319  THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE
agricultural  to  industrial  districts,  has  always  been  an
important  item  in  the  domestic  trade  of  China,  shipment  to
foreign  countries  being  prohibited.  From  Hunan  it  is
estimated  that  an  average  annual  surplus  of  1,000,000
piculs  are  available  for  shipment  to  Hankow.  Anhwei  is
the  principal  rice-field  of  the  Empire,  and  from  its  port,
Wuhu,  were  shipped  5,621,143  piculs  in  1904.,  and  8,438,093
piculs  in  1905.  From  Chinkiang  the  export  in  1905  was
619,190  piculs,  and  from  Shanghai  1,706,845  piculs.  Of
these  shipments  2,804,164  piculs  were  sent  to  Tientsin,
1,553,994  piculs  being  tribute  rice  and  the  rest  in  merchants
hands,  and  1,337,479  piculs  to  Chefoo  ;  except  some  small
shipments  to  other  southern  ports,  the  balance  went  to
the  industrial  centres  of  Kwangtung,  in  addition  to  2,227,916
piculs  of  foreign  rice,  to  supplement  the  produce  of  the
rich  rice  fields  of  that  province.
Beans  were  shipped  in  1903  (much  of  the  trade  was
diverted  from  Manchuria  during  the  Russo-Japanese  war)
to  the  extent  of  3,423,766  piculs  from  Newchwang,  1,928,543
piculs  from  Hankow,  404,063  piculs  from  Chinkiang,  and
enough  from  other  ports  to  make  a  total  of  6,327,080  piculs  :
of  this  quantity  1,836,707  piculs  were  shipped  to  Japan,
some  72,000  piculs  to  other  foreign  destinations,  and  the
balance,  except  590,000  piculs  for  Amoy,  went  to  the
Kwangtung  ports,  Canton  and  Swatow.  In  the  same  year
Bean-cake  was  shipped,  4,553,367  piculs  from  Newchwang»
1,192,948  piculs  from  Chefoo,  583,095  piculs  from  Hankow,
4 2 3,447  piculs  from  Chinkiang,  with  total  shipments  of
7,030,325  piculs  ;  of  this  quantity  3,400,444  piculs  went
to  Japan,  and  the  balance,  except  731,161  piculs  for  Amoy,
went  to  Kwangtung.
Coal  shipments  in  1905  amounted  to  193,759  tons  from
Tientsin  and  Chingwangtao,  16,887  tons  from  KiaochoW,
5,793  tons  from  Chungking,  and  72,422  tons  from  HankoW,
with  a  total  of  290,477  tons.  Of  this  10,384  tons  were
shipped  to  Hongkong  and  Indo-China,  120,766  tons  to
Shanghai,  and  the  balance  to  other  Chinese  ports,  chiefly
Chefoo,  Wuhu,  and  Chinkiang.