Evening star., 1901-06-07
THE CHICAGO OF CHINA.
OF the Treaty Ports Second In Inn
pOrtance to ShanghaN

OF the Treaty Ports Second In Inn
pOrtance to Shanghai
Hankow, the Chicago of China. is the sub
ject Of an elaborate discussion in a recent
number of the British Board Of Trade
Journal, which presents certain facts that
will prove Of Importance to Americans in
terested in the trade with China. Hankow
Is a city Of over a million inhabitants, sit
uated about 900 miles in the interior Of
China, but reached by ocean-going steam
ers. which pass up the great Yangtze river
to that point. Located as 1t 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 latter, from it's
position near the mouth, should be regard
ed more as seaport than as river port.
The total import trade Of the eight treaty
ports ON the Yangtze has been as follows:
In 1897, ia, ,0S0, $40 haikwan taels. of which
the value Of %. 1SO,24S entered at Hankow;
in 1898, 100. .446,69 taels Of which 22,s17.-
704 entered at Hankow, and in 1885, Ill.,
$50, ,474 taels, Of which %, 9,73S, ,666 taels en-
tered at Hankow. The total export trade
Of these eight ports In the same years has
been as follows: In 1887. JOG, 454, ,6O6 taels,
Of which the value Of "A $40, ,3S2 taels left
China through Hankow; In 1893, 1O2, ,4SS, 382
taels. of which 3O,953 651 taels value was
exported from Hankow and in 1899, 141,-
b38, ,355 taels, Of which 81, ,463, ,S95 taels value
was exported from Hankow. From the
above 1t will be seen that as regards ex-
ports the trade OF Hankow Is greater than
that of all the other six ports of the
Yangtze, exclusive Of Shanghai, whose ex-
port trade in 1899 amounted to 7U,S22, ,474
taels The value OF the Haikwan tael
ranges between 70 and 78 cents
In 1899 2,929 vessels with a total tonnage
Of 1915 OBJ TONS entered and cleared at the
port OF Hankow. as against 1856 vessels.
with a total tonnage Of ,S32, ,O6O TONS in
1898 Of the total tonnage entered and
cleared at Hankow. the tonnage Of British
and 632 per cent In 1899. In the report of
the deputy commissioners of customs for
1899, it Is stated, with regard to the in
crease Of shipping at Hankow in that year.
reasons for this increase may be noted the
arrival of ocean steamers with materials
for the Hankow-Pekin railway.
I'm the issue of the Indian Import and
Export Trades, Journal for February last,
in an article on, the commercial Importance
of Hankow, it Is stated that Of all the
towns in the Interior Of China this Is the
one most likely to increase in commercial
Importance within the next decade. Sit
uated as it is ION the Yangtze, $50 miles
from Shanghai. 1t holds the important posi-
ton of being at the head Of that portion
of the Yangtze which Is navigable for ves-
sells drawing up to. ten feet all the year
round, and for oceon- going vessels draw
ing thirty feet. during the flood sea-
sons tMay to October. 1t is also at the
mouth Of the Han river. very important
trade route for Chinese junks, and what is
more important the railways from Pekin
to the north and Canton to the south.
are to have ,loal their sernini at Hankow:
Of view. and from that Of the for
eigner. the most important place of the
three towns-Wuchang, Hanyang and Han
kow-situated on the Yangtze close to each
other, but separated by that river and the
Han river It's chief manufacture Is brick
tea. The process. brieny described. is sim
ply grinding the dried tea to powder. clean
ing 1t and COMPRISING 1t by hydraulic or
steam power into bricks OF about half an
inch in thickness and seven by nine Inches
width and length. These bricks are almost
all exported to Russian territory. There
Of albumen from the white Of eggs. One
factory will use as many as 100000 eggs
a month fhe demand has caused the Chi
nese to trade largely in eggs. All the prin-
cipal 'hongs.' as the foreign business