Directory_and_Chronicle_1924 — Page 649

PEKING

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of the Peking Bankers' Association, which was formed in July, 1919, and whose hand- some "Association Building" was completed in December, 1920. There are also two splendidly-equipped hotels-the Hotel des Wagons-Lits and the Hotel de Pekin. The latter is a magnificent structure capable of accommodating 1,000 guests.

The streets of Peking are macadamized, and two electric light companies have been organized which will furnish light wherever wanted in the city. Outside the Legation quarter there are many foreign buildings, the number of which is growing yearly, changing to some extent the appearance of the business localities adjacent to the Glacis.

Though Peking preserves its Oriental aspect, and retains most of its old-world features, it cannot truthfully be said that the city is falling into decay. Undoubtedly the city walls show the ravages of time, and the monuments of the past betray a lack of attention, but in the city itself there are unmistakable signs of change and of pro- Since the cessation of the war there has been a remarkable impetus to building. Western ideas of comfort are given expression to in the new Chinese residences, which, however, retain the external features of Chinese architecture. Electric light is almost universal, water is being laid on to an increasing number of houses, the main roads are kept in a good state of repair, sanitation is not entirely disregarded, and in innumerable ways there are indications of a fairly healthy vitality. The communal feeling as express- ed in Western countries by municipalities and local governments has not yet developed to any great extent among the Chinese, but, in its absence in Peking, the Ministry of Interior and its subsidiary organ, Direction Generale des Travaux de Ville de Pekin, perform duties in this connection, the idea being to make Peking a model city and an example to others throughout the country. With this end in view the far-famed Examination Hall is now being reconstructed into a model settlement within the met- ropolis. The different branches of administration of the metropolitan district have been thoroughly reorganised, and men of modern education appointed to important posts. The Minister of Interior acts as director of municipal activity, and has under him a staff of departmental secretaries, whose work includes the supervision of the registration of houses, taxation, keeping of records, etc. In 1921 the Chinese in Peking displayed an unwonted interest in the affairs of the municipality. This has found expression in the organisation of a self-government association, the central idea being the superses- sion of governmental control of the city by a municipal council, composed of re- presentative citizens. The chief divisions of municipal work undertaken by the. municipal department in the Ministry of Interior are roads and buildings, drainage and surveying; while the police, in addition to their ordinary duties, make them- selves responsible for street lighting, public health, registration of births and deaths, fire-brigade, and markets. The constabulary is a very efficient force and demonstrated its usefulness to the community during May, 1922, when the city was threatened by an invasion of the straggling remnants of Chang Tso-lin's forces, who were beaten by Wu Pei-fu's army at a point not 20 miles from the capital. Hitherto, the police ¡have also exercised jurisdiction over certain hospitals, but now the Ministry of Interior has built one isolation hospital, and it is not improbable that in the course of time some authority will be constituted to take over this particular work.

A large national hospital of modern design and equipment was completed in 1918.

It is :supported by private subscription.

Drainage is receiving attention and big works are in prospect. Not only have the main drains been put in order, but new ones are being constructed, and, when funds permit, Peking will be as well served in this respect as any modern city. Unfor- tunately, however, money is lacking for the immediate extension of municipal improvement. The creeks which encircle the city have been drained, and at Chien Men the river has been built over by extending the railway station, thus removing that which was an eyesore to many.

Since the revolution many changes, which would have been unthinkable under the Manchu régime, have taken place. A number of gates have been opened, thus facilitat- ing traffic, while the old Ch'ienmen gate has been demolished-the curtain, however, being preserved-in order to permit of road improvements. The reconstructed gateway has been completed, and the open space on the north side adds to its impressive effect. A beautiful enclosure within the Forbidden City known as the Central Park has also been opened, and residents congregate there in their hundreds and thousands during the summer months. A curio museum containing the Imperial treasures from Jehol and Mukden has been inaugurated within the Forbidden City and is proving a