Directory_and_Chronicle_1936 — Page 814

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NINGPO

Ningpo is built on a plain which is surrounded by many small hills. The walls of the city, originally enclosed a space of some five miles in circumference, they were pulled down in 1931 and macadamised roads now occupy the entire site. Ningpo has the reputation of possessing the fourth, library in the Republic of which the founder was Fan Chin (k) a high officer under the Ming Dynasty. There are also many beautiful temples. The Fukien teniple of "Mother of Heaven" is famous for its carved pillars. The Nyo Wang ( E) and Tien Dong () monasteries, which are accessible by launches or motor bus, are situated in the hills some forty li from city. The former is celebrated for its "Holy Pearl" (*) and "Shining Pine-tree" (A) and the latter for its wealth. The railway to Hangehow is completed only as far as Pakuan () but there is a motor road to Hsia Shan (1) near the bank of Chien Dong River (I) some 90 li from Shaohsing(). Four main bus routes starting from Ningpo are in operation: (1) The Ning-Feng Public Road (AAK) which joins Ningpo with Fenghua by motor transport of about 1 hours; (2) The Ning Chin Tze Public Road (A) which starts from Ningpo, passes Lotchiao) and terminates at Kwei Hai Wei () in Tzeki (); (3) The Ning-Chuan Motor Bus Road () from Ningpo to Chuan Shan (*) along the coast, covering a distance of 42 kilometres; (4) TheNing-Huan Road() from Ningpo to Huangshan Pu. Passengers from Ningpo to Hangchow and vice versa can make the journey in three ways: (1) by the combined method of rail, ferry and motor bus; (2) by motor bus via Kwei Hai Wei, Tsao-O (#) Shaolising and Asiao Shan) with the assistance of ferry boats when crossing the rivers: or (3) by motor bus via Fenghua (t), Hsinchong (), Chen Hsien (), Shaolising and Hsiao Shan. There is also a landing ground for aeroplanes in Tuan Tang () outside the south gate, which was made by order of the Ministry of War in 1932, but no air traffic has yet taken place, The population of Ningpo is estimated at 260,000. There are a cotton mill, a match factory, an electric light company, a telephone company, a flour mill, two coal ball factories, three knitting factories, two cotton weaving and dyeing factories and two canned goods factories. A new stock-breeding school has been established at Fenghua (t) by General Chiang Kai-shek at his personal expense. There are ten middle schools (four of which belong to foreign missions) and about a hundred primary schools. In all educational institutions girls play their part and co-education is encouraged. There is no college in the port as yet. There are some ten Chinese reign style banks; no foreign bank has ever been established since the opening of the port in 1842. Foreign business interests are represented in only four firms: Butterfield and Swire, Standard-Vacuum Oil Company, Asiatic Petroleum Company and Olivier Chine, but in all cases the local management has been entrusted to Chinese agents. Ali foreign business is now in the hands of Chinese agents, the last foreign gent having left the port in April, 1932. There are five main steamship lines, one of which is British, the rest being Chinese; and steamers procced to and from Shanghai daily except on Sunday s. Small launches ply regularly to inland places along the coast and to the Buddhist island of Pootoo, a well-known place of pilgrimage and where foreigners may spend holidays during the summer. The staple exports of the district are green tea, straw mats, straw and rush hats, samshu, bainboo poles, cotton yarn and vegetable medicines. The Ningpo Lakes are very beautiful and provide excellent shooting. There is a proposal to make San Men Wan (M) into a good modern harbour.

TRADE IN 1934

The Ningpo district was one of those most affected by the extensive drought in 1934, seriously affecting the internal economy of the country side and the trade of the port. The import of foreign rice from Saigon and Bangkok, amounting to 525,000 quintals, was the principal reason for the heavy increase in the value of arrivals from abroad. The purchase of this rice was necessitated by the fact that the drought, assisted by the infiltration of sea-water into the plantations along the coast, had partially destroyed the local crops, while the long spell of dry weather had also affected the crops in other rice-growing provinces and made supplies of the Chinese varieties difficult to obtain in sufficient quantity. Other foreign items to show an increase were sugar and iron manufactures. The trade in kerosene oil was poor due to excessive stocks having been brought forward from the previous year. The imports of Chinese produce declined during the year, attributable in part to lowered pur chasing power on account of the poor local harvest and in part to the increased use now being made of junks as carriers for interport merchandise, no cognizance being