T'ai-yüan

— Mr. Carles has alluded to a curious faculty certain small Chinese towns possess of attracting to themselves special trades, in face of the fact that there is no ostensible reason why a particular trade should go to that particular place. A very good illustration hereof is furnished by Chiao ch’eng, a name constantly recurring in connection with the skin trade. It is a small district city south of T’ai-yüan, the capital of Shanhsi, which in the course of the last few years has become a busy commercial centre, to the great perturbation of a recently arrived magistrate, who has discovered that increased trade means increased cost of living and is therefore bad for the people.