Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 25

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

In China, Standards of Weights, Measures and Length vary all over the country. Generally speaking, two kinds of standard are now in use, namely, the old and the new. The old standard was formulated from the Weights and Measures Law promulgated in 1914, establishing a double system, the standard metric unit and that based on Ying Tsao Ch'ih or "Builder's Foot" for length and Kuping tael or Liang for weight. The law governing the new standard was promulgated by the National Government on February 6, 1929 and it is intended to be the legal standard of weights and measures acceptable throughout China. For convenience sake and customary usage it also established a double system; one is the standard metric unit and the other, which is temporary in nature and to be abolished as soon as the people are accustomed to the use of standard units, is designed only for market use. However, the latter is derived from the former by taking one litre of Kung Sheng as one Shih Sheng which is nearest to the Chinese customary unit of capacity Sheng one half kilogram as one Shih Chin which is the average weight of the different varieties of "Chin" in different localities; and one third of a meter or Kung Ch'ih as one Sh'ih Ch'ih which is the average length of different varieties of Chinese "Foot" in different localities, thus constituting the so-called 1-2-3-system of Chinese weights and measures based on International metric standard. Such a system, as devised by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Labour and proclaimed by the National Government to be put into force may also have great bearing on the users of British "Foot-Pound system by taking the following approximate value: 1 quart equals to 1 litre, 1 pound equals to kilogram and 1 yard equals to 1 meter. The Russian and Japanese system can also be thus varied accordingly so as to fit themselves to the International System. The following is a comparative table showing both the old and the new standards together with their approximate foreign equivalents :-

WEIGHTS---OLD STANDARD

17

1 Hu 1 Sau

1 Hao

1 Li

10 Wei 10 IIu 10 Ssu

10 Hao 10 Li 10 Fen

1 Chien, or Mace

10 Chien

1 Liang, or Tael

5

16 Liang

1 Fen, or Candareen

37.79937 Gramnies

1.333 Avoirdupois Ounces

1 Chin, or Catty

604.7899 Grammes 1 1/3 lb.

NEW STANDARD

METRIC STANDARD

100 Chiu

1 Tan, or Picul - 133.33 lb.

200 Chin

60.47899 Kilogrammes

1 Ying

1 Kung Ssu

10 Kung Ssu

10 Kung Hao

10 Kung Li

1 Kung Fen

1 Milligramme 1 Kung Hao 1 Centigrainme 1 Kung Li 1 Decigramme

1 Gramme

10 Kung Fen

1 Kung Chien

16 Kung Chin

1 Decagramme

10 Kung Chien

10 Kung Heng

10 Kung Liang

10 Kung Shih

10 Shih Ssu 10 Shih Hao 10 Shib li 10 Shih Fen

-

1 Kung Liang 1 Hectogramme 1 Kung Chin 1 Kilogramme

MARKET STANDARD

1 Shih Hao

10 Shin Chien

1 Shih Li

1 Shih Fen

1 Shih Chien

16 Shih Liang

་་

1 Shih Liang 31 Grammes 1 Shih Chin

Kung Chin

16 Shih Liang

100 Shih Chin

CAPACITY---OLD STANDARD

1 Kung Heng 1 Myriagramme

1 Kung Shih

1 Quintol

1 Kung Tung 1 Tonne

500 Grammės 13 Liang & 4 Chien (Kuping Weight)

1 Shih Tan

6 Su

1 Keui

10 Ho

1 Sheng

10 Keui

1 Chao

1.035 1688 Litres

10 Ch'ao

1 Ts'o

10 Ts'o 10 Shao

1 Shao

1 Но

1.09416 Liquid quarts

10 Sheng

5 Tou 2 Hu

1 Tou

1 Hu

1 Shih

== 0,27354 Gallons

2 Shih

- 1 Yin