Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Hoo-Chow-Foo

HOO-CHOW-FOO, a city of China, in the province of Che-Keang, lies a little to the south of Lake Tai-hoo, in the midst of the central silk district. According to Chinese authorities, it is 6 miles in circumference, and contains about 100,000 families; but Fortune thinks it is not more than 3 or 4 miles round. A broad stream or canal crosses the city from south to north, and forms the principal highway for boat traffic. The main trade of the place is in raw silk, but some silk fabrics, such as flowered crape (tchoisha), are also manufactured. Silk is largely worn even by the lowest classes of the inhabitants.