Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 1003

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

WENCHOW

927

this day in one of the temples. A few members of the Customis staff occupy foreign- built houses on the island. The estimated population of the city with its suburbs- is 198,287 (figures furnished by District Magistrate). There were Boxer troubles in the Pingyang district, several Christians being murdered, in 1900, and all the mis- sionaries left Wênchow, where, however, the officials were able to maintain order. During the summer months some of the foreign residents repair to the Northern Hills (), across the river where two bungalows have already been built.

There is no foreign settlementat Wênchow, and the foreign residents are a mere handful, consisting almost entirely of officials and missionaries. There is a consider- able native export trade in tea, bitter oranges, tobacco, timber, charcoal, bamboos and Rittysols, but manufactures do not flourish, though some excellent floor-matting is- produced by a local factory. The firms engaged in the timber trade are located in the west suburb, where are also the timber yards. Immense quantities of timber and bamboos are kept on hand. The net value of the trade of the port coming under the cognizance of the Maritime Customs for 1923 was Hk. Tls. 8,366,202, as compared with Hk. Tls. 6,648,009 in 1922, and Hk. Tls. 8,859,854 in 1921.

During August and September of 1912 two abnormal freshets occurred in the Wênchow river, causing immense destruction of life and property. In the upper reaches of the main river the water rose 60 feet above normal level, washing away villages and carrying away houses bodily. Some 30,000 people arc reported to have been drowned in the Yungchia, Chingtien, Ch'uchow and Juian magistracies. Such a calamity was unprecedented within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Two particularly severe typhoons in the summer of 1920 caused enormous damage in the neighbourhood. Haimen, a neighbouring city, about 85 miles by sea north-east of Wenchow, was partially destroyed on July 15th by a tidal wave with great loss of life; while in the Nanchi River valley, opposite Wenchow, an equally large loss of life was reported in the second typhoon between September 4th and 6th. In September, 1922, a inost violent typhoon again caused great devastation in town and country, as well as along the river.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 1003

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