clerks Liu Šao-shing, Hong Tso-yuen,

Chen Tze Loh

Tidesurveyor and Harbour Master--

G. E. Cross

Tidewaiters-A. F. Reynolds, S. A. Kitson, F. L. Wilson, Lau Chik Chi, Liu Chung Yung, Chou K'o, Chang Cheng Lih

Marine Department

District River Inspector-G. F. C.

Corfield

River Officers-J. McArthur, R. J.

Everest

Clerk--King Wen Kwai

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 monu- ment of ancient commerce, and a witness to native perseverance and engineering skill." The district suffers periodically from the flooding of the Yangtsze. In July, 1908, the river rose to 30 ft. 9 inches, and caused the destruction of all the earlier summer crops; in 1917 it rose to the record height of 31 ft. 9 ins., again, on July 21st, 1919, it rose to 31 ft. 6 ins., and on July 16th, 1921, it reached the record height of 33 ft. 4 ins., which was 5 ft. 4 ins. above the level of the Bund. The general commerce of the port has increased yearly since the Revolution, despite the adverse influence of the civil war during the past four or five years, 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 considerable 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 Com- missioner, 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

-