People: who have heard or read of the "'Shansi banks" must sometimes wonder what has become of those venerable institutions.
Their virtual disappearance is a matter of some moment to this city, and to the neighbouring city of Pingyao, which were formerly' the centres of the banking} industry As far as banking transactions other than local are concerned the old-style Shansi bank has passed out, Its place has been taken by the modern banks patterned after the so-called "foreign" banks. The Bank of China and the Bank of Communications both maintain branches or agencies in important centres in Shansi, so as to draw the! in this part of Shansi, which is one of the most important districts commercially, the greater number of these copper notes in circulation bear the stamp of two market-towns, 'One: of these is Fantsunchen in this: district. This is rather an unimportant village of about 2,500 people at the foot of a mountain pass. The Provincial Bank has an agency. there, largely, one would' infer, for the circulation of these notes, as the commerce of the place Htself is relatively small The other market-town so distinguished fs Shihhow-chen in the Wenshui (C-3oR) district. Should anything threaten the solidity of the Provincial Bank, 0 calling for the payment of coppers upon presentation these notes, it would be of] obvious advantage to have them issued from 30 remote and inaccessible an office that the dangers of "ran" would be reduced to a. minimum,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.