The Detroit times., 1912-12-21
JINRIKISHA
GIVES WAY
TO MOTOR
Mandarins in Smartest Models of
Automobiles Now Pass An
cient Equipages in China
AMERICAN CARS GAINING
IN WAKING COUNTRY
NJ. A. Greenfield Establishes Dis
.tributing Agency for Michi-
gan at Shanghai

Automobiles are no longer an un
familiar sight in China. On the roads
where one formerly met the wealthy
mandarin In a handsome carriage be
hind a pair OF large Australian horses
one now sees the same mandarin In
the latest model OF American, Eng
lish. French or German car"
! This Is the observation OF NJ. A
Greenfield, one OF the largest import.
ers OF China, who Is now In Kalama-
zoo arranging TO establish a distrlb-
uting agency for the Mighty Michi-
gan cars for the Chinese Republic,
with headquarters at Shanghai.
You would be somewhat aston
ished,' said Mr.. Greenfield. AT the
number OF automobiles you would see
on the drive between the Shanghai
bund and the Bubbling Well road, and
on to Zi-Ca-Wei, On any pleasant day
you would meet mandarins and mer-
chants, with their families, behind
their well-groomed chauffeurs, enjoy
| ing themselves exactly as prosper
Gus American on this beautiful route.
You would mark the well-tailored
European or American clothes OF
latest styles on many OF these same
mandarins and merchants-and their
chauffeurs In the smartest OF chauf.
feur costumes, caps. goggles, puttees
everything Brown is the preferred
color.
But YOU would not have TO leap
to the side OF the road for your life.
The Chinese are adverse 10 speeding.
II is rare exception TO see ma
chine exceeding 20 miles an hour.
''Thre were few automobiles in the
whole OF China, until about two years
ago. The advent of the Republic has
quickened progress along all lines,
and, OF course, the automobile Is one
OF the most distinguishing marks OF
progress.
The introduction OF the automo-
bile into the scene, however, makes a
singular picture. The age-old meth
DDS OF transportation have not been
superseded by any means. Side by
side, on the same road, you may see
the latest and smartest models or
automobiles with the jinrikisha and
the 'wheebarrow,' the latter one
wheel vehicle with three passengers
nicely balanced on each side, pushed
by the husky captain OF the outht.
The passengers pay fare equal to
about one cent each for practically
unlimited trip.
There are four hundred and twenty
million people in China. This Is the
estimate of those who have lived In
China a long time, for there Is no
means OF getting anything like an
accurate census. You would not.
doubt that there are at least that
many, however. If you were to travel
the country for a day. But II is
scarcely necessary to say that there
In not yet one automobile to every
10 people in China, as there is In
America. So far, the automobile Is
confined to the wealthy.
The rich Chinese Is liberal
spender. He does not haggle over
the price Of an article, once he Is
convinced that 1t is what he wants.
have seen a mandarin pay $4,000 for
a pair OF Australian horses within Ave
minutes after he had laid his eyes on
them.
Selling an automobile to Chinese,
however, is not 80 easy matter as
this might lead you to suppose. The
Chinese will not be hurried. When
YOU have picked the customer Tor
your car, YOU must call on him two
or three times before you close the
deal. You must spend hours with
him, and sometimes days. You VIII
discuss politics. progress, business,
clothes, family-everything except the
automobile You will drink his tea
and scrupulously exchange all the
courtesies with him.
IF you attempt to rush matters,
he will think you are trying to per-
petrate some sort of swindle, other
wise YOU would not be in such a
hurry TO get away.-Mhen- atlast you
finally get around TO the sale OF the
automobile. 1t will be comparatively
easy matter, for your customer will
have been silently making up his
mind. once his mind is made up,
nothing can shake it. He puts his
faith in the chop'-that is, the trade
mark. In the case of the automobile,
II is the nameplate on the radiator.
This Is true Of every manufactured
article once his faith has been es-
tablished in that article, the name
plate Is the symbol OF all It's excel
lences.
Your mandarin purchaser is loyal
advertiser for you. II will not be
week before all his friends know all
about his car. They will ask for a
car with the same chop as that on
their friends, and cannot be per-
suaded TO lookk at any other. II the
mandarin has bought a medium-priced
car, and someone should come along
and offer him the highest priced car
made. he cannot make a step OF pro
gress, because his car does not show
the preferred chop
I'm Shanghai. city OF about a mil
lion population, there are today
should say, about 500 automobiles. A
survey of these automobiles shows
that the Chinese prefer medium
priced car, wheel-base from ia to
l1S inches. They want a large
roomy body--the roomier the better,
because they will I'll the car with as
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