THE  PROVINCES  AND  THE  TREATY  PORTS  227
possible  on  the  Yangtze  to  the  lighter  draft  boats  of  the
inner  waters,  but  this  expectation  has  not  been  realised,
and  the  successive  later  opening  of  Changsha  and  Changteh
has  effectively  killed  whatever  prospect  of  trade  Y  ocho  w
may  have  had.  The  municipal  plan  adopted  at  Y  ocho  w
is  one  which  has  been  introduced  at  some  other  ports.
The  Chinese  Government  expropriated  the  land  required
for  an  “  international  settlement,”  laid  out  roads  and  sold
the  lots  by  auction,  reserving  an  annual  ground  rent  of  a
substantial  amount  ;  wharfage  dues,  moderate  in  amount,
are  levied  ;  municipal  work  and  police  are  under  the  joint
control  of  the  Yochow  territorial  Taotai  and  the  Commissioner ­
  of  Customs  ;  all  expenses  are  at  the  charge  of
the  Chinese  Government,  and  the  community  is  burdened
neither  with  further  taxation  nor  with  the  task  of  governing  :
in  the  event  of  further  taxation  becoming  necessary,  it
will  be  under  the  control  of  a  representative  body.  The
population  of  Yochow  is  20,000,  and  the  “  treaty  port  ”  is
five  miles  distant,  at  a  point  where  alone  a  safe  anchorage
could  be  found.
Changsha  (28 o  12'  N.,  112 0  47'  E.),  the  capital  of  the
province,  on  the  Siang  River,  was  opened  as  a  treaty  port
in  1904.  The  city  is  a  centre  of  learning  and  culture,
encouraged  by  the  wealth  remitted  to  their  homes  by  the
many  eminent  officials  of  Hunan  birth,  and  protected  by
the  independent  character  of  the  people  ;  and  it  marks  the
extreme  western  limit  of  the  advance  of  the  Taipings,  who
were  repulsed  from  its  walls,  though  gaining  numerous  victories ­
  in  nine  provinces.  Its  population  is  stated  at  230,000.
Thirty  miles  farther  up  river  is  Siangtan,  the  population  of
which  was  formerly  stated  to  be  700,000,  but  is  now  supposed
not  to  exceed  half  that  number.  The  depth  of  water  up  to
Changsha  in  summer  may  be  put  at  fully  ten  feet,  but  in
winter  is  reduced  in  places  to  three  feet.  The  trade  passing
the  Customs  of  Yochow  and  Changsha  combined  was
valued  in  1905  at  Tls.4,447,058  for  imports,  andTls.1,938,830
for  exports,  a  total  of  Tls.6,385,888.  Considering  that
the  export  of  Hunan  tea  alone  must  be  worth  Tls.10,000,000,