34 COGGIN BROWN : MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES OF YUNNAN. 



that in 1914 the British Consul at Teng-yueh reported that the 

 commercial competition of Germany and Austria, chiefly in cheap 

 lines of hardware and chinaware, had been almost extinguished 

 and replaced, largely by Japanese goods. In the same connection 

 I would point out the desirability there is for the representatives 

 of the great import firms of Burma to visit Yunnan and study the 

 markets there. The province in my time was being toured by 

 German, Japanese, French and American business men on behalf 

 of firms of their own nationality, but I never saw or heard of a 

 British merchant visiting Yunnan. 



Teng-yueh itself has a population of about 10,000 souls. With 



its suburbs and adjacent villages it probably 



Tenc-yiieh and rtK rvr>n n ■ i ■ 



Hsia-kuan. approximates 2o,000. It is an agricultural 



population with a small proportion engaged 

 in trading and a smaller percentage in jade-cutting, brick and tile 

 making and mining. It is a healthy city and the populace is both 

 peaceful and prosperous. Its chief importance lies in the fact 

 that it is the distributing centre of the commerce of western Yunnan, 

 for about three-fourths of the imported trade goes overland for 

 final distribution from Hsia-Kuan, near Ta-li Fu. Tlsia-Kuan is 

 undoubtedly the commercial centre of the more prosperous portion 

 of Yunnan. It lies 8 miles south of Ta-li Fu in lat. 25° 35' and 

 long. 100° 10'. Most of the merchants engaged in the Burma- 

 Yunnan trade reside there, for the three routes from Burma, the 

 Bhamo-Teng-yueh, the Lashio-Kunlon Ferry and the Kengtung- 

 Ssumao-Ching-tung roads meet those which continue to Tibet 

 and Ssu-ch'uan in a north and north-easterly direction and to 

 Yunnan Fu and other areas to the east. The place is a very 

 important objective from the railway point of view. 



Every competent authority has urged that the only way in 



Proposed railway wn i cn the overland trade between Burma and 



and its effect on Yunnan by the main route through Teng-yueh 



the overland trade. ■• , , , , . ° , . 



can be greatly and permanently increased is 

 by the construction of a railway between Bhamo and Teng- 

 yueh, and most if not all writers who know the country, agree 

 that such an undertaking would be a profitable one. 



When the French line put Yunnan Fu into communication 

 with the sea at Haiphong in the year 1910 it was feared that a 

 diminution in the Burma-Yunnan trade would result at once, 

 because Hsia-kuan is 280 miles from Bhamo and 220 from Yunnan 



