1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Yun-nan Fu

YUN-NAN FU, the capital of the province of Yun-nan, China, in 25° 6′ N., 102° 52′ E. It is about 500 m. by rail N.N.W. of the port of Haiphong, Tongking. The population was returned in 1907 at 45,000. Originally the surrounding district was known as the “land of the southern barbarians.” The city is situated on a plain, and is surrounded by fortified walls, 6½ m. in circuit. For many years Mahommedans have been numerous in the city and neighbourhood; and in 1855 a Mahommedan rising occurred. Before the rebellion Yun-nan Fu had a prosperous aspect; the shops were large and well supplied with native silken goods, saddlery, &c., while English cotton, Russian cloths and raw cotton from Burma constituted the main foreign merchandise. Employment for large numbers of work-people was found in the copper factories. A mint at Yun-nan Fu issued annually 101,000,000 cash. Nearly ruined by the rebellion, the city took many years to recover its prosperity. A fresh impetus to commerce was given by the opening in 1910 of the railway from Tongking, a line built by French engineers and with French capital. The construction of a British railway to connect Burma with Yun-nan Fu and onwards to the Yangtsze-kiang has been in contemplation.