Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-19
AN ASIATIC CROESUS
He Lives in a Walled City That is
All His Own,
CHINA HAS MANY MILLIONAlRES
Among the Best Business Men
in the World.
MONEY MADE in TRADE
MONEY MADE in TRADE

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
MACAO December 6, 1900.
Mr. Ian Wing Hong is the Andrew Car
ncgie of eastern Asia. He is the richest mil
lionGire Of this part of the empire. He has
fortunes in stocks, fortunes IN land and a
fortune in his country home. It was at his
country place al Kwantung that l visited
him. II IS a walled city, rather than sin
gle dwelling, and he OWLS II all.
Imagine farm OF a thousand or so acres,
surrounded by a blue brick wall as high as
a two-story house. and so thick that You
could drive two big farm wagons around
on the top Of it side by side without touch
irg. Let the space within be divided into
wide streets. along which are built hun
dreds Of houses, facing gardens and lawns.
Let the gates into it be guarded by soldiers,
and let there be forty policemen in uniform
to keep the home city in order. and Tou
have bare outline of the dwelling place of
this celestial lord, who lives here with his
servants about him.
The greater part of the inhabitants. out
side Ut the servants, are his relatives
There are about seven hundred rooms in the
better class houses, and these are occupied
by his nearest of kin. There are servants
everywhere, ana his retinue includes all
kinds Of Chau!cS and artisans. He has
hundreds al field hands, who cultivate his
estates outside the wall and it takes Il large
corps of men and women to keep his dwell
ing in order
Poverty Riches.
My visit to the ASiatic Croesus was in
company with Or. Jayne dos Santos. DR..
Santos i well-known citizen az Macao
and a friend of the millionaire. Our ride to
his home was in jinrikshas, TWO men 10
each riksha, one pulling in the shafts and
the other pushing behind.
Leaving Macao. we passed over the mar
row neck of land which joins the Portu-
gueSc territory 10 China and then rode for
miles upon the mainland. The whole way
was spotted with poverty. The crops
were everywhere luyuriant but the
people seemed terribly poor. They were
dressed In blue cotton and all were
barefooted. There We're many beggars,
and near the graveyards we met
mOurncTs IN sackcloth, who had coolies to
hold up their arms as they moved along.
seemingly proStrated with grief.
The fields Were full of toilers. Here n
man, bare - the waist trotted from plant
90 plant, watering them with liquid manure:
there another pl0wed the field with a water
buffalo. and further on big-hatted women,
with their pantalets rolled up TO their
thighs be 1t double as they wdded through
the liquid mud and set out The rice crop.
plant by plant. Our jinrikshas crowded
hoilOw-cyed burden bearers 10 the sides of
the road. Ne went by gangs Of coolies car
ryiug buckets OF SlDp for manure. by dead
eyed old haSs loaded with baskets of farm
produce ana by little girls borne down by
baskets fastened TO poles on their shoulders.
II seemed as though the poor houses of the
empire had been cInptied out on this road
TO the home Of the rich. and the contrast Of
the poverty present ard The wealth to come
was most striking.
In the ,IiIiionaire's Palace.
THIS poverty continued to the very gates
OF the millionaire's pa!atiaI city. 1t ended
as we passed through them. severely scru-
tinted by the guards at the entrance.
TIE city is made mp of many one-story
houses. all rCofed with heavy black tiles.
Some Of the buildings cover acres, for a
man here may have a home Of a hundred
rooms and all on the ground floor. The
rooms were built around courts which run
this way and that. They are connected by
long aisles under covered passageways.
some Of which wind about Ike the maZes
Of Rosamond's bower.
The buildings are of Chinese architecture.
L despair Of giving You conceivable pc
lures of them. Tho roofs arc curved at the
corners. IKE a rams horn. The outer walls
are Of blue brick, the inner of wood Won
derfully carved. being in many cases fret
work Of black ebony set with glass of ali
the COlOrs of the rainbow IN oriental SPLEEN
dor. Going through wide court we were
admitted TO the private buildings of the
m!lNonaIre's home. We crossed a court
and entered gallery. upon one side OF
which was Il garden. The gallery was open
NJ the sides. 1t was rooted with heavy
tiles upheld by granite posts. and it was
at least 900 feet long. There were seats
here and there in II. each seat a beautifu
piece Of white quartz set upon wooden
legs. At the ends were walls of mirrors
In which we could our own reflections
as walked through.
We Meet the CrOesus.
AS we entered the millionaire proprietor
came forward. lie was introduced TO mt
as the Hon. Lam Wing Hong, and as
bowed he shook his own hands at me ant
bent low in welcome. We chatted togethe
as We walked from room TO room, and
was struck with his intelligence and cu
ture. He looked like aristocrat. HE
dress. Light blue silk gown. reached from
his neck to his feet. His head was bar,
and close shayen except at the crown
whence long. black queue hung down hi
back
We first went into the library and smok
ing room, a besutiful apartment hung will
scrolls CT fine writings from the Chimes
classics. 1t was furnished with iacquere'
chairs and tables, and the walls were in
laid with col0red marble. Then we eEteret
the parlors and reception room. and thel
went on into the private temple, where tn
millionaire worships his ancestors.
He next showed he his opium sanetum
little room with walls of ata-Lei gias