Directory_and_Chronicle_1938 — Page 743

NANKING

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construction of the Chungshan highway, the opening of which in 1929 greatly facilitated traffic and has given an impetus to motor transportation. Many new roads are planned inside the City, where since it became the Capital. Many fine buildings have been erected, or are in course of erection: notably the ministries of Railways, Communications. Justice, and a new Foreign office. Outside the City, Motor roads now. join the Capital both with Hang chow & Wuhu..

British and American Consulates were opened in 1900, and since then a Japanese and French Consulates have also beenestablished. Most of the Legations also have established sub-Legations here.

Nanking was the scene of much fighting in the revolutionary compaign during October and November, 1911. The whole city was occupied by the revolutionaries in the early days of December, the Tartar City was sacked and burnt, and Nanking became the seat of the Provisional Government with Dr. Sun Yat-sen as President. Here the Republican Constitution was drawn up and promulgated, and the Revolutionary leaders sought to make Nanking the capital of the Republic. In July, 1913, a military outbreak occurred which rapidly developed into an armed rebellion against the Central Government, and from the 15th August until the 1st September the city was under a severe bombardment. All of Hsia-kuan was burnt, and Nanking was looted. The city was made the seat of government by the Nationalists in 1927. The great event of 1929 was the burial of Dr. Sun Yat Sen in a magnificent mausoleum, specially con- structed for the body of the great leader on a slope of the Purple Mountain In 1931 the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park was developed by the constructio" of sports grounds, a stadium and a swimming pool.

TRADE IN 1936

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The trade of the port of Nanking during the year under review was favoured by the increasing stability of the Central Government, the continuity of peace and order in the surrounding districts and vast hinterland of Pukow traversed by the Tientsin-Pukow and Lung-Hai Railways, the splendid wheat crops and the superabundant rice harvests reaped in the Yangtsze Valley, as well as the various official and private activities directed towards the develop- ment of industry and facility of communications. Statistics of the value, of trade coming under Customs cognizance are as follows: direct foreign imports, $17.4 million as against $12.9 million in 1935; direct exportations to foreign countries, $1.7 million as against $474,000; coastwise importations of Chinese produce, $8 million as against $6 million; and coastwise exportations of Chinese produce, $13.8 million as against $13.2 million. The returns of direct foreign imports, when compared with the preceding year, discloses conspicuous increases in the arrivals of rails (from 101,000 to 242,000 quintals), crossings (from 854 to 4,162 quintals), structural steel (from a nil record to 29,000 quintals), railway sleepers (from 639,000 to 800,000) pieces, and "railway materials, not otherwise recorded" (from $319,000 to $748,000). All the above categories were largely used in the construction of the extensions westward from Sian () of the Lung-Hai Railway. Great expension was also seen in the trade of the following articles: gasolene advanced from 114,000 to 1,398,000 litres owing to the extensive construction of motor roads in the Nanking district as well as the Tientsin-Pukow and Lung-Hai Railway areas; kerosene oil, from 3,854,000 to 7,238,000 litres due to the improvement in purchasing power of the farmers and the poorer class of the people after' reaping their spring and autumn bumper crops; lubricating oil, from 100,000 to 358,000 litres obviously on account of the installation of machines on a large scale by the Ammonia and the Acid Factory of the Yungli Chemical Industries, Limited, the Kiangnan Cement Works, etc.

Cement Works, etc. Reduced importations are recorded of the following commodities: machinery and tools declined from $3.419,000 and $427,000 to $2,522,000 and $176,000 respectively owing to the bulk of these commodities for use in the gigantic Ammonia and Acid Factory having been imported during the preceeding year; sugar, from 83,000 to 80,000 quintals, entirely due to the smuggling so rampant in the North in the first part of the year, or otherwise a much higher figure would have been attained; ordinary