The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-29
Tientsin, 1909.
IlentSn, yTHB awakening of China!

"HE awakening of China!
 am in the midst of it here in Tientsin. The Yellow Giant has his almond eyes open. Yea, he has sprung from his bed and is fast drawing on the clothes of our civilization The ruts and filth of the old city are dis appearing and maeadamized roads, cleo trie trolleys and iron bridges are talk ing their places. The old wall, gray with age, has been torn down, and broad avenue, as smooth as the drive in Rock Creek park in washington, now runs around the great city. There is car line upon it and it's motormen have driven the passenger wheelbarrow coolies quite out of business.
 The tearing down of that wall was one of the rude blows which made Teintsin rouse up and take notice. It was done by the foregin troops at the time Of the Boxer rebellion and that notwith- standing the protests and prayers of the natives. The Chinese became greatly ex- cited and said that destroying the walls would ruin their city. "A town without walls" they said, "is like woman with out a kootsu-that is, without pantaloons. It is disgraceful and it cannot succeed Nevertheless, the powers took the pants off of Tientsin and since then the old municipal lady has been trotting along at telegraphic speed. The macadamized road on the site of the walls has been copied all over the place and there are clean streets everywhere. The city has grown far byond the old walls and great new town has sprung up with factories and foundries and modern schools Of every description. The Chinese nabobs have built magnificent residences, some of which are of two or three stories and they now ride about in their carriages, with coachmen and footmen in livery.
 The Bridges of the Pel-Ho.
 Tfentsin lies on the Pei-ho at about 90 miles from the sea. In a straight line the distance Is not more than half that, but the river winds in and out like the coils of a snake all the way. It Is winding in the city itself and canals are now to be cut to shorten its course. When was last in Tientsin the railroad station was outside of the walls the north side of the river, far away from the town, and Lii Hung Chang had vainly attempted to have bridge built which should carry passengers and freight right into Tient- sin. He had erected stone piers and was ready to lay down the gtrders when the unions of boatmen and oartmen objected on the ground that a bridge would ruin their business. The result was u had to submit, and the station was left far out in the country. The city has grown up to it and there are big business houses on every side. There Is also an iron drawbridge which crosses the river right in front of the depot and a half dozen other bridges at different places. Riding along the Pei-ho yesterday, I observed new bridge with a wooden fence at each end, and asked our consul general why the way shut off. He replied that the bridge had just been completed, but the people most benefited by 1t on the opposite side of the river had refused to pay thir share for macadamizing the road leading to it, and the authorities were keeping the bridge shut to bring them to time. There are also bridges over the Grand canal, which crosses the Pe-ho at this place, and such improve ments are now made without regard to the unions.
 A Big Traffic Center.
 Tienstin is the New York of north China. It Is the chief port of the Great Plain and the thickly settled regions north and west of Picking. Tributary to 1t is a population of 100.0OO,oOo, or more than all the people of the United States, and its connection with this vast mass of consumers Is rapidly being opened up by railroad. I came here from Man churia on the Imperial Chinese railway, going through the great Chinese wall at -hai-kwan, and I shall go in comfortable train to Penking. A road from there is now building which takes one northward through the great wall to Kalgan, Mongolia, and which will eventually be connected with the Trans siberian railroad. Another road has been projected from here south through theE most thickly populated parts of China down to the Yangtse and in time Tientsn will have tracks raidating from her as our roads do from Chi cago. This city has now perhaps mil lion people. What it will have In the future I dare not predict.
 Just now business Is bad all over China. The low price of silver and the financial distress which has prevailed throughout the world have stopped the progress which the city was making up until about two years ago. This is only temporary, and Tientsn will soon be again on the boom.
 Ten Cities in One.
 The great powers of the western world fully realize the importance of this city. and they have business representatives on the ground. Inere IS large territory outside the native settlement which has been taken by them. Much of this was seized just after the Boxer rebellion, when China was forced to submit. AS 1t is now, every one of these powers has its own little city here on the banks of the Pei Ho Each concession has It's police, It's consular courts, it's town hall and its own troops One sees companies of Japanese, German and French soldiers marching here and there through the streets. The British have regiment of Highlanders who show their bare knees and firt their short skirts in the faces of the natives, and Russian Cossacks with great fur caps, gallop through the city on horse back.
 There are altogether ten different settlements In the combined city, so that one may visit, a half dozen nations in the jinrilSsha ride of morning. These foreign concessions have magnifi- cent buildings, many of which would be considered fine In London or Paris. The hotel structure in which l am stopping would be good in New York or Chicago and there Is an English clubhouse adjoining it which must have cost several hundred thousand dollars to build. There are magnificent bank buildings here, representing millions of dollars of capital and there are stores with plate glass windows filled with all sorts of European and American goods.
 In the British concession where I live no mil