Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 21

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 ( h’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

10 Wei 10 Hu 10 Ssu 10 Hao 10 Li 10 Fen

1 Hu 1 Ssu

10 Chien

1 Liang, or Tael

1 Hao

1 Li

16 Liang

1 Fen, or Candareen

1 Chien, or Mace

37.79937 Grammes

1.333 Avoirdupois Ounces

1 Chin, or Catty

604.7899 Grammes 1 1/3 lb.

NEW STANDARD

METRIC STANDARD

100 Chin

Tan, or Picul

133.33 lb.

200 Chin

= 60.47899 Kilogrammes

1 Ying

1 Kung Ssu 10 Kung Ssu

1 Milligramme

10 Kung Fen

10 Kung Hao

1 Kung Hao 1 Centigramme 1 Kung Li

10 Kung Chien

10 Kung Li

1 Kung Fen

1 Decigramme

1 Gramme

10 Kung Liang

1 Kung Chien 1 Decagramme 1 Kung Liang 1 Hectogramme 1 Kung Chin 1 Kilogramme

10 Kung Chin

10 Kung Heng

10 Kung Shih

1 Kung Heng 1 Myriagramme 1 Kung Shih 1 Quintol 1 Kung Tung 1 Tonne

10 Shih Ssu 10 Shih Hao 10 Shih Li 10 Shih Fen

1 Shih Hao

1 Shih Li

1 Shih Fen

1 Shih Chien

MARKET STANDARD

10 Shih Chien — 1 Shih Liang

16 Shih Liang

31 Grammes

1 Shih Chin

Kung Chin

16 Shih Liang 500 Grammes

13 Liang & 4 Chien (Kuping Weight)

1 Shih Tan

100 Shih Chin

CAPACITY---OLD STANDARD

6 Su 10 Keui 10 Ch'ao 10iT's'o 10 Shao

1 Keui

1 Ch'ao

1 Ts'o 1 Shao

=1 Ho

10 Ho

1 Sheng

1.0354688 Litres

10 Sheng

5 Tou

1.09416 Liquid quarts 0.27354 Gallons

2 Hu

1 Tou

1 Hu

1 Shih

2 Shih

1 Yin