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PEKING
very popular attraction. In addition, the three Palaces-Taihodien, Chunghodien, and Paohuadien-are being repaired, while the Tung Hua Men gate, which was destroyed during the revolution of 1911, has been reconstructed. Moreover, a National Library is being erected within the Forbidden City.
In order to link up the various termini, a circular railway has been constructed. This involved the demolition of the curtains of most of the gateways, a proceeding which provoked considerable adverse comment, but it must be regarded as another sacrifice of the picturesque and historical to the utilitarian. A Grand Trunk Central Station is contemplated, and when this is completed travellers will have little to com- plain of in the matter of convenience.
A tramway project has been carried out by a company financed partly by the Government and partly by private individuals. The capital is $4,000,000, and so eager were the Chinese to invest their money in the enterprise that the first public call of $500,000 was over-subscribed four times. This is an eloquent testimony to the changed. outlook of the Pekingese.
In addition to opening all available gates, the authorities have constructed several. new streets at considerable cost, and are giving better access to certain localities which were formerly badly served. The Imperial City Wall is now pierced in over a dozen places, and three new thoroughfares have been opened, viz., the Nan Ch'ih Tzu, the Nan Fu K'ou, and the Fu Yu Chieh, the last-mentioned providing a well-made road alongside the western wall of the Imperial City. In 1918 the Imperial City wall was breached in front of the British Legation. Building is proceeding apace, and, now that there is no objection to structures higher than the Imperial Palace, many large edifices are being built throughout the city, but particularly near the Legation Quarter. Peking, it may be added, has a population of 1,375,634 (figures of the Ministry of the Interior) and is exceedingly well policed.
There are over 1,000 registered motor-cars in Peking, motor cycles are numerous, and bicycles are to be reckoned in thousands.
DIRECTORY
GOVERNMENT
President-TSAO KUN
Vice-President-(Vacant)
Premier-Sun Pao Chi
Minister of Foreign Affairs-Dr. Wellington Koo
Minister of Interior-Cheng Keh
Minister of Finance- Wang Keh Ming
Minister of War-General Lu Chin
Minister of the Navy-Admiral Li Ting Hsin
Minister of Justice-Dr. Wang Chung Huai
Minister of Communications-Wu Yu Lim
Minister of Agriculture and Commerce-Dr. W. W. Yen
Minister of Education --Chang Kuo Kan
Secretary to Cabinet -Wang Chi Tseng
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