This article is from the Cooking and Conversions FAQ, by with numerous contributions by Victor Sack cooking.faq@mac.com others.
In ancient China,
1 catty = 1.33 pound = 600 grams.
In modern China, this went with kilograms and stuff. To make the
transition easier for the average people, they invented a new kind of
catty. 1 catty = 0.5 kilo ( = 1.1 pound )
However, old books from Hong Kong and Taiwan still use the
old catty = 600 grams.
 
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