Nantung, China's up-to-date centre of trade and industry along the Yangtze, might have been designed to impress the West. This ig the consensus of opinion among the members of a party from the British Chamber of Commerce, which with representatives of the French, Japanese and American Chambers, has just returned from a visit to this city. The guests were invited to take part in the ceremonies held there in connexion with the 70th birthday of Chang Chien, the distinguished founder of the many, industry: educational and charitable activities of modern Nantung. In Shanghai there are notable examples of similar enterprise, but on a much smaller scale. No foreign advisors have given their services in the development of the industrial settlement of Nantung. It has attained its present promising ition almost entirely through the energy and resources of Mr. ang. The prosperous agricultural districts adjoining also bear witness to what progress China can make in these directions if she could but be blessed with equally able administrators.
In addition to its textile mills, silk filatures, iron works, schools and colleges, the city contains many other fine public institutions, The thoroughfares are broad. There is a park and all amenities of a European town. The buildings are in some cases of a size usually found in Western towns of two or three times the population. The Nantung Club has three floors of bedrooms for visitors, every apartment being sumptuously furnished in European style, while the cuisine, according to the visitors, is to be compared with the best provided for foreigners in Shanghai. Apart from its material attractions, the club is in a unique position, overlooking a beautiful stretch of water on one of the tidal creeks. These intersect the whole area, and there are also 700 li of good roads. As an example of what has been done te, develop communications, there is a broad motor road connecting Nantung with the Yangtze.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.