Directory_and_Chronicle_1928 — Page 750

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

SOOCHOW HH Sú-chau

Soochow, until 1912 the capital of the province of Kiangsu, lies about 80 miles west by water and 54 by rail and a little north of Shanghai, with which it is connected by excellent inland water-ways. The Shanghai-Nanking Railway supplies still better connection. The city is a rectangle, its length from north to south being three and a half miles and its width from east to west two and a half, the total circumference being about 10 miles. It lies not far from the eastern shore of the great Taihu lake. Past its walls runs the southern section of the Grand Canal, which joins Hangchow to Chinkiang; and in every direction spread creeks or canals, affording easy communica- tion with the numerous towns in the surrounding country. It is an important manu- facturing centre, with a population of nearly 500,000. Its two chief manufactures are satins and silk embroideries of various kinds. In addition, it sends out silk goods, linen and cotton fabrics, paper, lacquerware, and articles in iron, ivory, wood, horn, and glass, and rape seed. Since the opening of the port, manufactures on foreign principles have been introduced, and there are now three silk filatures, one cotton mill, one match factory, one cardboard factory, and a brick and tile factory. There is one electric light company.

Before the Taiping rebellion Soochow shared with Hangchow the reputation of being the finest city in China, but it was almost entirely destroyed by the rebels, who captured it on 25th May, 1860. Its recovery by Major (afterwards General) Gordon on 27th Nov., 1863, was the first effective blow to the rebellion. Since that disastrous period it has recovered itself greatly and is once more populous and flourishing, though it has not yet attained to its former pitch of prosperity. It was declared open to foreign trade on the 26th September, 1896, under the provisions of the Japanese Treaty. The Foreign Settlement is under the southern wall of the city, just across the Canal, and is a strip of land about 13 mile long and a quarter of a mile broad. The Government has made a good carriage road along the Canal bank extending the whole length of the settlement and as far as the railway station, a distance of five and a half miles. The care of roads has been entrusted to a Muni- cipal Council, founded in September, 1920. A new Y.M.C.A. building was opened in December, 1921. The Chinese and European school dates back to 1900. The net value of the trade of the port passing through the Maritime Customs in 1926 was Hk. Tls. 20,013,978, as compared with Hk. Tls. 18,902,189 in 1925, Hk. Tls. 15,853,304 in 1924, and Hk. Tls. 22,723,326 in 1923. But this represents only a portion of the total trade of the port, a quantity of which does not come under the jurisdiction of the Customs.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1928 — Page 750

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