The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-11
CITY OF HANKOW,
CHICAGO OF CHINA

Hankow, the Chicago of China, is the
subject of an elaborate discussion in
recent number of the British Board
of Trade Journal, which presents GER
tain facts that will prove of Importance
to Americans interested in the trade
with China. Hankow is a city of over
a million inhabitants, situated about
900 miles in the interior of China, but
reached by ocean-going steamers,
which pass up the great Yangtze river
to that point. Located as it is in the
very heart of the most productive and
densely populated section of China, it
is one of the most important trade
centers, The article in question says:
of the treaty ports on the Yangtze
Hankow is second in Importance,
coming only after Shanghai, which lat
ter. from its position near the mouth,
should be regarded more as a seaport
than as a river port. The total import
trade of the eight treaty ports on the
Yangtze has been as follows: In 1891
liz, Csc, 519 hail1Wan taels, of which the
value OF 25/190,24S entered at Hankow;
ia 1885, G944G, 696 taels. OF which y
S17,794 entered at HauiLoW, and in 1893,
la. 553, Al taeIs Of which 29,tsS, 565 taeis
entered at HankoW. The total export
trade OF. these eight ports in the same
years, has been as follows: IN 1884,
G6.454 606 taels OF which the value OF
Il 54q,3S tae3s left China through Han
kow; in 1898, 102, $50 taels, Of which
sc, 953, e51 taels value was exported from
Rankow, and in 1899, III, $685. taels, of
which 81 1853, 595 taels value WAS eX-
ported from Hankow. From the above
it will be seen that as regards exports
the trade of Bankow is greater than
that of all the other six ports
of the Yangtze, exclusive of Shanghai,
whose export trade in 1899 amounted
to 20 S22, 474 taels. The value of the
Haikwan tael ranges between 20 and
, IS cents
In 1899 1929 vessels, with a total
tonnage of 1,976,031 tons, entered and
cleared at the port of Hankow, as
against 2556 vessels, With a total ton
mage of 1882, $50 tons, in 1898. Of the
total tonnage entered and cleared at
Hankow, the tonnage OF British steam
ers amounted TO 65.S per cent in 1898,
and $50 per cent in 1899 In the re-
port of the deputy commissioners of
e'1 oflls for 1899, it is stated, with re-
% the increase of shipping at
" in that year, as compared
WILL :S. that among the reasons for
this sase, may be noted the arriv-
Al - VI steamers with materials
for Il ukowPeking Railway
In ssue of the Indian Import
and Exs Trades Journal for Febru-
airy last an article on the CONNER
cial imp ]nce of Hankow. 1t is stat
ed that . III the towns in the interior
of China. his is the one most likely
to increase in commercial Importance
within the next decade. Situated as it
is on the Yangtze, $50 miles from
Shanghai it holds the important posi-
ton of being at the head of that por-
ton of the Yangtze which is navigable
for vessels drawing up to ten feet all
the year round. and for ocean going
vessels wing thirty feet during the
flood seaf MAY to October).. 1t is
also al tt Mouth of the Han rfver 81
very impaT ant trade route for Chi
nese junks, and what Is more impor-
tant, the railways from Picking to the
north, and Canton to the south, are to
have their termini at Hankow. Han
kow is from a commercial point OF
view, and from that of the foreigner,
the most important place of the three
towns-Wuchang Hanyang and Han
kow-situated on the Yangtze close to