1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Mengtsze

MENGTSZE, a city in the S.E. of the province of Yunnan, China. Pop. about 12,000. It was selected by the French convention of 1886 as the seat of the overland trade between Tongking and Yunnan, and opened two years later. It is beautifully situated in the centre of a valley basin on a plateau 3500 ft. above sea-level. The country round is fertile and well cultivated, and the place must have been one of considerable wealth before the T’aip’ing rebellion, as the ruins of many fine temples attest. A considerable overland trade has sprung up since the opening of Mengtsze. Of the import trade (Hong-Kong supplied 86%, and of the export trade 70%, Cochin-China, Tongking and Annam claiming the remainder. Tin (68%) and opium (27·8%) are the principal exports, and textiles (71%), mostly cottons, and tobacco (4%) are the chief imports. On the Tongking side this trade follows the Red River route as far as Manhao, which is distant from Mengtsze about 40 m., though the navigation of the river is difficult. From Manhao the transit is by coolies or pack animals. Concessions have been obtained by the French government to build a line of railway from the Tongking frontier at the town of Laokay via Mengtsze to Yunnan-fu. The climate is equable and healthy.