KALGAN, an important depot and gate-town, as its Mon golian name (halga = gate) signifies, on the Sino-Mongolian border 53' N. and 14° 5o' E.). The city lies at an altitude of 2,800 f t. on the extremity of a rich loess plain (Hsuan-Hua) within the belt of high scarps which separate the apex of the North China plain from the Mongolian plateau. It is situated at the point where the easiest and most frequented route from Peking to Urga, utilis ing the Nankow pass, penetrates the outer of the two sections into which the Great Wall of China is divided in this critical region. Hence it is called "The Gate to Mongolia" and "The Gateway of North China." Under the Ming and Manchu dynasties Kalgan was a centre of great commercial and military importance and until recently was included within the metropolitan province of Chihli. It has now been made the capital of the newly-constituted administrative district or provisional province of Chahar and is the chief entre* of the trade of inner Mongolia. It is served by the Peking-Suiyuan railway which was opened to traffic as far as Kalgan in 1911. There is also a motor-car service for trade and
postal purposes between Kalgan and Urga, the capital of outer Mongolia, but camels remain the chief carriers of freight. As many as 1 oo,000 camels used to be employed in carrying tea from Kalgan to Siberia and 1,200,000 camels and 300,00o bullock wagons were used on the inland caravan trade. Kalgan has long been the chief collecting and distributing centre for Mongolian wool destined for foreign export. It is also the focus for the fur trade and has over 20 fur-dressing factories. Skins are brought there to be cleaned, sorted and sewn together, before being sent down to Tientsin. The import in 1923 of goat-skin, sheep-skin, cow-hide, horse-hide and camel wool from Mongolia was valued at $32,000,000. Under the new administrative regime Chahar is being closely linked with Shansi and an extensive scheme of vil lage development and road improvements on the lines associated with that province is proposed.