WEIGHTS, MEASURES, MONEY
CHINESE
WEIGHTS
1 liang
(tael)
1.333 oz. avoir., or 37.78 grammes
16 liang
100 kin
兩斤!
(tael) make 1 kin
斤(catty)
1·333 lbs. avoir., or 604-53 grammes
F(catty) make 1 tan
擔(picul)
120 kin
(catty) make 1 shik
133.333 lbs. avoir., or 60-453 kilogrammes
(stone) = 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)
0.103 litre
10 koh
10 sheng
合 make 1 sheng 升 (pint)
make 1 tou
= 1.031 litre
(peck) =
10.31 litres
MEASURE OF
LENGTH
1 fun 分
==
14 inch English
10 fun
芬 make 1 tsun f(inch)
1:41 inch English
10 tsun
make 1 chih
10 chih
make 1 chang
(foot) (pole)
14.1 inches English
5 chih
make 1 pú
11 ft. 9 inches English
The length of the Chang is fixed by the Treaty of Tientsin at 141 inches.
about 5 feet English
360 pú
make 1 li
步(pace) 里
= about English Mile
10 li
里 make I tang-sun汛塘 (league)
==
about 3 English Miles
250 li
里 make 1 tu
度(degree)
1 chih R 尺
LAND MEASURE
13.126 inches
5 chih
make 1 pú 步
30-323 square feet
24 pú 步make 1 fun 分
80-862 square yards
60 pú
1 kioh 角 步make
202·156 square yards
4 hich
make 1 mow 畝
100 mow
make 1 king
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.
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MONEY
1 li 橙 (cash)
032 of a penny
10 li 釐 make 1 fên
10 fên
(candareen) 分 make 1 ch'ien錢(mace)
=
·32 of a penny
10 ch'ien
make 1 liang (tael)
The Tael may be taken as worth one and a third silver dollar.
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 intrinsic value, being made large and small and of varying composition. Silver is used uncoined in ingots, usually of fifty taels 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 Several centres. 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 or 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 Straits Settlements in 1904 and a Straits dollar substituted. The value of this dollar is fixed at 2s.
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