PAI-SE

also called Po-se, Pinyin Bose, city in western Kwangsi Chuang autonomous ch' (region), China. It lies along the Yu River, which flows southeast to Nan-ning, and is situated at its junction with its tributary, the Ssu-ch'eng River. It is at the limit of navigation on the Yu River for small craft and is also at the centre of a highway network radiating to the north and west. Transport routes also lead into the neighbouring provinces of Yunnan and Kweichow, linking them with Nan-ning and central Kwangsi. Until comparatively recent times, Pai-se was in the territory of non-Chinese tribes and was only loosely controlled by the Chinese. Pai-se was set up and fortified in 1730 as a garrison among the tribes, but not until 1875 was a regular civil administration established. In the late 19th century Pai-se became a trading centre, and a considerable colony of merchants from Canton settled there. The goods collected for export include kapok (floss used as stuffing), ramie (a textile fibre), aniseed, edible fungi, and various herbs. In the 19th and the early 20th centuries Pai-se served as a centre for opium traffic, with processed opium from Yunnan and Kweichow being collected there by Cantonese merchants for shipment to Nan-ning, Canton, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Since 1949 some minor industry has developed in the city, including sugar refining, tobacco curing, rice milling, and ceramic manufacture. Pop. (mid-1980s est.) 10,00050,000.