The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-04-23
ADVANCE or THE CHINESE.
How the Celestlals Are Succeeding I'm Duss
iness Competitions with Foreigners.
I(.Or New York Tribune

iness Compositions with Foreigners.
Ittor. New York Tribune.l
There are in Hong Kong a few lines
Of business which the Chinese have not
yet invaded. / have already mentioned
some Of them. There are no Chinese
apothccary shops in Hong Kong where
foreign drugs and medicines are sold,
though in Annoy, in the midst
Of the Chinese city, have seen one
such having q fair assortment. All that
will come with the proper study of med
icine. As an offset to this deficiency,
there is a young Chinaman who, having
worked seven years with an American
dentist, has displayed his shingle and is
practicing dentistry in all its branches,
with tolerable success. l have seen
specimens of his work, and may say l
have seen worse in America. There is
no lack of Chinese photographers either
in Hong Kong or Canton, their work in
cluding portraits of all sizes and views
of Chinese scenes, which are well cxecu-
ted and meet with q ready salc to tour
lists. In landscape painting the Chi
nese have done little, though they are
making progress in perspectives, and
some Of their coloring of photographs is
exquisite.
Of their embroidery, their carving in
wood and ivory, their skill in the max
ing Of pottery and the weaving Of silk,
though these arts may eventually be
carried into foreign countries and have
their influence in q competitive way,
1t is not necessary now to speak. The
Chinese build the houses in which the
foreigners live, furnish and decorate
them, AM they clothe, feed and serve
the occupants themselves The pleas
ure of being waited on by a reti-
nue Of Chinese servants, the dolce far
nientc of lifo in summer land, tho
servile homage cred by an apparently
subject race, create an atmosphere OF
self-satisfaction, q kind Of glamour
which render sin n-visible the tyranny Of
the real rulers and the industrial SUBJ
lection of the white race, which is in
evitable an | not distant.
The initiative quality of the Chinese
extends even to counterfeiting European
and American labels and trade marks.
The knowledge of certain small articles
of foreign make has created desire for
them in China, and an effort to initiate
them. SO we find at the small shops
Chinese-ma 10 clocks aud watches, and
at the stands of the street vender,
combs, tooth-brushes, shoe horns,
pocket cutlery and IA ors, which are
vastly inferior to the foreign goods, but,
as the price is as low as the quality is
poor, no one can reasonably complain.
The knives and razors often bear very
distinctly the brands of Sheffield firms
whose names are household words
wherever the English language il
spoken. These knives are sold for J OF
cents each, while the "a ors, Sheffield
brand and all, can be bought for Il
cents. The last implements arc roughly
made, and to the thin skinned man a
torture to look at, hut with the other
articles enumerated they show to what
an extent chinese manufactures can
DO carried. and at what rates, defying
competition, they can be furnished 10
tho consumer.
To hasten their discontinue, the Eng.
lish colonists arc educating the Chinese
in their public schools, and lifting them
to hold the positions Of clerks, book,
keepers, and other places that require
intelligence and certain amount ol
education. The result will he that,
speaking English fiuently and easily &C
quiring the necessary amount of com
mcrcial knowledge. they will soon ill
the counting-rooms of Hong Kong. a:
their untaught countrymen have filled
the workshops, city trades, AID retail
avenues Of city business.