Directory_and_Chronicle_1938 — Page 20

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WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

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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 'th or "Builder's Foot" for length and Kuping tael or Liang for weight. The law governing the new standard was promulgated by the National Governn.ent 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 proclained 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

1 Hu 1 Ssu

10 Chien

1 Liang, or Tael

1 Hao

10 Hao

1 Li

16 Liang

10 Li

10 Fen

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

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

100 Chin

— 1 Tan, or Picul

133.33 lb.

200 Chin

60.47899 Kilogrammes:

= 1 Ying

10 Kung Fen

1 Kung Chien 1 Decagramme 10 Kung Chien — 1 Kung Liang

10 Kung Chin1 Kung Heng

— 1 Myriagramme

10 Kung Liang

1 Hectogramme 1 Kung Chin 1 Kilogramme

10 Kung Heng

10 Kung Shih

1 Kung Shih = 1 Quintol

1 Kung Tung 1 Tonne

MARKET STANDARD

10 Shih Ssu

1 Shih Hao

10 Shih Chien

1 Shih Liang

10 Shih Hao

1 Shih Li

10 Shib Li 10 Shih Fen

1 Shih Fen

1 Shih Chien

16 Shih Liang

31 Grammes 1 Shih Chin

Kung Chin

16 Shih Liang — 500 Grammes

13 Liang & 4 Chier (Kuping Weight) 100 Shih Chin 1 Shih Tau

CAPACITY---OLD STANDARD

6 Su

10 Keui

10 Ch'ao

10 T's'o 10 Shao

1 Shao

1 Ho

1 Keui 1 Ch'ao

10 Ho

1 Sheng

10 Sheng

1 Tou

1.0354888 Litres

5 Tou

1 Ts'o

1.09416 Liquid quarts

2 Hu

0.27354 Gallons

2 Shih

1. Hu

1 Shih 1 Yin