Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-16

EMf#tH of Hangchow?
- II is the capital Of the silk prov
ince Of Chekiang and the chief silk manufac-
Ing center OF the great Chinese empire. II
has thousands Of hand looms and tens Of
thousands Of workers. II weaves silks Of
all kinds and 1t has hundreds Of looms
which are employed exclusively in making
goods for the imperial household.
Hangchow has silk m~illionaires by the
dozen. 1t Is one Of the richest cities of
China and In proportion to its population
4. has more rich men than any other. IL
is one OF the centers OF trade OF the great
Yangtse valley and with the opening up
OF the country, now that the war Is set
tied. 1t will grow enormously in population
and wealth. The city is already ,wice as
big as Cincinnati and larger than any city
In the United States except Philadelphia,
New York and Chicago.
Hangchow has TOW to this size without
good connection to the sea, without rail-
roads and with only canals and the little
River Chentang. II Is now proposed to
Join It to Shanghai and 500 Chow by rail
and lines will be extended to Marking,
Ninpo and eventually south to Canton. The
canals will probably be deepened and a
ship canal may some time Join II to the
sea. Foreign buildings are already going
v eeeaee8h AhO CITY ms ouly Ocou Optu0u
to our trade for the last Ave years. The
japanese unlocked its gates to the world
and It now has Q large foreign settlement
extending a mile along the east bank Of the
Grand canal, about four miles from the
city walls. Near this settlement there 10
a big cotton mill filled with modern ma
chinery and also a new steam silk nlature.
Both are owned and operated by Chinese.
Next to Heaven I'm Beautx.
above IL heaven, below are Hangchow
and soochow."
This is an old saying Of the Chinese.
They think Hangchow and soochow are the
most beautiful cities outside Of heaven.
H%angchow has been so noted for ages. 1t
was the capital Of China during the Sung
dynasty. Marco Polo, who visited II In the
thirteenth century. called It the finest city
OF the world. II was destroyed during the
TAPPING rebellion. but Il has been largely
rebuilt and is still noted for its beauty. II
Is on the edge OF a great plain at the
foot OF rugged. low mountains, which tower
high above 1t. There Is a lake at the west
and the city stretches out on all sides over
the plain ! write this description on the
mountain above It. There are temples to
confucius and Buddha oil about me and l
have climbed up here with the pilgrims
who have come TO worship In the temples
In order to give you an idea of Hangchow.
stand on a high precipice In front of a
Buddhist temple overlooking the city. For
miles In front and to my right and left Is
q vast expanse Of low black-tiled ridge
rooted houses. cut here and there by mar
row streets. which are marked out by the
white buildings upon them. Beyond these
! can see the great walls Of the city itself.
They are as high as a four-story house
and 50 thick that you could drive three
carriages side by side upon them without
erowdlng. and ! am told they are thirty
miles long.
beyond these walls extends a vast plain.
cut up by hundreds OF waterways. large
and small. That wide band of silver which
borders the walls ia the famous Grand ca
nal, the great artery Of Chinese trade.
which. beginning at Pekin. flows on south
through the most populous parts Of the
empire and ends here at Hangchow. Bee