Directory_and_Chronicle_1931 — Page 944

SOOCHOW

州蘇 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 200,000 (according to census taken in 1929). Its two chief manufactures are satins and silk embroideries of various kinds. In addi- tion, it sends out silk goods, yarn, matches, scented tea, and articles in iron, ivory, wood, horn, and glass, and rape secd.

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 September 26, 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 1 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. Road construction and widening continue to make headway. Two of the wooden bridges on the road leading from the Custom House to the railway station have been rebuilt with reinforced concrete, but there are still a few bridges which are badly in need of repair and cannot stand heavy traffic, so that motor cars or trucks are not permitted to run. With a view to promoting local industries, an exhibition of domestic products was held in November 1929 and lasted three weeks, thousands of spectators being attracted daily to the exhibition ground.

TRADE IN 1929

The partial recovery of trade at Soochow during 1929 was attributable to the compara- tive peace which reigned in this region. Owing to the cold weather, the spring crop of cocoons was a poor one, both in quality and quantity. To make good the shortage the autumn crop was reared on a much more extensive scale than in any previous year, and the venture met with considerable success. The insufficient stock of cocoons, coupled with frequent threats of labour disputes, compelled two filatures to close down while the two which remained in operation, under Japanese management, had to import some 800 piculs of cocoons from Tsingtao to keep working without interruption. American and Indian raw cotton to a total of 18,660 piculs, against none the previous year, were imported for use in the only cotton mill which continued to work in full swing with considerable success throughout the year, following its reorganisation and alteration in 1928. Artificial silk disppeared from the returns, but it is estimated that considerable quantitics arrived through channels which do not come under the cogni- zance of the Customs. The total value of the export trade showed an advance of some