January 20, 1900.]
steps are well worn by the tread of pilgrims who bare frequented this place for over 4,000 years. Situated at the base of Tai Shao is the city of Tai-Au-fu, in which are located over 800 shops for the sale of gilt-paper offerings for the gods of the sacred mountain, and a good business is. I am told, done with the pilgrims who. I may add, are squeezed for all things two-thirds more than the ordinary inhabitants. Have we foreigners, I wonder, much to learn from the Chinese in this respect P
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THE CHINESE BORROW.
To return, however, we at last catch sight of the Shantung bills, and an onward journey of thirty miles brings us to the town of Che-ho, situated at a bend of the Yellow River or Chinese Sorrow,' as it is not inaptly styled by the natives. Here the difficulty and duration of the passage across is dependent upon the Beason of the year. For instance, I once crossed the river on the 27th January when en route from the Yangtse to Peking. The ice was at that time almost formed across, the actual boat passage being not more than 150 yards. Again I crossed at the same place on 14th June, when the water covered an expanse of over 300 yards, and such was the strength of the current that it took the flat-bottomed barge ovor half-an-hour to tack up stream in order to gain the required landing on the opposite side. Once more I passed over the Yellow River at the same crossing on 5th August, but ore I could reach the place of embarkation I had to travel on an embankment. Running at right angles to the river for a distance of three miles the surrounding country was flooded and the water still rising, and I was not surprised to learn later on that it had been swept away and many lives had been lost,
Situated at the western side of this ferry is a village which when I last crossed was certaiuly 20 ft. lower than the river surface, which was still rising, and at that time only within a few feet of the top of the embankment, which showed every sign of having a tendency to give way, notwithstanding which the many hundreds of inhabitants were carrying on their daily routine heedless of the approaching danger. To our Western ideas, does not this trait in the Chinese character seem very strange? When crossing the Hwangbo the first fact which must strike the traveller forcably is that if railways are being carried alone in its vicinity great care must be taken in making the banks of approach to the bridges of far more than the ordinary diwensions and strength. Once across this sadly bistorical river our routs lios S.S.E. to the capital of Shantung, and the distance is
about ten miles.
THE CAPITAL.
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The ground from the river to the North Gate of Tsinan-fu is low and swampy, and by experience I find that the travellor, if riding, can with much more ease and advantage make this short journey by turning east, and proceeding on top of the inner embankment to the port of the capital, Lob-Koh, distanced but four miles from the North Gate. The direct road from the Yellow River is, more or less, always in a swampy condition, but the "going" on the embankment is always excellent for man and beast. Carts, of course, are not permitted to take this short cut. Teinaafu, the capital, is without doubt a city of the first class in every respect. It lies at the foot of the range of hills before alluded to and its bearings are 36 deg. 50min. N. lat. 1170 E. long, and it has a gradual slope from south-west to north-east. Situated in the south-west suburb are magnificent springs, giving forth many tons of water (of more than the ordinary excellence of composi- tion and lustre) per minute, and, as a conse- quence, the streams flowing from these natural fountains and through the city to a lake sitnated on the north side tend to make this one of the most clean and healthy cities in the Empire. Its markets rival those of any other city juland and its mercantile trade is very large. In the summer evenings the lake before alluded to is visited by pleasure parties, aud across the water can be heard the merry sonuds of music and laughter. Excursions too are frequently made to the rarions temples situated upon the neigh bouring bills, and altogether the gilded youth of the metropolis appears to take his pleasures not sadly. Tainan-fa being the headquarters of the Governor and high officials, as a
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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natural consequence very cousiderable traf- retrace our stops own this happy valley to fo takes place between it and the various | Chih Ch'wan, which, I may remark, also the head-centres of officialdom within the pro-head contro of an extensive coal mining dis vince. The residents of this city, who num. trict. From here our ber over 100,000 souls, include a Moham chow-fu which is the ancient capital of the course lies to Tsing. madan colony of 20,000, who (as usual in China) province and still a city of much importance. reside in the immediate vicinity of the West Like Tsouping, it lies at the foot of the hills and Gate suburb. Both within and without the is, I believe, considered to be the head centre of city are located various Christian missions. the silk trade in Shantung. At Tsingchow-fa At a distance of about five miles due east of a large Manchu garrison is upheld, and, as in Tsinan-fu rises a small, almost conical hill, com- all parts of China where the reigning dynasty posed wholly of a magnetic iron. Other similar have placed their troops, the Tarters occupy a hills lio scattered over this district and appear to be of volcanic origin. Passing onwards
separate walled city of their own. From here from the capital our route to the new port to my thinking is the Clapham Junction of the we must proceed onward to Wei Hsion, which lies at the base of the hills, which at intervals province. present to the eye a beautiful contrast to the centre, nearly all the trade of the province Besides being a large business green expanse which stretches in an unbroken line to the horizon, similar in appearance to the all find this their destiuation prior to re- passes through it, and imports and exports nearly paddy fields of Burmah and Siam. The next distribution.
From this highly important town of importanco encounterod en route is head centre to Chefoo, the original 'open port,' Tsouping (or Joping), charmingly situated at the journey occupies six good days' march, but the foot of the hills, which at this point average to Tsing-tau, at Kiaochow Bay via Kao Mi it their highest altitude, always excepting the occupies but three and half days. From Wei Tai Shan, which stands alone and more to the Hsien let us continue our journey to Kiao- chow, and thence to the mouth of the bay and our tour from a birdseye point of view is completed.
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west.
A LARGE TRADE CENTRE,
the many groves of mulberry trees visible This town is a largo trade centro, and by throughout the district it does not require any stretch of imagination to realize that silk is a large industry here. A stroll through the streets will at once dispel any existing doubts banks of this valuable commodity in a large upou the subject, for displayed to the gate aro number of the shop windows, and the supply would appear to be abundant. I am informed, however, that this trade is decreasing year by year, and that its dimensions are inconsiderable at present in comparison with the past. This is traceable to two causes: (1) The excessive cost of transport. (2) The fact that the people are bound down (illegally) to sell their silk through a middleman, who is required to report such sales to the local officials, who stand in with a speculation ring, and gladly as the people would export their produce to Chefoo and reap the higher rates usually paid by Europeans, they are unable to do so. gentleman travels inland from the treaty port Every year a French to purchase what silk he can, and his advent is looked forward to with eagerness by those who are untrammeled by this coercion, namely, the missionary, of independent means, has planted Hore an English South American cotton, which grows exceed. ugly well in this district, and in the future may add materially to the wealth of certain portions of Shantung. I must mention that the soil of this province varies very considerably, for instance, two days' march may carry one through, say a first-class fruit and cotton district, while the next fifty miles or so may lead through a country where it does not pay to cultivate these products, but which may be excellent beancake and straw-braid contres. I was informed that the straw raised on the dark brown soil yielded as the sally switch to the skilful manipulations of the braid manu- factures, while that grown upon other soil was liable to crack or break off short.
native Roman Catholics.
THE COAL DISTRICT.
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IS THE PROVINCE RICH? "The Fich province of Shantung" is a phrase I frequently hear repeated. Is this corroot P Strange though it may appear a contradictory answer can truthfully be returned, Yos and granted that no attempt at estimating the No!" and as a proof of this let us tako for
population of Shantang has proved better than the official figures, and, therefore, we take the population at thirty millions, which is pro- bably, in my opinion a low estimate. The total area of the province is 65,100 square miles, or 41 millions of English acres, or 85 millious of large mowy. Here it is necessary to observe that Chinese measurements are variable in the same province. The Shantung large mow contains one-ninth less than half an English acre.
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Now let as suppose an extreme case, viz., that every inch was laid down under wheat for one the result be? What would it produce ? year like a European country, what would The answer is simple enough. Taking the ordinary yield of fair average ground in average years it would only give them 12 in Shantung they have three crops in two baskets of grain per inhabitaut; but as
years, and as red millet yields 60 per cent. more than wheat, this raises the entire average pro- duce of the whole of the province to a little over 18 bushels per inhabitant for all kinds of grain, not even leaving the thirty millions of people standing ground! The English, Irish and Scotch consume 17 bushels of grain per in- habitant, the Germans 16, the French 25, and the Russians, who I take it are nearest to the Chinese in poverty and circninstances, consume 20 bushels of grain per inhabitant, but the Shantung man to get 183 must sow every inch of his country Now, of course, all the land cannot be cultivated. There must be a certain allowance, made for mountains, sand and soda, waste morasses, river beds, lakes, roads, paths, towns, villages and burial places--the last being a From Tsouping the route lies to Chib- disastrously large item. The proportion of uncul Ch'wan, another trade centre of importance, and tivated land varies in different countries. In from this point we must turn off south from Great Britain, France and Germany the pro- the Great Road' and travel up the Lan-pa portion of uncultivated land is 40 per cent., in valley to Po-shan and Yenshing, the two Italy and Denmark the uncultivated ground busiest towns of their size in Shantang. Here is only 33 per cent., but in Russia and Spain are situated the mines whose coal has been pro- the uncultivated ground amounts to 80 per cent. nounced by experts to be the best in North I propose to fix the uncultivated ground in China, Here also are the potteries, the produce Shantung at 25 per cent., as I feel sure that at of which we meet with daily being hauled in least one fourth must come off the cultivated barrows all over the country. At this place area. That will reduce the grain producing area also are the famous glass manufactories of the to 634 millions of large mow. But then grain province. The towns of Poshan and Youshing that has to be eaten is not the only thing that has are surrounded by fine walls and lie exactly at to be raised. The Shantung man wants col- the head of the valley and are separated only by tou for cloths, and bedding, paper, mate, rope, a ştream about fifty yards broad" They present and twine, oil for cooking und light, salt, sugar, to the eye in a very diminutive manner the ap tea, tobacco, matches, millstones, a boiler, a pan, pearance of English manufacturing towns when kuives, kettles, crockery, medicines, weapons viewed from a distance, more so, indeed, than any and farm utensils. He has to engage the ser- towus known to me in China. The very inha-vices of the mason and carpenter, tho smith and bitants are begrimed with the clean dirt' of their factories. Water pure as crystal rushes through the sloping streets of Poshan in woll kept stone-pared viaducts, lending to the town a cleanliness savory, to say, exceptional in the Chinese Empire. From Poalad we mast
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the cotton scutcher. He generally wants some skin cloths to keep him warm outside during the winter months, and perhaps some alcohol to use inside certainly numbers seem to have it. I reckon that fruit may be grown on the waste ground (is. the hill sides) and that the
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