Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tse-nan Foo

TSE-NAN FOO, the capital city of the province of Shan-tung in China, stands in 36° 40′ N. lat. and 117° 1′ E. long. It is situated in one of the earliest settled districts of the empire, and figures repeatedly in the records of the wars which troubled the country during the six centuries that preceded the Christian era. On the establishment of the Han dynasty (b.c. 206) it had the name which it now bears; but during the next 200 years it was known at different periods as P’ing-yuen, Ts’ien-sh’ing, and Po-hai. In the 4th century its name was changed to Tse; and by the founder of the T’ang dynasty (618–907) it was christened Lin-tsze, by which name it was known until the overthrow of the Mongol dynasty in the 14th century, when the name of Tse-nan was restored to it. The city, which lies in the valley of the present channel of the Yellow river (Hoang-Ho), and at a short distance from its banks, is surrounded by a triple line of defence. First is the city wall, strongly built and carefully guarded, outside this a granite wall, and beyond this again a mud rampart. The streets are full of good shops, among which book, picture, and flower shops are conspicuous. There are two fine examination halls, one for bachelors of arts and the other for doctors of law, several handsome temples, and a metropolitan “drum” tower. The most noticeable feature about the city is three springs outside the west gate, which throw up as many streams of tepid water to a height of about 2 feet. This water, which is pleasant to the taste, and is highly prized for its healing qualities, flows in such abundant quantities that it fills the moat and forms a fine lake in the northern quarter of the city. With the taste which Chinamen always show in such matters, the lake is divided into a number of water avenues by floating banks, on which flowers and trees are skilfully arranged, and is further adorned with several picturesque summer houses, which form points of attraction to picnic parties and pleasure-seekers during the warmer months. Its waters abound with many species of edible fish. The population of the town is reckoned at about 100,000, among whom are 2000 Mohammedan families. The city is the centre of a Roman Catholic see, and has opened its gates to several Protestant missionary bodies.

See Williamson, Journeys in North China, London, 1870.