# Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China/Tientsin

​TIENTSIN.
TIENTSIN is second in importance only to Shanghai among the Treaty ports of China. Situated some 30 miles up the Pei-ho River, it was probably a sea-coast village two thousand years ago. The alteration in its geographical position has been brought about, in the course of many centuries, by the unwearying activity of natural forces, but the metamorphosis in its commercial prospects has been effected in comparatively few years. Till the end of the Ming dynasty. 1644 A.u., Tientsin was only a second-rate military station. At the opening of the eighteenth century a rapid transformation had taken place, and it was then, as now, a great distributing centre. During recent years its progress has been more remarkable than that of any city within the confines of the Empire. Lying at the junction of the Grand Canal with the Pei-ho, Tientsin is distant some 80 miles from Peking. The country is flat and uninteresting, and practically the whole of the city is built on raised land. The many waterways with which it is surrounded are, for the most part, of a dirty yellow appearance, and certainly do not add to the attractiveness of the district, but their importance as a means of communication, and the influence they have had on the trade of the port, cannot be over-estimated. The climate is one of extremes. The thermometer ranges from zero in the winter, when all the rivers in North China are frozen to a depth of a foot or more, and the port is closed for a period of three or four months, to 105 and 1 10 degrees in June and July. A short rainy season extending from the middle of July to the end of August reduces the excessive heat, but, unfortunately, brings with it the necessity for mosquito-nets ; and dust- storms rage frequently in the spring and autumn. The long bright winter days, however, add a zest to life, and quickly cause the disadvantages of the summer and rainy seasons to be forgotten.
The native population of Tientsin — or Heaven's Ford, according to the English translation — is reputed to tie 1,000,000, but there are no reliable statistics upon which an estimate can be based, for the census taken by the police in 1904 was entirely unsatisfactory. The natives formerly earned the unenviable distinction of being the most violent, as well as the most hostile to the foreigner, of any in the Empire. " Ten oily-mouthed Pekingese cannot get ahead of one tonguey Tientsinese," is a well-known Chinese comment upon the character of the inhabitants of a city which has been the scene of one massacre and two military campaigns in the last half century.
Happily there has been a marked improvement in recent years, the continuity of policy adopted by a succession of strong, able rulers and the steady work of the missions having borne good fruit. During His Excellency Li Hung Chang's long rule, the trade and importance of the city developed onsiderably, and the rowdyism of the inhabitants was repressed by the vigour of the Government, until the Boxer eruption in the last years of Li Hung Chang's life. The Viceroy made Tientsin his chief place of residence and the centre of his experiments in military and naval education, with the result that it came to be regarded as the focus of the new learning and of national reform. His Excellency's successor, Yuan Shih Khan, won the universal respect of the foreign community by his liberal policy and humane government, as well as by his constant endeavours to create a better understanding between the nationalities.
GORDON HALL, TIENTSIN.
The original city is small, being only a mile long and three-quarters of a mile wide, but its suburbs are many and populous. Formerly it was surrounded by a high brick wall, but this was entirely demolished and replaced by line open boulevards in lyoi by order of the Foreign Military Provisional Government. The foreign residents, whose
STATUE OF ROLAND. TIENTSIN.
took up a concession in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and, in 1901, Russia, Belgium, Italy, and Austria-Hungary all appropriated large areas on the left bank of the Pei-ho, while the existing Settlements extended their boundaries very considerably, so that, as Dr. A. H. Smith says: "All the Powers, except China, are now accommodated with commodious waterfronts." Throughout the whole of these concessions building operations are being carried on, and numberless improvements are being effected. The streets are broad, well laid-out, and well lighted, and an electric tramway, which has some eight miles of line, furnishes a rapid means of communication to all parts. The sanitation is continually being improved, and a plentiful supply of water, which is quite safe and wholesome to drink, is obtained from one or other of the two waterworks companies — the Tientsin Waterworks Company. Ltd.. and the Tientsin Native City Waterworks Company. Ltd. There are a number of good hotels, five clubs (the Tientsin Club, the German Concordia Club, and the French Cerclc d'Kscrime. the Waverley Club, and the Japanese Club), two excellent libraries, one of which, belonging to the British Munici- pality and the Imperial Maritime Customs, con- tains 8,000 volumes ; three parochial churches, Roman Catholic. Anglican, and Union, with many mission churches, and probably the best racecourse in China. At least live of the Powers maintain post offices, and the British. French, and Austrian Concessions contain market places. The British Munici- pality has a handsome Town Hall, which was completed in 1889. and is called the Gordon Hall alter General Gordon. Around the main audience chamber are memorial tablets to the soldiers and sailors of the different nations who died during the seige of 1900. Adjoining is a well kept public garden, opened in Jubilee year and styled Victoria Park; and a recreation ground. 10 acres in extent, is being laid out. In the British Concession, also, are to be found the electric light works, waterworks, most of the large foreign stores, the principal newspaper offices, the British, American, Belgian, and Japanese Consulates, and almost all the banks. The majority of the missions, originally in Chinese territory, are now, by the extension of the foreign concession boundaries, in the French Concession, which also contains a theatre or music hall named the "Arcade" ; while, in the Japanese Con- cession, the growth of which has been more rapid than any of the others, are to be seen an interesting and artistic monument to the Japanese who fell in the siege of 1900, and a memorial erected on the spot where Colonel Liscum was killed during the advance on the city in the same year. According to the latest figures, the population of the Settlements, exclusive of the military, is nearly four thousand, more than one half of whom are Japanese. Roughly, there are just over a thousand British and Germans. The Government is conducted on lines similar to those adopted in other foreign ■lettlements in China. Most of the concessions are controlled by their own Municipal Council, whose administrative duties are in many respects the same as they would be in the small townships of the various countries represented.
Tientsin can be reached from Europe and from Peking by rail, and from Shanghai by ship, either direct or by way of Cliinwang- tao. It stands at the terminus of the Grand Canal, and, as the navigability of the Pei-ho ceases at Tientsin, it became the great emporium for the tribute rice early sent up to the capital. The trade of the port was imperilled by the silting up of the Pei-ho. but a river improvement scheme was under- taken in 1898, and the Peace Protocol of 1901 contains clauses for the constitution of a Board of Conservancy, and engineering experts are engaged in grappling with the problem of maintaining a navigable channel through the Taku Bar. a considerable obstruc- tion off file mouth of the river caused by gradual deposits of sand. Trade, however, does not now entirely depend on this route, fully 50 per cent, of that with the interior being done by means of the railway. The opening of a coal mine at Toiigshan, 60 miles north-east of Tientsin, in the seven- ties was the precursor of a railway, which has since been extended to Shanhaikwan for military purposes, and from thence round the Gulf of Liau Tung to Kinchow. In 1900 it was carried to Newchwang. and afterwards to Hsin-niin Fu. The line between Tientsin and Peking was opened in 1897. and, on account of the enormous traffic between the
THE RACECOURSE, TIENTSIN.
THE FIRE ALARM BELL, TIENTSIN.
two cities, was doubled in the following year.
Essentially a centre for distribution, Tientsin, nevertheless, possesses certain industries of considerable importance. Distilling is the chief of these, and the spirit, or "wine" as it is called, made from maize is exported in large qiumtities to the South. Coarse, unrefined salt is made by the evaporation of sea water, and this trade, which is a Government monopoly, provides the largest and most permanent portion of the local revenue. In general trade there have been remarkable advances, and the prospects for the future are of the brightest, for Tientsin is practically the only sea outlet for the provinces of Chihii, Shansi, Sliensi, Kansu, and part of Honan, which have a combined population not far short of 100,000.000. The exports include coal (the output of the Kaiping collieries is about 700,000 tons a year), wool, bristles, straw-braid, goat-skins, furs, wine, &c. The imports are of a miscellaneous character and comprise arms, tea (for the desert and Siberia), mineral oil, matches, cotton piece goods, &c. In 1906 the total net value of the trade, less re-exports, ​JARDINE, MATHESON & CO. In the Compound.
The Offices. The Export Department Premises. The Godown. ​was Tls. 1 1 2.864.555. as compiired with TIs. 96,565.672 for " ig05 and Tls. 68.c>54.6<>4 for 1904. In ic)07 the net foreign imports were worth Tls. 61.208.744 : '" 1<10. TU. 64422439 ; in H)05. Tls. 59.649.982 ; in 1904, Tls. 36,178.819 ; and in 1903, Tls. 37463.829. The native imports repre- sented Tls. 26,616,808 in 1906; Tls. 22,185,331 in 1905; and Tls. 36.178,019 in 1904. The export trade, not including re-e.ports, was valued at Tls. 17,253,215 in 1907. and showed a decrease of four and a half millions when compared with Tls. 21.825,308 in , when, however, an advance of seven millions was recorded on the previous year's return of Tls. 14.7.39.359. In 1904 the ex- ports represented Tls. 14,895.379, and in 1903 Tls. 11,319,289. Forty years ago the net foreign imports amounted to Tls. 13,500,000 and the exports to one and a quarter million taeis. In 1905 the trade of the port was described as beating all records " in value of trade, tonnage, and revenue." the last-named having increased by 50 per cent., but even this record was handsomely beaten in 1906. The number of foreign vessels entering the port in 1867 was only 262. In 1906 the steamships entered and cleared represented 2,391,986 tons, and the sailing vessels 19,528 tons. The customs revenue in 1867 was Tls.411.297; in 1906, Tls. 3400,000 ; and in . Tls. 3.215494-
But the modern history of Tientsin has not been so tranquil as this record of commercial development would suggest. The city has been the centrt; of much hostile feeling between the Chinese and the foreign residents. During the campaign of 1858 61 the importance of its strategic position as the key to the capital, and its suitability as a military base were fully recognised by the Allies, and it was here that Lord Elgin signed the treaty which, instead of bringing the war to a conclusion as was intended, proved unfortunately, the cause of its prolongation. It is, however, the part the city played in the Boxer riots of 1900 which brought it so prominently to the notice of the outside world. Regarded as the seat of reform and the centre of foreign influence, it incurred, in a specially marked degree, the animosity of the rebels. They entered the city at the beginning of June, and hostilities commenced with the destruction of the mission houses. All who had had dealings with Europeans were regarded as enemies to the cause, and had to flee to the Settlements to escape certain death. On the night of June 15th, the Boxers attacked the Settlements and the railway station in great force. The siege lasted for twenty-seven days, and the onslaughts of the attacking force were so fierce and determined that they were only repulsed with great difficulty. It is appalling to think what the fate of the Europeans would have been had the insurgents proved successful. The women and children sought refuge in the large cellars of Gordon Hall, but, fortunately, although a considerable number of buildings in the French Concession, and a few in the British Settlements were destroyed, no lives were lost. The successful defence was in a large measure due to the presence in the town of a Russian force of some one thousand seven hundred men, which had been prevented from following Admiral Seymour in his gallant attempt to rescue the Legations by the fact that the railway was cut. The most brilliant individual achievement, and the one which resulted in the relief of the city was that of Mr. James Watts, jun. All communications with Tientsin had been destroyed, and when ammunition was running low and the defenders were talking of surrender, he volunteered to lead a troop of Cossacks through the enemy's lines with despatches to the foreign admirals at Taku. He successfully accomplished his dangerous mission on June 19, 1900, and relief was immediately sent to the besieged. His name in connection with this act of heroism will ever be remembered gratefully in Tientsin. In recognition of his signal services the British Government, after some delay, conferred upon Mr. Watts a Companionship of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, and, in the meantime, the German Emperor signified his intention of conferring a decoration on the gallant Englishman—a spontaneous mark of appreciation, which Mr. Watts values highly. During the siege whole tracts of the city and suburbs were destroyed, and when, after encountering much strenuous opposition and loss of life, the relieving column took possession of the place it was given up to loot for one day, and then military government was established. The city continued to be occupied by the Allied Troops for two years. All the walls, forts, arsenals, and cantonments were razed to the ground by order of this provisional government, in which each Power was represented by one military oflicer, and under which the various public departments were administered, and many urban improvements were effected. The government of the city was restored to the Viceroy on August 15, 1902.
A TYPICAL WINTER SCENE AT TIENTSIN.
IN MEMORIAM. ​MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION.
There are in Tientsin eight foreign concessions, three of which^the British, French, and German — existed prior to 1900. The Boxer troubles resulted in the extension of these concessions, and in the formation of the Belgian, Russian, Italian, Japanese, and Austro-Hungarian Concessions. The British Municipal Council was estab- lished as far back as 1862, and consisted of three members. Another member was added in 1868, and at the present day there are five members, including the chairman and hon. treasurer. The councillors are elected at a general meeting of land renters held during the first quarter of each year, and their functions are performed through the Finance, Fire Brigade, Volunteer Corps, Market, Sanitary, Land, Watch, and Works Committees. In 1898 a Junior Council, called the British Municipal Extension Council, was called into existence, as its name implies, by reason of the extension of the British Concession. It consists of nine members, several of whom are also members of the Senior Council, and much the same duties devolve upon its committees. A scheme for the amalgamation of the Concessions is still under the consideration of a special com- mittee of representatives of both Councils, but in the meantime the business and accounts of the two bodies are kept prac- tically distinct. The efder body derives its ordinary revenue from shipping (mooring fees and Bund rents, together yielding Tls. 35,300), land-tax (of i of one per cent., yielding Tls. 4,375), rental assessment (of 3 per cent., yielding Tls. 6,000), feu rents (yielding Tls. 3,300), and general charges (licences, interest, &c., amounting to Tls. 27,665), the total estimate for 1908 reaching Tls. 98,255-37, as compared with Tls. 82,4o8'l5 actually received from these sources in 1907. The estimated expenditure during 1908 amounts to Tls. 98,225-37, and falls under the following headings : General staff, Tls. 9,200 ; police, Tls. 13,000 ; medical, Tls. 600 ; public works (including ligliting, Tls. «,ooo, water Tls. 1,300, &c.), Tls. 22,330 ; miscellaneous (including Volunteer Corps, Tls, 1,700, and educational grant, Tls. 3,000), Tls. 10,116; loans (interest and repayment), Tls. 20.234 I public works extraordinary (including bund and wharves, Tls. 9,800), Tls. 15,500 : and British Post Office, Tls. 3,950; leaving a surplus of Tls. 3,325-37.
GERMAN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OFFICES, TIENTSIN.
During 1907, in addilion to the ordinary expenditure, amounting to Tls. 60,187-88 large sums were spent upon improvements to municipal land, and were met by moneys withdrawn from fixed deposit account. The Council has loan Habililies amounting to Tls. 89,800, and other liabilities amounting to Tls. 41,118-55. The assets are valued at Tls. 562,490-30 — an excess over liabilities of Tls.431, 571-75 — and include land, Tls. 265,483 ; buildings, Tls. 103,94283 ; invest- ments, Tls. 62,338-18 ; and cash deposits, Tls. 130,726-39. " The revenue of the British Municipal Extension Council is derived from a tax on the value of land fixed at fV of one per cent., and producing Tls. 17,550 ; a rental assessment of 9 per cent., yielding Tls. 25,400 ; licences, and sundries, the total estimate for 1908 being Tls. 58,514-45 — slightly more than the estimated expenditure. For many yeais the Senior British Council was the only municipal body in existence in Tientsin, and it became the medium through which many public works were from time to time initiated. In particular, mention may be made of the work of improvement which has been carried out in regard to the Hartto, the river which connects Tientsin with the sea. In the late nineties this stream had deteriorated to such an extent that there no longer existed a navigable channel whereby Tientsin could be reached by coasting steamers or even large junks, many reaches having become badly silted up. In these circumstances, the future of the port was saved by the British Municipal Council coming forward in 1897 to propose the raising of a loan of Tls. 150,000, under municipal guarantee, for river improvement. Thus was the foundation laid of the valuable conseivancy work which has been carried out of late years by the Hartto Conservancy Commission, a body established by the Protocol of September 7, 1901, which has effected three big cuttings, framing works, and other improvements. Latterly the amelioration of the Taku Bar has engaged public attention, and in 1905 and 1906 the British Municipal Council were again to the fore with a disinterested scheme of financial co-operation. The increasing prosperity of
RUSSIAN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OFFICES AT TIENTSIN.
the port, however, promises to render such assistance unnecessary, the revenue from River dues on cargo in recent years having approximated to and even exceeded the handsome figure of Tls. 100,000, although ​the whole extent of the tax at present only amounts to 3 per cent, on Customs duties, that is to say. 1^ per mitre, mi fitloreni.
The Conseil d'Administration Municipale de la Concession Fran^aise presided over by the French Consul, Mr. Paul Claudel, consists of nine members, with a permanent secretary. The German Municipal Council was formed in 1906, and administers an area of 1,176 mow, acquired in 1898. The amount to be collected and disbursed during 1908 was estimated at TIs. 25,000. The chairman is Mr. J. Faust, and there are four other councillors. The secretary is Mr. O. Tenner. The Russian Municipal Council controls an area of 5,971 mow— the largest foreign concession in Tientsin. The chairman for 1908 is Count Je/.ierski, who succeeded Mr. M. D. Batouieff, and the secretary is Mr. F. Kleye. The members are elected annually, and their proceedings are con- ducted in English, which has been adopted as the official language. The offices of the Council, designed by Messrs. Loup & Lee, were opened in October, 1907, and form a handsome addition to the architectural fea- tures of the Settlement. Of the other concessions the Austro- Hungarian and Japanese are making the most rapid strides. In the former, which has an area of 1,000 mow, it is expected that a Municipal Council will shortly be established.
THE TIENTSIN CLUB.
The foundation of the new Club-house was laid in 1903, and the building was ready for occupation in September, 1905. The site. containing about nine and a half mow of land, is one of the best in the British Settlement. The building and land cost about TIs. 245,000, and the money was raised by the sale of the site occupied by the old club, and by the issue of debentures for TIs. 200,000 bearing interest at 7 per cent. The building was designed by Messrs. Algar & Beesley, of Shanghai, but the work was taken over from them and carried to completion by their representative in Tientsin, Mr. K. Howard Ford. The liuildinfj consists of a larfje entrance hall, bar, billiard, reading, card, and board rooms and library. The billiard room contains five tables and the board room can be used for concerts and dances. A bowling alley is attached. The premises have been furnished elaborately at a cost of TIs. 25,000, and are lighted by electricity throughout, and hot and cold water and steam-heating plants are installed. The membership on April i, 1908, was : - Resident members, 229 ; non- resident members, 20; absent members, 179. The entrance fee for resident members is $60, and the subscription $8 a month.
THE CLUB CONCORDIA.
Thk Club Concordia at Tientsin is an inter- national club in all respects, except that the members of the committee must speak German. It was established with about forty members in 1895, and now has a member- ship of about 160. The first president was Mr. G. Baur. The original premises in Victoria Road, opposite the Gordon Hall, were vacated in July, 1907, when the new Club-house, occupying an advantageous site on the German Concession, was opened by Mr. O. Kleemaii, the president. There are spacious dining, billiard, and card rooms, a bar, library, and bowling alley, as well as a theatre capable of holding 300 persons. Adjacent to the building there are five tennis courts. The Club is lighted throughout with electricity, and every precaution is taken against fire by the provision of modern extinguishing appliances. The hon. treas- urers of the Club are Messrs. T. M. Karl and O. E. Meyer ; the secretary is Mr. Siebert ; the librarian, Mr. E. Klocke ; and the manager, Mr. M. Horn ; while Mr. Kriediichs has charge of all matters con- nected with sport.
THE TIENTSIN CLUB.
THE FRENCH CLUB.
The Cercle d'Escrime de Tientsin, estab- lished in 1903, now occupy premises on the Quai de France, but a new and handsome building in the Rue de France will probably INTERIOR OF THE POWER STATION AT TIENTSIN, THE SIEMENS SCHUCKERTWERKE. ERECTED BY
be erected this year. In addition to the usual features, the Club-house will then contain bachelors' quarters, a mess room, and a large hall for fencing, boxing, and gym-
SIEMSSEN & CO. The Offices.In the Skin Godown.
rooms. Adjoining it there will be tennis courts. The Club already have their own open-air bathing place on the Extra-French Concession. When first formed, under the presidency of Mr. E. Binder, the Club had a membership of 18, which has since increased to about 120, and includes representatives of other nationalities. The committee consists of Messrs. J. O. Neill (president), A. Gallusser (secretary), M. Battegay (treasurer), A. Bilger, and Sandrié de Jouy.
COMMERCIAL.
THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK.
The Tientsin branch of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was established in 1881, and now occupies handsome premises, built on ground owned by the bank, on the British Bund. It is interesting to recall that when these premises were opened the late Li Hung Chang, then Viceroy of China, was present at the inaugural banquet, and referring to the general status of the bank in China, and more particularly to that of the Tientsin branch, His Excellency said, "Ever since it has been established at this port the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank has justified my expectation that it would facilitate the financial business of my Government and promote trade, and the agents representing the Bank have uniformly inspired me with confidence."
The manager of the branch, Mr. D. H. Mackintosh, was born at Daunt House, Inverness, in 1860, and was educated at Trinity College, Glenalmond. He joined the Caledonian Bank at Inverness in 1877, but three years later entered the service of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. Coming to the Far East, he was stationed successively in Singapore, Hongkong, Hankow, Kobe, Saigon, and Amoy. His present appointment dates from 1895. Mr. Mackintosh acted as the bank's representative in making the initial advances of money and carrying on the preliminary negotiations with the Director-General of the Imperial Railways which led to the first British loan to the Chinese Imperial Government against Railways, that of £2,300,000, of 1899, the contract for which was signed in October, 1898, in Peking by the bank's representative there, Mr. E. G. Hillier, C.M.G., and His Excellency Hu Yun Mei, who had been transferred to Peking as Governor of the Capital.
THE RUSSO-CHINESE BANK.
The Tientsin branch of the Russo-Chinese Bank was established in 1896, and, while carrying on the usual banking business, afforded special facilities for Russian exchange. The present manager, Count Jezierski, a member of a very old Polish family, took charge at the end of 1907. Born in Poland in 1876, Count Jezierski was educated in Russia, Belgium, and England. He entered the head office of the Russo-Chinese Bank in St. Petersburg in 1902, and, after a short transfer to the London office went to Shanghai as sub-manager until he was appointed to Tientsin. He is co-manager of the whole of the Russo-Chinese Bank's branches in China and Japan.
YOKOHAMA SPECIE BANK.
The Tientsin branch of this large banking Corporation was established in 1899, and an important share of the business of the neighbourhood is transacted through its agency. A sub-office has been opened in the native city. An account of the resources and a general description of the activities of the bank in various parts of the world will be found in other sections of this volume.
THE DEUTSCH-ASIATISCHE BANK.
The Tientsin branch of the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank was established in 1889, at the same time that the head office in Shanghai was opened. At present, the bank's business is carried on in temporary premises, but a handsome building is in course of construction in Victoria Road, and will be ready for occupation before the end of 1908. The usual banking business is undertaken at the branch.
THE PREMISES OF THE YOKOHAMA SPECIE BANK, TIENTSIN.
the Government Fervice in German New Guinea. Three years later, in 1889, he returned to Berlin, and entered the service of the Direction der Disconto-Gesellschaft. He remained in Berlin about eight years, and was then sent by the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank to the East, where he has managed successively various branches in the Straits Settlements and China. He is now for the third time manager of the Tientsin branch, having resumed the duties in March, 1908. At one time he was manager of the German Concession at Tientsin, and was afterwards instrumental in forming the first German Municipal Council in the Settlement. For his signal services to the Concession, he was decorated with the Order of the Prussian Crown in 1906.
THE ASTOR HOUSE HOTEL.
Visitors to Tientsin will be most favourably impressed by the Astor House Hotel, both by reason of its ideal situation facing the Victoria Park, and its comfortable and luxurious aiipointments.
In the early eighties the site upon which it stands was occupied by what was then known as a "mud-house" on the Bund. This unpretentious structure was enlarged and renovated in 1883 by Mr. G. Ritter, who took out a licence for the premises ; and for some ten years this constituted practically the only hotel in the Settlement. On June 13, 1894, the foundation stone of the present building was laid, and in May of the following year the Astor House Hotel was ready for occupation. In 1895 the concern was floated as a joint stock company, with Mr. Hitter, the former proprietor, as manager.
The hotel has seventy bedrooms, and a spacious dining room with accommodation for over three hundred people, whilst there are the usual reception, drawing, reading and billiard rooms, and bar. Power for lighting the building and for driving the electric fans is generated by means of a private installation; and a steam heating apparatus is employed to regulate the temperature in the winter months. The cuisine is excellent, the hotel having its own cold storage appliances and its own farm for ​Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/743 ​Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/744 ​Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/745 ​China, a canal joining up all the local waterways, the "Ping" Line of steamers, and wharves and storage godowns in the principal ports on the China Sea. A private telegraph line connects the offices in Tientsin and Chinwangtao and the collieries and the Tongku district, and facilitates the administration of the huge concern. Indeed, in the case of Chinwangtao, this line affords the only means of telegraphic communication available to the public.
It will thus be seen that in its completeness the concern is almost unique. The labour for which it finds employment, and the impetus it has given to native industries, has furnished a most powerful argument for the introduction of foreign capital into the Chinese Empire. Again, the short section of railway which was opened in the early eighties to connect the mines with the canal, proved effective in removing the Chinese prejudice against the Western iron road, so that the Company may be said to have given birth to the now extensive railway systems of North China. The section which they opened now forms part of the Imperial Railways.
As may be gathered from the following details of the various departments, the Company's plant and appointments generally are of the most modern type.
The coal mines at Tongshan and Linsi are situated in the Kaiping district of the Chihli Province, about 60 miles from the ports of Tongku and Chinwangtao, with which they are connected by the Chinese Government
THE TIENTSIN OFFICES OF THE CHINESE ENGINEERING AND MINING COMPANY, LTD.
[See page 736]
railway system. In addition to the usual steam haulage, having a maximum capacity of about eight thousand tons per day, these collieries employ, in pumping and lighting, an electrical installation which cost considerably over a million dollars, and is reputed to be the largest electrical plant in the East. The output of the collieries is at the rate of one and a half million tons of coal per annum. The best coal won is very similar to the best Cardiff lump, and is much in demand among the foreign navies as a first-rate steam raiser. It is also used in admixture with dust coal by the Chinese arsenals, and gives excellent results in the manufacture of steel. The second quality may be likened to the best Japanese, Australian, or Scotch coals; it is a good steam coal, and is much used on the North China railways, and by most of the large coasting lines in the China seas. A third quality is principally in demand as a household coal, but is also very popular as a steam raiser in mills and factories, and, when mixed with dust coal, for shipping purposes. In the development of native industries, such as brick-burning, the expression of bean oil, and distilling, the use of coal dust plays a very important part. It is also replacing grasses, hemp sticks, millet stalks, and other native fuel for domestic purposes, for the Company are demonstrating to a large section of the population, notably in Tientsin, that by a small alteration in their stoves they can burn coal with great economy. The collieries give direct employment to ten thousand Chinese, while another ten thousand families are engaged in supplying grains, fodder, oils, baskets, and all manner of native produce consumed in the works. Seven locomotives are engaged in moving stores, coal, &c., in and about the mining properties.
The manufacture of coke is one of the least progressive of the Company's industries, but the product is easily disposed of to the local mints, arsenals, and dockyards. At present only native open kilns are employed; but the business is capable of considerable expansion, and the erection of a modern type of plant will give the necessary impetus, ensuring a better quality of coke and at the same time reducing the cost of manufacture by the saving of the by-products now wasted.
The country in the vicinity of the coal mines is unusually rich in fire-clays, and some of the seams lying on the Company's property contain material of the finest quality. This clay is manufactured into bricks by a modern plant driven by electricity, at the rate of from 1,750,000 to 2,000,000 pieces per mensem, or, roughly, 20,000,000 per annum. These bricks are highly finished, and the degree of heat resistance without deformation is certified at not less than 2,930° Fahrenheit, a degree of refractoriness which European manufacturers will rarely guarantee. The numerous Chinese Government mints and arsenals, the Hanyang Iron Works at Hankow, the Chinese railway systems, and the several Government dockyards, not to mention many progressive native industries utilising Western power, all draw their supplies of firebricks from the Company, to much mutual advantage.
Anticipating that a more thorough system of drainage will become necessary in the Treaty ports, if not in purely Chinese localities, the Company have erected a modern pipe-making machine for the manufacture of stoneware drain-pipes. They are also engaged in the manufacture of glazed brick and flooring and roofing tiles, conveniences which the heavy steamer freights have hitherto placed beyond the reach of both native and European residents.
The "Ping" Line of steamers belonging to the Company may be seen flying the appropriate "black diamond" house flag in any of the China ports between Newchwang and Canton. Outward bound they usually carry the Company's coal and other products, and they bring back piece goods and general cargo principally from Shanghai. The Company have wharves and godowns at Tientsin, Chinwangtao, Tongku, Shanghai, and Canton; and godowns and property for the storage of ​cargoes at Newchwang and Chefoo. The shortest sea route between Tientsin and Shanghai is viâ Chinwangtao; the journey, being free from the delay and uncertainty of the Taku route, occupies only about sixty hours. The steamers leave for Shanghai on the arrival of the mail from Peking and Tientsin, and incoming steamers are timed to connect with the morning mail train. All the "Ping" steamers are fitted with first class accommodation for passengers, the new steamer, the Kaiping, being one of the most comfortable vessels in these waters. The Chargeurs Réunis Steamship Company have now established a permanent service of steamers from Europe to Chinwangtao, so that cargo may be booked through to Tientsin without trans-shipment at Shanghai as hitherto.
Chinwangtao, which owes its existence as a seaport to the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, Ltd., is situated on the western coast of the Gulf of Liao Tung, and is distant about 10 miles WSW. of Shanhai-kwan. It is thus the natural distributing centre for the north-west part of the great province of Chihli. The breakwater and pier which form the harbour are so constructed that vessels may be alongside at any state of the tide and in all weathers, and discharge a load direct on to and from railway cars, so that a minimum of handling, and, consequently, of loss, is ensured. There are seven berths—five at the breakwater, and one on each side of the pier — and the railway trucks are so arranged that loading and discharging can be proceeded with independently at each berth. The main
BUSINESS MEN OF TIENTSIN.
1. G. E. Five. 2. L. Bielfeld. 3. J. Faust. 4. H. Löhlein. 5. G. Goertz. 6. M. D. Batouieff. 7. O. Kleemann. 8. Hugo Kloeckner. 9. Karl F. Melchers. 10. W. A. Argent. 11. E. Schulze. 12. Count Jezierski. 13. J. O. Neill. 14. O. E. Meyer. 15. Fritz So.mmer. 16. A. Walte. 17. A. E. Schuldt. 18. Y. Yasukawa. 19. J. Macdonald.
berths have 21 feet of water at low water ordinary spring tides, but steamers drawing 23 feet 6 inches have been known to discharge with perfect safety, the bottom being soft mud, and there is really nothing to prevent vessels with a draft of 25 feet from discharging, provided they are prepared to take the mud at low water. The Company have at present three steam cranes available for weights up to five tons each, and generally speaking, it may be said that the loading and discharging facilities are excellent. On one occasion 73,000 bags of flour were taken out of one steamer in 27 consecutive hours, whilst on another 4,000 tons of coal were loaded on to one steamer in 31 consecutive hours. These facilities, resulting from the Company's liberal expenditure of capital, have caused Chinwangtao to become a formidable rival for the trade hitherto shipped via Taku to Tientsin. The port is accessible throughout the year, for, though in hard winters there is occasionally a good deal of floating ice in the Gulf, there is no case on record of a steamer having been prevented by ice from making the port. It is, in fact, practically the only port in the Gulfs of Pechili and Liau Tung accessible during the winter, which, on an average, extends from December 10th to March 10th. Good, sheltered anchorage also is to be found in the Roads. The Company's branch line runs from the pier to Tongho, four miles distant, on the main trunk line from Newchwang to Peking. The Company own the land in the vicinity of the port, and that portion of the property known as the Bluff, and comprising the best residential and building sites, has now been laid out as a township, in which plots may be bought or leased on moderate terms. As a seaside health resort Chinwangtao is almost without rival in China. It is easily accessible, has a dry and bracing climate, offers safe bathing from a sandy beach, and is situated amidst magnificent scenery; while a hotel under European management affords the visitor every comfort. The great increase of trade year by year has induced the Imperial Maritime Customs to erect a fine Customs house at Chinwangtao, with a deputy commissioner in charge, and to open a Ha Kwan Bank for the convenience of local consignees. Chinwangtao was selected on account of its natural geographical advantages as one of the ports of embarkation for coolies
BBUNNER, MOND & CO., LTD. The Godown at Tientsin.
an extensive depot was established for the accommodation of live or six thousand men. ■^ THE NATIVE CITT WATEEWOEKS. LTD. The Native City Waterworks Company, Ltd.. of which Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg & Co., Ltd.. are the agents and general managers. was formed in 1902. and commenced to supply water in April of the foll(5wing year. The shareholders are both Chinese and foreigners, and the board of directors include Messrs. J. Boyce-Kup, A. Walte. Sun Chung Ying, Chen Chi-i. Jui Yu-Kun, and Ma Yu-Ching.
Water is taken from the Grand Canal, outside the native city, and is carefully treated in filter-beds of sand. It is distributed through 25 miles of mains of various sizes to the native city and to the Japanese, Austrian, Russian, and Italian Concessions. More than three hundred houses are connected with the service, and there are one hundred and fifty public hydrants for fire purposes and for street supply. The water is sold at 70 cents per i.ooo gallons, with special rates to large consumers, and the annual consumption amounts to some 200,000,000 gallons. The waterworks occupy about 15 mow of land. The manager and chief engineer is Mr. J. Holmberg, a native of Denmark, who, after qualifying as a constructing and civil engineer, received a first-class certificate in 1902. He came to Tientsin in the following year to take up his present duties. He is an associated member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, Denmark.
THE UOLKESEI OBEBHOF. LTD. Ix a country in which there are no laws en- forced for preventing the spread of cattle diseases, and practically none governing sani- tary arrangements, it is obviously very difficult to obtain a pure milk supply. Several dairy farms have been started in Tientsin, but owing to the prevalence of rinderpest they have not proved successful. The Molkerei Oberhof, Ltd., however, is an exception to the rule. This enterprise has been prosperous from a financial point of view and its butter, cheese, and cream will compare favourably with the best home produce. The dairy is situated about two miles from the centre of the Tientsin Settlements in the direction of the racecourse, and the cattle have the advantage of grazing upon the plain during the summer months. The buildings are modern and are replete with every convenience for the con- duct of a dairy farm, and the extreme cleanli- ness of the establishment is such as to inspire complete confidence in it. The dairy is under experienced Kuropean management, and, periodically, a veterinary surgeon inspects all the cattle, which are selected from Cali- fornian and Australian herds, and brought to China at considerable expense. Mr. Wilhelm Kleeschulte is the principal share- holder in the enterprise, and exercises a personal supervision over the conduct of the business.
THE JANGSTUN STEAM BRICK WORKS. Dl'RiXG the summer lime, wlien the manu- facture of bricks is in full progress, some 600 native workmen find employment in this large industrial enterprise, owned by Mr. V. Ivleescliulte. The works are planned on the most modern scientific system, and cover a large area. Among the many buildings, the Hoffman brick oven is, perhaps, the first to attract the attention of a visitor. It is a huge pile of red bricks several feet thick, and consists of two parallel ovens, 170 feet long, in the shape of concave vaults. Six- teen doors give access to as niaii- compart- ments, and each compartment is separated from the next by an iron partition which is
[See page 742.] E. MARZOLI'S BRICK FACTORY.
dropped from overhead. Each compartment is capable of holding 25,000 bricks, so that the total capacity of the oven is 400,000. Eroiri the centre a large chimney rises to a lieight of 165 feet. At one extremity a furnace is started. The heat from this ignites coal which has been dropped through overhead ducts into the first compartment filled with bricks: the heat of the first com- partment ignites coal in the second one; and so forth. This automatic process of ignition may be continued indefinitely — as long as the lifetime of the oven, if necessary. The output capacity of the Hoffman oven is about 10,000,000 bricks a year. The equip- ment of the works includes, also, a pressing- machine, a steam-driven mud-mixer, drying sheds, carpenters' and blacksmiths' shops, and six large double mud kilns with a total
The business now carried on by Mr. E. Marzoli was established by his brother, Mr. L. Marzoli in 1901. At first Mr. L. Marzoli confined his attention to the conduct of a large trade in anthracite coal and lime, but in 1904 he opened a calcareous brick factory at Huangtsun, and since that time the enter- prise has been extended in various directions. Cement works and granite quarries have been acquired, and Carrara marble and Venetian mosaic tiles are imported in considerable quantities. At the brick works some 5,000,000 bricks are produced each year, and the granite from the quarries has been used in many of the principal buildings in Tientsin and Peking. Mr. L. Marzoli died at Peking in 1907, and the business is now entirely in the hands of Mr. E. Marzoli, who is a native of Varese, Italy. A. H. JAQUES & CO. The firm of Messrs. A. H. Jaques & Co., though established only as recently as 1901, has quickly taken its place among the leading houses in Tientsin, and may be re- garded as the local " Whiteley's." While supplying articles of every description, they make a speciality of furniture from their own factory. The firm believes in the old-fashioned method of making furniture by hand, whereby quality, durability, and finish are alike secured. Their workmen are recruited from Ningpo- Chekiang, where most of the cabinet-makers in China are to be found, and though men employed on piece-work are sometimes difficult to manage, the firm of "Kung Yih " — to give the Chinese name — have such an enviable reputation for fair dealing that they have yet to record their first hitch or strike. In the manufacture of furniture of modern design Chinese workmen may lack originality, but they stand unequalled in the art of copying. The firm has, therefore, engaged an expert European designer, under whose supervision all work is tarried out. The excellence of the furniture is attested by the fact that the workmen are almost continually
TIMBER YARD OF THE CHINA IMPORT AND EXPORT LUMBER COMPANY (LTD.) AT TIENTSIN.
employed on the numerous orders with which the firm is entrusted, both by Europeans and Chinese. One of these orders was for a tapestried drawing-room suite for the imperial summer residence at Peking. Others have been received from many of the leading hotels, clubs, banks, and official residences in North China. The Chinese name of A. H. Jaques & Co., " Kung Yih," is as much a household word in North China as is the name of Maple in England.
Messrs. Jaques & Co. are agents for the handsome block known as the Victoria Buildings, which is among the finest of the kind in North China. The block contains about one hundred rooms, iitted with every convenience, including electric lighting and steam-heating, and suitable either for business or residential purposes.
Mr. A. H. Jaques, who founded the business, is managing director and proprietor of the firm.
MELCHERS & CO.
There are few places of any commercial importance in the Far East where branches of the well-known firm of Messrs. Melchers & Co. are not to be found. The Tientsin branch, with offices in the Taku Road, was opened by Mr. Haupt in 1897, and has gained a strong position amongst local commercial liouses. Apart from their own export and import business, the firm represent in Tientsin the following, among other, companies : — The Norddeutscher Lloyd ; the East Asiatic Com- pany, Ltd., Copenhagen ; the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, Ltd. ; the Globus Fire Insurance Company, Ltd., of Hamburg ; the Salamander Fire Insurance Company, Ltd., of Amsterdam ; the Swedisli East Asiatic Company, Ltd., of Gothenberg ; the Nord- stern Life Insurance Company, Ltd., of Berlin ; and the Maatschappij Tot Mijn Boschen Landbouwexploitatie in Lang Kat, Ltd. (supplying a well-known brand of kerosene). The Company are also general managers for the Equitable Life Assurance Company of the United States. The Tientsin branch is under the direction of Mr. Karl F. Melchers, who assumed the duties in IQ02. Born in 1877 at Bremen, where he was educated, he joined the firm at their head office, in Bremen, in 1893. In
Mr. Fritz Somnier, the managing partner, joined the tirm in 1890, and was admitted a partner in 1901. He is a native of Bremen, where he was born on January 6. 1868. He is Vice-Consul for Norway, to which post he was appointed on February 18, 1907.
* [See page 747.]
* THE OFFICES AND GODOWNS OF H. M. SCHULTZ & CO.
TIENTSIN WOOL CLEANING FACTORY, LTD.
To prepare the large quantities of wool that come from Kokonor and Kansu before forwarding them to their ultimate destination, several wool cleaning and press packing firms have been established in Tientsin. One of the most important of these is the Tientsin Wool Cleaning Factory. Ltd.. which was opened in 1904, and registered as Tientsin Woll Reinigungsfactorei, G. m. b. H. at the German Consulate. Beside wool cleaning, the proprietors undertake the hydraulic press packing of every kind of goods intended for export, and the storing of imports on behalf of banks, &c. As they do not engage in either the import or export trade themselves, they claim to be the only public press packers in the Settlement. Their headquarters are in Canton Road, in the British extra Concession, and here Mr. E. Luer, the manager, supervises the conduct of the business.
MACKENZIE & CO., LTD.
The firm of Mackenzie & Co.. Ltd., hydraulic press-packers, commission agents, exporters, and importers, established themselves in Shanghai between thirty and forty years ago, and extended their business to Tientsin in 1888. Their offices and godowns stand on the firm's own property at 42. Taku Road, where an extensive modern plant has been laid down for cleaning and packing wool, cotton, skins, furs, jute, and other produce. The local manager is Mr. W. A. Argent. The managing director of the Company is Mr. Arthur Hide, who lives in Shanghai.
MITSUI BUSSAN KAISHA.
Details of the formation and development of the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha will be found in the Hongkong section of this volume. The Tientsin branch was established in 1885, and the first manager, Mr. Sasaki, was appointed Consul for Japan. The district sub-offices, such as Peking and Kalgan, are under the supervision of the Tientsin branch, whose business has grown to such an extent that eighteen assistants are employed. The present manager, Mr. Y. Yasukawa, was born at Kyoto in 1870, and received his education at Osaka Commercial College. He joined the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha at Osaka, and within two years was transferred to Tokyo. In 1894 he opened a branch at Bombay, and remained in charge of it for six years. Then for eighteen months and three years respectively he carried out the duties of sub-manager for the Company in New York and Kobe. He was appointed to Tientsin in 1904.
THE PREMISES OF TH. CULTY & CO., TIENTSIN.
TH. CULTY & CO.
The French troops stationed in Peking and Tientsin furnish the chief part of the business transacted by Messrs. Th. Culty & Co. ​This firm was founded in 1901 by Messrs. Th. Culty and P. Douville, of Yokohama, but, the partnership having been dissolved in July, 1907, Mr. Culty is now the sole proprietor. The business carried on is that of wine, spirit, and provision merchants, and many of the leading French houses are represented by the firm, whose stores, situated in the Rue de France, are well stocked with commodities of uniform excellence.
HOTUNG BAUGESELLSCHAFT.
Although established as recently as 1906, there are already many evidences of the activity of this Company, which is registered in Austria. A number of the houses in the principal thoroughfare—Baron Czikann Street—were erected through its agency, and preparations have been made for rapid development in the future. The Company owns about 59 mow of land in the Austro-Hungarian Concession and the electric tramway runs through portions of the property on which it is proposed to build almost immediately. The directors have, apparently made their investments with shrewd judgment, and the prosperity of the Company seems assured. The fully paid-up capital of the enterprise is Tls. 200,000 in 2,000 shares of Tls. 100 each, and in 1907 a dividend of 8 per cent. was paid. Debentures to the value of Tls. 100,000 are now being issued.
The board of directors consists of Messrs. Hugo Accurti, Emil S. Fischer, Chen Chu Chi, and Yuen Tsu Chen; while Messrs. Gino Accurti and S. F. Wen act as general managers.
BIELFELD & SUN.
The firm of Messrs. Bielfeld & Sun, merchants and contractors to the Chinese Government for machinery, arms, ammunition and men-of-war, was established in 1901, the partners being Mr. L. Bielfeld and Mr. C. Y. Sun. At present Mr. Bielfeld has as his partner Mr. S. C. Cheng. The firm, whose offices are situated in Rue Dillon, are agents for Messrs. Schneider & Co.; le Creusot, Paris; the Chantiers et Ateliers de Gironde; the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire; Messrs. Whitehead & Co., Fiume; the Ganz'sche Elektrizitäts Aktiengesellschaft, Budapest; and the Rekyl Riffel Syndicate, Copenhagen. The staff includes the following engineers: Messrs. E. Hunke, who signs per pro., F. Nègre, and K. Bielfeld, assistants; O. Silbernagel and K. Krieg; A. Lietzellman, representing Messrs. Schnieder & Co.. and Baron Hascthausen Techn, representative of the Rekyl Riffel Syndicate. Mr. L. Bielfeld, who was born at Chefoo, was educated at Eutin, North Germany, and returned to China in 1890 to take up employment with Messrs. H. Mandl & Co., at Tientsin. He remained with that firm for ten years, and then started business with Mr. Sun on his own account.
PERSONAL.
COL. J. W. N. MUNTHE.
Colonel Johan Wilhelm Normann Munthe, A.D.C. to the Viceroy of Chihli, was born at Bergen, Norway, on July 27, 1864, and was educated at the Aars' and Voss' High School, Christiania, and at the Royal Cavalry, Christiania. He came to China in 1887, and in September of that year joined the Imperial Maritime Customs service, being stationed successively at Shanghai, Chefoo, and Ningpo. He volunteered for service in the Chino-Japanese War, and in 1894 was detached from the Customs service for military work. During the next six years he re-organised the Cavalry of the North, under His Excellency Yuan-Shih-K'ai, as Colonel and Instructor-in-Chief. As His Excellency Yuan was appointed Governor of the province of Shantung, Colonel Munthe remained in Tientsin preparatory to going home on leave, and was in Tientsin attached to the Russian General Staff as special intelligence officer during the Boxer trouble. He took part in all the engagements in and around Tientsin, the march to Peking, and the storming of the Capital. He was decorated by the Tsar of Russia with the Russian Military Order (St. George) "for repeated acts of gallantry during the late disturbances in China"; and also received the Russian War Medal, 1900–1. During 1901–2, he was on leave, and, on his return, he was appointed Colonel by imperial decree, and Aide-de-Camp to His Excellency Yuan-Shih-K'ai, who had meanwhile been appointed Viceroy of Chihli. Colonel Munthe was decorated by the French Government, as a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, in 1905; by the Chinese Government with the Order of the Double Dragon, Third Division, First Class, Knight Commander, First Class, in 1907; and ​by the Norwegian Government as a Knight of the First Class of the Order of St. Olav, in the same year.
* COLONEL MUNTHE. A.D.C. to His Excellency the Viceroy of Chihli.
MR. J. O. NEILL.
Mr. J. O. Neill, Vice-President of the French Municipal Council, and president du Cércle D'Escrimé de Tientsin, was formerly in the French Navy. When he came to China in 1898 he held the rank of Sub-Lieutenant; in 1899 he was promoted Lieutenant, and in 1906 he retired on completion of the required period of service. He then commenced to deal in real estate, and, being the owner of considerable property in Tientsin, he founded, in the following year, a company styled the Société Franco-Belge de Tientsin, of which he is now the managing director.
MR. O. KLEEMANN.
Mr. O. Kleemann, President of the Club Concordia and of the German Association, was born on March 6, 1872, at Bad-Oeyn-hausen, Westphalia, and received his education at Herford Gymnasium, Germany. His first business experience was obtained at Bremen, but when his term of army training in the Pioneer Battalion at Minden was completed he came to China and entered the service of Messrs. Droste & Walte at Tientsin. Subsequently, when Mr. Walte dissolved partnership with Mr. Droste, Mr. Kleeinan became a part proprietor in the undertaking and business was carried on for eight years under the style of A. Walte & Co. Mr. Kleeman, however, severed his connection with the firm in January, 1908. During his twelve years' residence in Tientsin he has taken an active interest in public affairs and has filled several positions of prominence in social and commercial circles.
MR. G. E. FIVE.
Mr. G. E. Five, who is in charge of the Native Customs sub-office at the Tientsin Settlement Railway Station, first came to Tientsin in 1899. He was present during the Boxer troubles in 1900 and in the following year was appointed to the In-door Staff of the imperial Chinese Maritime Customs service in Shanghai. Before being transferred to his present post he was employed successively at Lungchow, in the Kwangsi Province, and at Chinkiang, in the Yangtsze Valley.
MR. M. D. BATOUIEFF.
Mr. M. D. Batouieff is a large property owner in Tientsin, an agriculturist, and a prominent member of the Russian Municipal Council. He holds several decorations—the Legion d'Honneur, the Order of Stanislaus, Second and Third Class, and the Order of St. Anna. Born in Kazan in 1852, he was educated at the Commercial College there. In 1878 he went to Kalgan, and fourteen years later moved to Tientsin, where he established himself as a tea merchant. He extended his business as time went on, and now carries on an extensive import and export trade, and a forwarding agency for goods proceeding to and through Mongolia, one of his chief lines being wool.
MR. O. E. MEYER.
Mr. O. E. Meyer, manager of the firm of Messrs. von Duering, Wibel & Co., Tientsin, was born on May 21, 1878, at Langenhagen, Holstein, Germany. After receiving his education at Eutin Gymnasium, Germany, he entered the service of Messrs. Hesse, Newman & Co., in Hamburg in 1897. In February, 1901, he came out to Hongkong for the firm of Siemssen & Co., in whose employment he remained until May, 1904, when he went home on leave. In January, 1906, he returned to the East, having been appointed manager of the Tientsin branch of Messrs. von Duering, Wibel & Co., and in November of the following year he was empowered by that firm to sign per pro. Mr. Meyer is a keen sportsman, and delights in big-game shooting.
MR. J. MACDONALD.
Mr. J. MacDonald, than whom few men are better known in Tientsin, has had a most interesting career both as soldier and civilian. He was born in 1843 in County Down, and was educated at the British Barracks School and College, Hongkong. At an early age he was attached to the 59th Foot, and was with that regiment during the latter part of the occupation of Canton by the Allied Forces in 1857. In 1860 he was appointed senior officer to the Bittern, and was present at the taking of the Taku Forts by Admiral Hope, at the engagements of Chang Wha Wan and Tung Chow, and at the taking of Peking. Upon retiring from the Service in 1862 he joined the Chinese Army, and was with General Ward until the latter's death. General Gordon held a high opinion of Mr. Macdonald, and appointed him A.D.C. to his body-guard. Leaving the Chinese Army in 1869 Mr. MacDonald joined the Imperial Maritime Customs, and four years later commenced business on his own account as auctioneer and merchant. He has now built up a prosperous business, and, together with his sons, is interested in the firm of Messrs. J. Macdonald & Co., carriage builders, live cattle contractors, timber and wool merchants, general and commission agents.
MR. SUN CHUNG YING.
Mr. Sun Chung Ying, a son of the late Mr. Sun Huan Son, traces his descent in a direct line from the imperial family of Sun, which flourished during the dynasty of the Hans, the reigning house in China about two thousand years ago. His grandfather, Mr. Sun Shou Jen, was one of the richest men in Nanking. Born in 1863, at Ju Kow, Kiangsu Province, Mr. Sun Chung Ying was educated at Tientsin Torpedo and Naval School, and entered the service of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., as an interpreter in 1886. Two years or so later he was appointed compradore to Messrs. H. Mandl & Co., Chinese Government contractors, and eventually became a shareholder in the business. In 1900 he was commissioned by the French Government to dispose of the salt they captured in Tientsin. Later, he joined Mr. L. Bielfeld in founding the firm of Bielfeld & Sun, contractors to the Chinese Government. The partnership was dissolved in February, 1908, and Mr. Sun Chung Ying was appointed advisor on Chinese affairs to the Russo-Chinese Bank at Tientsin.
* C. Y. SUN.
* FINE RESIDENCES THE PROPERTY OF M. D. BATOUIEFF.
MR. WU JIM PAH.
Mr. Wu Jim Pah, also known as Mr. Wu Mow Ting, a son of the late Mr. Wu Tsun Loh, merchant, of Soochow, was born in 1850 in the province in which Li Hung Chang was born. On leaving school Mr. Wu entered the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank at Shanghai as assistant compradore, and seventeen years later was transferred as compradore to Tientsin. In 1894 he was appointed by Li Hung Chang, then Viceroy of the province, managing director of the North China Imperial Railways. He held this appointment for three years, and the capable manner in which he discharged the duties was testified to by the eulogium which he received from the engineers and foreign staff of the railway at the close of his administration. In a handsome illuminated address his just dealing and his endeavours to stamp out corruption were extolled, and the assurance was given him that his example would have far-reaching influence in the country. He resigned his compradoreship in 1905, after thirty-nine years' service with the bank, having been promoted by the Chinese Government to the First Rank of the Third Degree of Metropolitan Officials at the Court of Peking. On the recommendation of the Viceroy he was appointed to open up a tannery and certain Government mills in the neighbourhood of Tientsin, and of these he still remains in charge. He is a director of the Tientsin Electric Light Company, of the Hsin Chi Boden and Baugesellschaft, and of the Chinese Investment Company, and is a shareholder in many British companies in Hongkong, Shanghai, and Tientsin. He is married and has four sons.
MR. KWOH CHU CHING.
Mr. Kwoh Chu Ching, compradore to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank at Tientsin, was a son of the late Mr. Kwoh Ya Tang, and was born in the Settlement in 1868. After receiving a good education he was engaged as manager of various Chinese native banks in Tientsin, until he received his present appointment in 1907. Mr. Kwoh owns considerable property and is a member of the committee of the Native Banking Guild. He is much respected among the Chinese, for he has done a great deal to help his fellow countrymen, and was among the most liberal donors to the famine relief funds.