Directory_and_Chronicle_1932 — Page 893

WENCHOW

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apartments. The Roman Catholic Missionaries have a spacious and imposing church in the western part of the city. The English Methodist Mission has a church capable of seating about 1,000 people. In 1903 this Mission erected a fine college at a cost of $20,000, containing sleeping accommodation for over 100 students, and teaching accommodation for more than 200. Early in 1906 an extensive and substantially constructed Hospital was also completed by the Mission at a further outlay of fully $20,000. The building consists of a central block and two wings after the style of Hunt's Block, Guy's Hospital, and can accommodate about 200 patients. Among the objects of greatest interest and curiosity are two pagodas situated on Conquest Island, abreast of the city. They are both of great antiquity, and the temples between them were for some time the retreat of Ti Ping, the last Emperor of the Sung dynasty, when seeking to escape from the Mongols under Kublai Khan. His Majesty Ti Ping has left behind him autographs preserved to this day in one of the temples. A few members of the Customs staff occupy foreign- built houses on the island. The estimated population of the city with its suburbs was 202,752 at the end of 1927. There were Boxer troubles in the Pingyang district, several Christians being murdered, in 1900, and all the missionaries left Wênchow, where, however, the officials were able to maintain order. During the summer months some of the foreign residents repair to the Northern Hills (l), across the river where several bungalows have been built.

There is no foreign settlement at Wênchow, and the foreign residents are a mere handful, consisting almost entirely of officials and missionaries. There is a consider- able native export trade in tea, bitter oranges, tobacco, timber, charcoal, bainboos and kittysols, but manufactures do not flourish, though some excellent floor-matting and cross-stitch work are produced by local factories. The firms engaged in the timber trade are located in the west suburb, where are also the timber yards. Immense quantities of timber and bamboos are kept on hand.

During August and September of 1912 two abnormal freshets occurred in the Wênchow river, causing immense destruction of life and property. In the upper reaches of the main river the water rose 60 feet above normal level, washing away villages and carrying away houses bodily. Some 30,000 people are reported to have been drowned in the Yungchia, Chingtien, Ch'uchow and Juian magistracies. Such a calamity was unprecedented within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Two particularly severe typhoons in the summer of 1920 caused enormous damage in the neighbourhood. Haimen, a neighbouring city, about 85 miles by sea north-east of Wenchow, was partially destroyed on July 15th by a tidal wave with great loss of life; while in the Nanchi River valley, opposite Wenchow, an equally large loss of life was reported in the second typhoon between September 4th and 6th. In August 1923 and 1926 this port was visited by severe typhoons, although they did not cause much damage either afloat or

ashore.

TRADE IN 1930

For at least nine months of the year 1930 the local authorities at Wenchow were busily engaged in the suppression of Communist bandits who swept through the district and at one time approched within a few miles of the port itself. Under such circumstances, markets in the interior remained to all intents and purposes closed, and trade suffered accordingly. It was only after September that conditions began to improve and accumulations of native exports commenced to be shipped to various parts of the country, and, with a brisk demand from abroad for rape seed, this com- modity was exported in large quantities. While the ravages of brigands did infinite harm, the rice crop, on the other hand, was unexcelled for many years and, to a large extent, compensated the impoverished populace and farmers. During the year several small motor vessels arrived from and cleared for Formosa, but their arrival would not appear to be in response to any unusual demand for tonnage, and it is more than probable that these vessels were engaged in illicit ventures. On the Shanghai run motor vessels are each year more and more displacing lorchas, a natural result of the more rapid and safe delivery ensured by the former. The tea trade again proved a failure, there being already large stocks in Shanghai to be disposed of. Civic improve- ments still lag behind in comparison with other places. Owing to lack of funds, the demolition of the city wall, though long contemplated, has not yet been carried out. A certain number of streets have been widened, and modern and up-to-date buildings are gradually making their appearance. The net value of the trade of the port coming under the cognisance of the Maritime Customs for 1930 was Hk. Tls. 15,107,897, as compared with Hk. Tls. 14,549,879 in 1929, Hk. Tls. 12,440,109 in 1928, Hk. Tls. 11,541,356 in 1927, Hk. Tls. 10,660,706 in 1926, and Hk. Tls. 9,166,874 in 1925.