Directory_and_Chronicle_1932 — Page 967

MENGTSZ AND YUNNANFU

自 蒙 Mêng-s

This is a district city in south-east Yunnan, and together with Man-hao, a village on the left bank of the Red River, was opened to trade by the Additional Convention to the French Treaty of Tientsin of the 25th April, 1886, signed at Peking on the 26th June, 1887. The town is two days' journey from Man-hao and about six days' from the frontier of Tonkin at Laokay, and beautifully situated, being built on a cultivated plateau 20 miles long by about 12 miles in breadth, encircled by picturesque mountains, and is 4,280 feet above the level of the sea. It has a Chinese population of 38,562, but was a place of much more importance before the Mahommedan rebellion, as the numerous well-built temples, many of them now in ruins, still testify. It is, however, a considerable commercial emporium even now, and is becoming an important centre for the distribution of foreign goods imported vid Tonkin. The French Consul hoisted his flag at Mêngtsz on the 30th April, 1889, and the Customs station was opened in the following August.

TRADE IN 1930

Mr. H. D. Hilliard writes that the peace which reigned in the political situation in the Mengtsz district at the beginning of the year was destined to be short-lived. The Kwangsi Expeditionary Force, which left Yunnanfu in the months of April and May, met with a strong opposition, and, though the Yunnan troops besieged and held the city of Nanning for some months, they were ultimately defeated, and considerable numbers were massacred. During this time pack-animals were constantly comman- deered for military transport, but, despite this fact, interprovincial trade with Szechwan and Kweichow was brisk, considerable quantities of cotton yarn and piece goods being transported. During the months of April and May slight Communistic trouble was experienced both in the capital and along the French railway line. In the latter case those involved. being mostly Annamites, were arrested and handed over to the French authorities at Laokai. Bandits were also by no means inactive, and, although every train carried an armed guard, hold-ups were staged on several occasions. The most serious impediments to trade, however, were the various local taxes imposed by the provincial authorities, which increased fivehold when compared with 1929, as from the 1st January the rate of collection was fixed at 5 Yunnan paper dollars to 1 silver dollar. Trade with Hongkong and Indo-China both in imports and exports showed serious declines, while the net value of Chinese imports and exports, when compared with those of 1929, rose respectively from Hk. Tls. 921,658 to Hk. Tls. 6,790,200 and from Hk. Tls. 65,142 to Hk. Tls. 647,592. The reason for this may be sought in the privileges accorded Chinese produce transhipped at Hongkong, which no longer thereby loses its native status as heretofore. Constant repairs carried out to the Yunnan Railway were responsible for the large importation of rails, while locomotives and tenders for the Ko-Pi Railway account for the increase recorded under railway materials. The export trade, on the whole, held its own, and the volume of staple products remained normal. Good harvests were general throughout the district, and little or no rice was imported from abroad.

The net value of the trade of the port in 1930 was Hk. Tls. 29.153,530 as compared with Hk. Tls. 25,146,031 in 1929, Hk. Tls. 27,789,669 in 1928, Hk. Tls. 26,036,779 in 1927, Hk. Tls. 29,760,848 in 1926 and Hk. Tls. 30,878,9 3 in 1925. The Chinese merchants avail themselves largely of the advantages offered by the transit pass system. The value of the trade of the Yunnanfu, Pishihchai, Hokow, Mapai and Manhao branch offices is included in the Mengtsz Custom returns.

The climate of Mengtsz is temporate and salubrious. Plague has been absent from Mengtsz since 1899. During the winter good sport is obtained, snipe and wild fowl being abundant in the plains and some pheasant and partridge in the hilly districts.