Directory_and_Chronicle_1938 — Page 803

NINGPO

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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 temple of "Mother of Heaven" is famous for its carved pillars. The Nyo Wang (E) and Tien Dong (X) 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 Hangchow is completed only as far as Pakuan () but there is a motor road to Hsiao Shan (1) near the bank of Chien Dong River (1) some 90′′ li from Shaohsing (). Four main bus routes starting from Ningpo are in operation; (1) The Ning-Feng Public Road (REAR) which joins Ningpo with Fenghua by motor transport of about 1 hours The Ning-Chin-Tze Public Road (A) which starts from Ningpo, passe) Lotchiao) and terminates at Kwei Hai Wei (1) in Tzeki (X); (3) The Ning-Chuan Motor Bus Road (ER) from Ningpo to Chuan Shan ) along the coast, covering a distance of 42 kilometres; (4) The Ning 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 (##) Shaohsing() and Asiao Shan () with the assistance of ferry boats when crossing the rivers; or (3) by motor bus via Fenghua (1), Hsinchong (_), Chen Hsien (), Shaolising and Hsiao Shan. There is also a landing ground for aeroplanes in T'uan 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 foreign 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. All foreign business is now in the hands of Chinese agents, the last fóreign agent 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 Sundays. 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, bamboo 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 (#) into a good modern harbour. 39 L WIL

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TRADE IN 1936

The year opened with Ningpo still suffering from the trade depression of 1935. A poor spring crop caused by a long spell of cold weather at the beginning of the year and tightness in the money, market added to existing difficulties, so that a decrease was recorded in the trade of the port as is shown by the following value statistics; direct imports from abroad, $13 million as compared with $8.1 million during 1935; coastwise imports of Chinese produte, $16.9 million as against $15.3 million; direct exports of Chinese produce to foreign countries, $6,600 as against $9,000, and coast- wise exportations of Chinese merchandise, $16.1 million as compared with $16.2 million. Due to exceptionally good harvests. the import of foreign rice declined from 1,087,376 to 51,546 quintals, while imports of foreign sugar fell from 60,225 to 37,105 quintals, importations of native sugar from Kwangtung taking the place of the foreign product. During 1935 kerosene dil imported was largely duty-paid, and direct imports did not exceed 265,987 litres During the year under review the position was entirely reversed, no less than 5,491,003 litres being imported ex bond from Shanghai and