The Coolidge examiner., 1931-09-04
prepared by the National Geograph
Society WASHINGTON. d c.


TOOCH0W, which once ranked
Tamong the tea ports of the
world and then, two decades
ago, bowed to CeylOn and Japan,
is staging a comeback.
The steep slopes of Fukien prov
ince, of which FOOchOw is capital
and leading city, again are covered
with thriving tea bushes; big-hatted
men, women and children throng the
plantations, picking tea leaves from
dawn to dusk; tea-laden porters
form an almost endless parade from
the plantation to the tea ware
houses, and boats on the Min piled
with packages of tea recall the days
when Yankee clipper ships cleared
Fo0chow with cargoes of fragrant
leaves, destined TO American ports
FOOchow port is really not in the
city's suburbs. The nearest gate
in the city's five-mile. vine-clad wall
Is more than three miles from the
north bank of the Min. about "a
miles from the sea.
Few travellers visit FOochow. To
reach the port, one must go by boat.
for railroads and good roads are not
to be found in this region. Ocean
going vessels from Shanghai and
Hong Kong make regular trips up
the Min which penetrates the Chi
nese coast opposite the north end
of Taiwan (FormOsa). The vessel
may steam up the river as far as
Pagoda Anchorage. There passen-
gers are transferred to launches
which, after nine miles of lodging
matting-c0vered sampans and gro
tesquely carved. high-pOoped iunks.
deposit their human cargo at the
city's suburban docks If one wants
TO go native" however. he may
board natives boat with the own
er's family. fowls, dogs and pigs
and travel in the unwesternized at
mosphere of the Min.
The rivers obstruction at Pagoda
Anchorage is artificial, formed when
stone-laden barges were sunk there
to prevent a French fleet from
reaching the city during the Franco
Foochow troubles in 1884 II is the
characteristic of the Chinese love
for things as they are that Foochow
business men have waited so long
TO take steps to clear the channel
and thus avoid the endless annoy
ance of reloading of cargoes.
From River to City.
The journey from the river to the
city may be made by bus. jinrikisha
or sedan chair. Frequently travel
ers prefer to be landed on the south
side of the river where they get
a glimpse of the most modern Dor
tion of FoOchOw-the foreign set
tlement. On a small hill are for
eign cOnsulates, western churches.
hospitals and handsome residences
which constitute community al
most Independent of the Chinese
city, while below is a business dis
trict with streets lined with for
eign and native-owned shops where
eastern and western merchandise is
on display. Commodious clubs, wide
sweeps of grassy lawns dotted with
towering gardens. a race track. ten
mis- courts, and pleasure craft on
the Min tend to keep the small for
eign population contented.
The visitor should not hurry into
Foochow proper. even if be could,
for to do so would be to miss the
physical beauties and tabled history
that accentuate each step of the
journey from the ocean to the port
Along the Min one may see pearl
divers. Should a diver be drowned
his fellows stOically conclude that
he has fallen a victim to the sea-
turtle, Chinese equivalent for the
legendary sea-serpent of the West.
Near Pagoda Anchorage rises
Sharp peak, capped by tower built
by wife to welcome home an ori-
entail Enoch Arden who, when he
saw it, thought he had mistaken the
river, and sailed away again, never
to return. A mandarin's footprint
in a rock commentaries the sum-
mary punishment of Quarrymen who
kept right on chopping away it's
companion footprint, despite the
flow of blood that spurted out at
each stroke. When removed to a
place in a bridge it registered a
protest by kicking its bearers into
the river, so the companion was not
m0lested.
Inside the Foochow wall a few
modern schools and government
buildings have punctuated an other
wise low, fiat sky line of rather
dingy buildings. Telegraph keys