Directory_and_Chronicle_1930 — Page 958

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HANKOW

become the chief emporium in central China. Hankow is 600 miles distant from Shanghai, and, in normal times there are over 40 steamers, with excellent passenger accommodation on the Shanghai-Hankow run; 10 steamers on the Hankow-Ichang run; and 5 steamers on the Hankow-Changsha run.

Attention was first drawn to Hankow as a place of trade by Huc, the French missionary. Captain Blakiston, in his work "The Yangtsze," gives the following correct description of the place and its surroundings:-"Hankow is situated just where an irregular range of semi-detached low hills crosses a particularly level country on both sides of the main river in an east and west direction. Stationed on Pagoda Hill, Hanyang, a spectator looks down on almost as much water as land even when the rivers are low. At his feet sweeps the magnificent Yangtsze, nearly a mile in width; from the west and skirting the northern edge of the range of hills already mentioned comes the river Han, narrow and canal-like, to add its quota, and serving as one of the highways of the country; and to the north-west and north is an extensive treeless flat, so little elevated above the river that the scattered hamlets which dot its surface are, without exception, raised on mounds, probably artificial works of a now distant age. A stream or two traverse its farther part and flow into the main river. Carrying his eye to the right bank of the Yangtsze one sees enormous lakes and lagoons both to the north-west and south-east sides of the hills beyond the provincial city.'

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The port was opened to foreign trade in 1861, and was visited by Mr. (afterwards Sir) Robert Hart in that year in connection with opening a branch of the Imperial Customs. The British and other Bunds have many imposing buildings on the water- front. There is a five-storey building of the International Banking Corporation on the British Bund, extensive godowns, etc., belonging to Messrs. Butterfield & Swire and the Asiatic Petroleum Company have also constructed large premises on the lot im- mediately to the north of the Commissioner's house. The latter was dismantled in 1924, and the oldest landmark on the British Bund has thus been removed. The British Bund, indeed, was rapidly becoming the banking and business centre of the Concessions, and was ceasing to be a quarter for private residence. In many respects the Hankow bund is the finest in the East, and in point of length is probably unsurpassed. The new Custom House was completed at the close of the year 1922, and is located in an imposing position at the Southern end of the British Bund--admittedly the finest site in Hankow-and the building is in every respect worthy of the site. The fact that it was re-constructed on such extensive lines may be taken as an index, states the Commissioner of Customs in his Annual Report for 1922, of the confidence reposed in the future development and prosperity of Hankow as the foremost trade centre of Mid-China.

The Bund affords a very fine and pleasant promenade, and has an imposing appearance from the river. There are a large Roman Catholic and small Protestant and Greek churches, the last-named a rather handsome structure built by the Russian residents. Several brick-tea factories owned by Russians are located in the Settle- ment, all of which were closed early in the War and have not been re-opened. France Russia and Japan since 1895 acquired concessions along the river front. The British concession was extended, but the Russian concession was taken over by the local authorities on November 1st, 1920, and placed under the control of the Chinese chief of police of Hankow. The French, Japanese and British had Municipal Councils. Thus while there was formerly a bund of only half a mile in length in front of the British concession, there is now a continuous line of concessions extending in all over two miles of river frontage. The China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, having completed their new and extensive bunding, started to build handsome new offices for themselves in 1919, and these were completed in December, 1920. Messrs. Butterfield & Swire have a four-storey reinforced concrete godown on the site of their old office. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., put up a very fine modern four-storey reinforced concrete godown, on the site of the buildings destroyed by fire in 1917, the total measurement of the building being approximately 74,772 square feet. The English Church was re-built, and consecrated in May, 1904. A new Union Church was built in 1916-17 in the French Concession, and opened in April, 1917. The new British school building was occupied at the end of the summer holidays in 1920 and is a vast improvement on the former accommodation.

The native city of Hankow was burnt by the Imperialist army in October, 1911, and a population of about 800,000 were thereby rendered homeless. At the end of 1914 it was estimated that fully 80 per cent. of the burnt area had been reconstructed,