Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Lan-chow-foo

LAN-CHOW-FOO, the chief town of the Chinese province of Kan-suh, and one of the most important cities of the interior part of the empire, stands on the right bank of the Yellow River. The population is estimated by Gustav Kreitner (Bela Szechenyi expedition) at half a million in 1878. The houses, with very few exceptions, are built of wood, but the streets are paved with blocks of granite and marble. Silks, wood carvings, silver and jade ornaments, tin and copper wares, fruits, and tobacco are the chief articles of the local trade. Tobacco is very extensively cultivated in the vicinity. Since the occupation of Kashgar by the Chinese, the provincial governor resides three years at Su-chow and three years at Lan-chow-foo.