1926

WEIGHTS, MEASURES, MONEY
CHINESE
WEIGHTS
1 liang (tael) = T333 oz. avoir., or 37'78 grammes
16 liang (tael) make 1 kin (catty) = T333 lbs. avoir., or 604'53 grammes
100 kin If (catty) make 1 tan J§[ (picul) == 133 333 lbs. avoir., or 60-453 kilogrammes
120 kin If (catty) make 1 sbik (stone) = 160-000 lbs. avoir., or 72-544 kilogrammes
Four ounces equal three taels; one pound equals three quarters of a catty or twelve taels;
one hundredweight equals 84 catties; one ton equals 16 piculs 80 catties.
MEASUEE OF CAPACITY
1 koh 'g* (gill) = 0-103 litre
10 koh 'n* make 1 sheng 51 (pint) = 1-031 litre
10 sheng If make 1 tou 5^ (peck) = 10-31 litres
MEASURE OF LENGTH
1 fun = "14 inch English
10 fun ft make 1 tsun tJ* (inch) = 1-41 inch English
lOtsun tJ* make 1 chih (foot) = 14-1 inches English
10 chih K make 1 chang ^ (pole) = 11 ft. 9 inches English
The length of the Chang is fixed by the Treaty of Tientsin at 141 inches.
6 chih li make 1 pu (pace) = about 5 feet English
360 pu ip make 1 li JH = about k English Mile
10 li M make 1 tang-sun 01 (league) = about 3i English Miles
250 U JL make 1 tu M (degree)
LAND MEASURE
1 chih = 13-126 inches
5 chih X make 1 pu ip — 30-323 square feet
24 pu ip make 1 fun ^ = 80-862 square yards
60 pu ip make 1 kioh = 202-156 square yards
4 kioh make 1 mow Bjft — 26-73 square poles
100 mow ^ make 1 king = 16-7 acres
The Mow, which is the unit of measurement, is almost exactly one-sixth of an acre.
Weights and measures in China vary in every province and almost every district, and
differ in the same districts for different kinds of goods. The words picul, catty, tael, mace,
and candareen are not Chinese.
MONEY
1 li HI (cash) = -032 of a penny
10 li fU make 1 fen (candareen) — -32 of a penny
10 fen ^ make 1 ch’ien HI (mace) = 3-2 pence
10 ch’ien HI make 1 liang ^9 (tael) = 2s. 8d.
The Tael may be taken as worth one and a third silver dollar.
The above are weights of silver. They are not represented by any coin except the copper
cash, which is supposed to be the equivalent in value of a li of silver, but the value of which
differs greatly in different districts and at different times. They have no uniform intrinsic
value, being made large and small and of varying composition. Silver is used uncoined in
ingots, usually of fifty taels more or less, in weight, called “ shoes,” the usual shape being not
unlike a Chinese shoe. In the maritime district from Canton to Amoy chopped dollars are the
general medium of exchange. In 1890 a mint was established for the coinage of silver dollars
and subsidiary pieces, and more recently mints for silver and copper coinage have been opened
at Several centres. The coins, although supposed to be of equal weight and fineness, are
differently inscribed. Some of the foreign banks issue tael and dollar notes of the value of one
dollar and upwards at the larger of the Treaty Ports.
HONGKONG AND STRAITS SETTLEMENTS
Monet :—The legal tender in Hongkong is British or Mexican Dollars, local 50, 20, 10 and
5 cent silver pieces, to the amount of $2, bronze cents and mils. The circulation of any foreign
silver or copper coin other than the Mexican dollar is prohibited. Some of the banks issue
notes from one dollar upwards. Mexican and British dollars were demonetised in the Straits
Settlements in 1904 and a Straits dollar substituted. The value of this dollar is fixed at 2s,