Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/535

LEFT CHINA 469 CHINA Peking Government University, estab- lished in 1898 and reorganized in 1917, There are at Tien-Tsin a Chinese univer- sity, a preparatory department, an An- glo-Chinese college, an industrial school, a general medical college, and other edu- cational institutions. There is also a Union Medical College in Peking, and the Rockefeller Foundation has granted October, 1907, an additional decree was issued ordering the formation of 36 divisions in the various provinces of the Empire for 1912. Recruiting for this army was on the principal of modified conscription. The terms of service were 3 years with the colors, 3 in the first reserve, and 4 in the 2d reserve, or a total of 10 years. The modified form r^'^*^>. i^jAt: ':Jih^^ c>3x^^^ j^^c^^^c^vr^^^-f^g:^ THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA large sums tx> the Shantung Christian University at Tsinganfu, the Hunan-Yale Medical College at Changsha, and to the Harvard Medical School at Shanghai. Government. — The Republic of China is composed of a president, a vice-presi- dent, and a bi-cameral legislature, con- sisting of a senate of 264 members and a house of representatives of 596 mem- bers. The central government has, how- ever, little real power. The provincial governments are carried on with little regard to the central power at Peking. An attempt was made in 1913 and in succeeding years to bring the whole pro- vincial and local administration under control and make it responsible directly to the central government. The break- ing out of civil war between the north and the south resulted in the loosening of all central power. In 1920 the mili- tary governments were practically su- preme and were almost uncontrolled in their respective spheres. The president for 1920 was Hsu-Shih-shang, elected president Aug. 10, 1918, and inaugurated Oct. 10, 1918. There is a premier nom- inated by the president and a cabinet of 9 members, nominated by the premier. All appointments require the sanction of both houses of parliament. Army. — The creation of an army on modern lines was undertaken on Janu- ary, 1905, by an imperial decree, and in of conscription came into effect on Jan. 1, 1915. The 36 divisions were to comprise about 10,000 men each. This plan was partially carried out, but the number of men in the army never exceeded about 180,000. All military forces are theoret- ically under the control of the ministry of war and are paid by the central gov- ernment. The provincial governors have control of the police and of the provin- cial militia. In late years the military governors have paid little attention to the provisions of the military law but have recruited armies as they needed them. It was estimated that in 1919 the total Chinese military forces numbered 1,200,000. Navy. — The navy is small. It com- prises a cruiser of 4,300 tons, 3 cruisers of 3,000 tons, 4 modern gunboats, 16 smaller river and other gunboats, and 3 modern and about 20 old torpedo boats. There are no naval bases of any im- portance. People ayid Customs. — Ethnologically, the Chinese belong to that variety of the human species distinguished by a Mongolian conformation of the head and face, and monosyllabic language. A tawny or parchment-colored skin, black hair, lank and coarse, a thin beard, ob- lique eyes, and high cheek-bones are the principal characteristics of the race. The average height of the Chinaman is about