Directory_and_Chronicle_1931 — Page 755

SHANGHAI

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16th, 1920 (exclusive of the French Settlement and the outside roads under the control of the French Consul), the foreign population numbered 23,307, compared with 18,519 in 1915 and 13,536 in 1910. The proportion of the principal nationalities repre- sented was as follows, the figures at the time of the 1915 census being given within parenthesis :-Japanese 10,215 (7,169); British, 5,341 (4,822); American, 2,264 (1,307); Portuguese, 1,301 (1,323); Russian, 1,266 (361); French, 316 (244); German, 280 (1,155) Spanish, 186 (181); Danish, 175 (145); Italian, 171 (114); Indians, 954 (1,009). This showed that the Japanese had trebled in number since 1910. The last official census of the foreign settlements was taken in 1925, when the returns showed 29,947 foreigners and 810,279 Chinese as resident in the districts under the control of the International Council.

This figure is exclusive of the French Settlement the population of which is given at 7,811 foreigners and 289,261 Chinese. It is interesting to note that the foreign popula- tion of the "French" Concession included 3,463 British and Americans, as against 892 French. Other districts comprised in Greater Shanghai, viz., the Native City, Nantao, and Chapei, are densely populated, and it may safely be estimated that the total population of Shanghai is well over two million.

Although the Chinese have no right of residence within the Foreign Settlement, and indeed were not recognised by the original Land Regulations, some twenty thousand sought refuge within the boundaries from the rebels in 1854, and when the city was besieged by the Taipings in 1860 there were, it is said, at least five hundred thousand natives within the Settlements. In 1920 there were in the three Settlements 930,068. The Chinese population working in the Settlements, however, must be much greater than the total given, as there are many more thousands who sleep outside the limits. Taking into consideration the thickly populated surrounding Chinese territory with its added thousands that cannot be even approximated, the daytime population of the port, it is thought, must be well toward 2,500,000.

CLIMATE

The climate of Shanghai is generally allowed to be fairly healthy. The highest recorded number of deaths from cholera among foreigners was 32 in 1890. Of these, 11 were amongst residents. With the exception of the year 1912, when there were 14 cases, the average number of cases amongst foreigners has been slightly over three per annum during the last twenty years. The average number of deaths of foreign residents from small-pox during the last twenty years has been 15 per annum. Amongst the foreign population the general death rate was 15.4 per thousand in 1915, 14 in 1916, 20.7 in 1917, 16.5 in 1918 (including Japanese), 20.6 in 1919, 15.2 in 1920, 18.2 in 1921, 19.3 in 1922 and 17.2 in 1923. These rates compare favourably with those of many large towns in Europe and America. The thermometer ranges from 25 deg. to 103 deg. F., the mean of ten years having been 59 19 deg., the average being 41 13, 64.99, 77:91 and 52.49 for first, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively. Shanghai approaches nearest to Rome in mean temperature, while the winter temperatures of London and Shanghai are almost identical. In October and November there is generally dry, clear, and delightful weather, equal to that found in any part of the world; but when the winter has fairly set in the north-east winds are extremely cold and biting. On January 17th, 1878, the river was frozen over at Woosung. The leat during July and August is sometimes excessive, but generally lasts only a few days at a time, In late years very severe gales have become more frequent. On 27th and 28th July, 1915, a typhoon of extraordinary violence visited the district doing much damage. The mean of the barometer is from 29.769 in the third to 30 245 inches in the first quarter. The annual average of rainy days in Shanghai during eight years was 124; 55 wet days occurred in winter, and 69 in summer; the annual rainfall averages 49'57 inches, about 15 in winter and 302 in summer.

The mean degree of humidity is from 786 in the winter to 82.6

DESCRIPTION

in the summer months.

The streets of the International and French Settlements run north and south and east and west, mostly for the whole length of both, crossing each other at right angles. They were when first laid out twenty-two feet wide, but have since at very great expense been mostly made much wider. In spite of this, however, and the more stringent regulations, the traffic problem is becoming increasingly acute in Shanghai as elsewhere. Notwithstanding the soft nature of the soil the roads are kept in remarkably good order,