Directory_and_Chronicle_1934 — 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 proelaimed 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 kilograin 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

10 Wei 10 Hu

10 Sau

WEIGHTS---OLD STANDARD

10 Chien1 Liang, or Tael

— 37.79937 Grammes

1 Hu

1 Ssu

1 Hao

10 Hao

1 Li

16 Liang

10 Li

1 Fen, or Candareen

10 Fen

1 Chien, or Mace

1 Kung Ssu 10 Kung Ssu

10 Kung Hao

10 Kung Li

1 Milligramme 1 Kung Hao 1 Centigramme 1 Kung Li 1 Decigramme 1 Kung Fen 1 Gramme

1.333 Avoirdupois Ounces

1 Chin, or Catty

604.7899 Grammes 1 1/3 lb.

NEW STANDARD

METRIC STANDARD

10 Kung Fen

10 Kung Chien

10 Kung Liang

1 Kung Chien =1'Decagramme

1 Kung Liang 1 Hectogramme 1 Kung Chin

Kilogramme

· MARKET STANDARD

100 Chin

200 Chin

= 1 Tan, or Picul

133,33 lb.

60.47899 Kilogrammes 1 Ying

10 Kung Chin 1 Kung Heng

1 Myriagramme 10 Kung Heng - 1 Kung Shih

1 Quintol

1 Kung Tung 1 Tonne

10 Kung Shih

10 Shih Ssu

1 Shib Hao

10 Shih Hao 10 Shih Li 10 Shih Fen

1 Sbih Li

1 Shih Fen

1 Shih Chien

16 Shih Liang

100 Shil Chin

500 Grammes 13 Liang & 4 Chien (Kuping Weight)

1 Shih Tan

10 Shih Chien

1 Shih Liang,

16 Shih Liang

314 Grammes 1 Shih Chin

Kung Chin

CAPACITY---OLD STANDARD

6 Su 10 Keui

1 Keui

10 Ho

=1 Sheng

1 Ch'ao

10 Ch'ao

1 Ts'o

= 1.0354688 Litres

10 Ts'o 10 Shao

1 Shao

1 Ho

1.09416 Liquid quarts 0.27354 Gallons

10 Sheng

5 Топ

2 Hu

2 Shih

= 1 Tou

1 Hu

1 Shih =1 Yin