Directory_and_Chronicle_1936 — Page 799

ICHANG

昌宜 I-Chang

Ichang is one of the four ports opened to foreign trade on the 1st April, 1877, in accordance with Clause 1, Section 3, of the Chefoo Convention. It is situated in lat. 30° 43.4′ N., long. 111° 12.8′ E., on the north bank of the river Yangtze, about 363 miles above Hankow, and some five miles below the entrance to the great Ichang Gorge, or just about 1,000 miles from the coast. The navigation of the river to this port is comparatively easy for vessels of light draught and has in recent years been rendered easier by the labours of the Customs River Department, which has marked every crossing and established numerous aids to navigation. The anchorage is off the left bank,. opposite the foreign residences, and is good, except in freshets, when the an- chors should be sighted every two or three days. The port is the centre of a hilly country, the productions of which are rice in the valleys, cotton on the higher grounds, winter wheat, barley, and also the tungtzu trees, from which the ordinary wood oil is obtained by pressing the nuts gathered from the trees. In the sheltered valleys, amongst the mountain ranges west of the city, oranges, lemons, pomeloes, pears, plums, and a very superior quality of per- simmons are grown, and find a ready market in the city and at Shasi. The importance of Ichang is chiefly that of an emporium for goods in transit to and from Chungking. Most of the cargo for the latter port is landed here and transfered to steamers. Steam navigation is now practicable for the lar- ger vessels from the middle of April to the end of November and for the smaller vessels throughout the year. The rates for foreign passengers are much higher than on the lower Yangtsze. In view of the enhanced traffic,. aids to navigation and rules of the road through the gorges have become urgent, and have been for some years undertaken by the Government, with three River Inspectors functioning between Chungking and Ichang. The up- ward voyage to Chungking_now takes between three and four days, and the return. trip just under two days. The survey of the railway to Chengtu has been completed, but construction has been postponed indefinitely. The estimated Chinese population of Ichang is 112,309.

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TRADE IN 1934

Part of the area served by the port of Ichang lies too close to the troubled province of Szechwan for comfort. Near the Hupeh-Szechwan frontier, there- fore, a feeling of insecurity prevailed for a time, and certain of the trade routes crossing the mountanous region from Szechwan were still considered to be unsafe. Actually, however, there was peace throughout this whole section of Hupeh during the year under review. The vicinity of the port was well garrisoned and, after reinforcements had been provided at various strategic points, confidence was restored even in the border districts. The rapid develop- ment of direct steamer traffic between down-river ports and Szehewan has gradually diminished the importance of Ichang as a port of transhipment and, for this reason, has begun to tell on the prosperity of the city itself, thus reducing its import requirements; and this factor, in conjunction with the present lack of purchasing power in the interior, is accountable for the decrease exhibited in the returns for the inward section of trade. Outward shipments. also made a poor showing for the first three quarters of the year, but this was more than compensated for by the excellent autumn harvests and better demand from down-river during the last quarter, resulting in a small increase (from: 6.4 million to 6.7 million dollars) being recorded for the aggregate value of