Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 511

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LUNGKOW

口龍

Lungkow, a sub-office under the Chefoo Customs Commissioner, was declared a trading port in November, 1914, but was not formally opened until 1st November, 1915. It is about 60 miles due west of Chefoo, on the west coast of the Shantung promontory. It lies about 100 miles south-west of the Japanese port, Dairen, and is the nearest port to the rich Manchurian provinces. Newchwang and Tientsin are each about 200 miles distant from Lungkow,

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The port is welly sheltered by the Chimatao Peninsula, and is the most northern one in China proper open to the sea throughout the year, though the Harbour is sometimes partly frozen over, greatly handicapping the move- ments of the clumsy cargo boats. This generally happens in January. The harbour of Lungkow (Dragon's Mouth) is seven miles wide at the entrance, and has a sand bar which forms a breakwater for five miles across the open- ing. The inner harbour has a low-water mark of from 11 to 14 feet and storms seldom disturb the shipping inside. It is not to be expected that the Chinese Government will, for many years at least, undertake extensive harbour im- provements at Lungkow; but, as it is, the inner harbour has accommodation for a great deal of shipping and, as its bottom is of clay, not sand, a con- siderable increase in the depth of water available could probably be brought about by dredging operations. Until such time as recognition of its favourable geographical situation forces the bestowal of increased communications, to- gether with harbour improvement similar to those at Chefoo, any increase of trade will be slow and must come from an increase in exports and a gradual elevation of the scale of living with an attendant increase in imports. A handsome new reinforced concrete pier at the New Settlement has been com- pleted, but has never been used and is slowly falling into decay, while the roads leading to it have been allowed to deteriorate. During 1924 develop- ment of the town northwaids was planned with some success, but it has since been abandoned An electric light works, long anticipated, is now an accomplished fact.

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The town of Lungkow has a population of about 11,524 but it is estimated that within a radius of about five miles there is a population of 130,000. A level stretch of country behind Lungkow, thickly populated and very fertile, gives promise of the port some day assuming considerable importance. The proposed Chefoo-Weihsien Railway would connect Lungkow with both Chefoo and Weihsien, thus with north and central Shantung. The Weihsien Lung- kow-Chefoo motor highway could be easily converted into a railway. In the meantime, this new road brings more trade to the port, although closed to traffic in wet weather, the rainy season being July and August. The transport of mails and cargo is considerable in normal times. The beach and isthmus of Lungkow are of a loose drifting sand, which, in stormy weather, coupled with dust from the numerous coal supply depots on all sides, mar what otherwise might easily become a seaside resort for those whose work is in the near neighbourhood. The climate is slightly cooler than that of Chefoo, and no doubt one of the healthiest in China.

TRADE IN 1933

Following the evacuation of General Liu Chen-nien's troops at the end of the previous year, the whole province of Shantung came under the control of one strong leader in the person of General Han Fu-chu, Chairman of the Provincial Government, and this promised well for the peace and order of Lungkow during the year under review. This promise was fulfilled in respect to conditions controllable by General