Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 983

YOCHOW-SHASI

907

The

the conditions, but it still remains open only to vessels under I.W.S.N. rules. principal products exported from Changteh through Yochow are native cloth, ramie, wood oil, vegetable tallow, lotus nuts, broad beans and hides. The export of wood oil has been steadily increasing until in 1922 it amounted to 422,298 piculs-mostly for the American market, where there seems to be an ever-increasing demand for it.

DIRECTORY

古太 Tai-koo

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE (John Swire &

Sons, Ltd.)-Agent at Chengling (port

of Yochow)

Yang Yan Poo, agent

關州岳

CUSTOMS, CHINESE MARITIME

Revenuc Department

Actg. Commissioner-R. D. Mansfield Assists. Wong Hin-wa and Chwang

Tseh Tsong

Clerks Dzi Pih Sung, Liu Sao Shing, Hong Tso-yuen and Yao Ying Yuan

Tidesurveyor and Harbour Master-

P. C. Pedersen

Tidewaiters-R. M. Ogden, Chang Cheng Lih, Chou K'o and Li Ko- ming

Marine Department

Assist. River Inspr.-G. F. C. Corfield District River Inspectors--D.L. Smith

and D. A. Collins

Acting River Officer-H. C. S. C. Selby

POST OFFICE, CHINESE-Hunan District

Acting Postal Commissioner-T. N.

Manners

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 five or six 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

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