ICHANG, a treaty port of China on the left bank of the Yang-tze kiang in western Hupeh. Although a relatively small town, with about Io8,000 inhabitants, Ichang serves an important economic function in the trade of Szechwan and the Yang-tze Valley. Ten miles above the port begins the rugged country, 35o m. in extent, through which the Yang-tze breaks, in a series of four great limestone gorges and some 6o rapids and whirlpools the grandeur of which has been a favourite theme of many Chinese poets, especially Li-Tai-po. Hence Ichang, as the highest point of uninterrupted navigation, is a transhipment point between steamers and junks plying from Hankow and the special boats designed for the passage of the gorges. Formerly this took place entirely in junks hauled by gangs of coolies over the rapids. Much of the trade is still junk-borne, but in 19o9 was inaugurated a service of small, high-powered flat-bottomed steamers which now carry a large proportion of the cotton, cotton-goods, oils, rice and refined sugar passing upstream. A special insurance on goods sent through the gorges is obtainable at the port. An increasing amount of the downstream trade passes through the new customs office at Wanhsien on the Szechwan side of the gorges. Ichang was opened to foreign trade by the Chefoo Convention of 1876. There is a small foreign settlement between the native city and the sheltered anchorage. In 1926 the total trade of the port was valued at 16,820,989 HK.TIs., made up as follows: net foreign imports: net Chinese imports: 9,616,893; exports: