The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-02-02
The Republic of China
XVII-Cosmopolitan Shanghai.
BY Frederic J.. Haskin

Books, articles and poems by the
ton hav been written on China. For
eigners by the hundred have covered
the shelves of the worlds libraries
with tones devoted to China's his
tory, it's people, it's peculiarities and
it's possibilities. A survey of all this
might make one think that western
workers in the Celestial Empire"
have done nothing there, are nothing
there. For every 20 writers who serve
up musty lore there is hardly one to
tell the vivid story of occidental in
fluence in that old but not unchange-
able land. Whenever such a rarity
appears he gets his inspiration from
Shanghai, the hub Of foreign activity
in China.
Picking has it's matchless treasures,
Soochow it's grand canal, Marking its
relics of the Ming emperors, Chefoo
its missions and its laces, Canton it's
curios and Hongkong it's peak, but
Shanghai is just Shanghai and there
is non like it. Shanghai has re-
freshing bits of the wonders the 9TH
ers display to the exten of safety.
with plenty of additional attractions
uIolillStIS SlldIl6 dISoC. / AlSdlo SdIl-
not even do it the compliment of i'm
itation. Shankhai is oriental. Shang-
hal is occidental. 1t has been a for
eign metropolis for SO years, before
many American cities were ever heard
Of. All roads lead to Shanghai as
they are supposed to lead to Rome.
They reach it through river junlSs,
railroads from the interior, merchant
men from the north and south coasts,
liners from Japan, Australia, India,
Europe and America.
Shanghai occupies the tip of XII
angsu province, "the garden of central
China" The site is on the west bank
Of the HWang-po river, in the extreme
eastern part of the province, just a
stones throw from the mighty Yang
TIE kiang, and only 20 miles from the
ocean. Back of it is a fertile allu-
vial plain of $4,000 square miles, sup
porting a population of many growing
millions, the fruits of whose labor go
to Shanghai by steam and sail. In
front is a large share of the China
ward OF the world.
In 1912 Shanghai became an open
port for foreign trade along with Nam
ALL fAlIoS IL" 'iHPo VIA AllC
opium war waged against China by
Great Britain and France. At the end
of the first year of general trade it
boosted of only 23 foreign residents.
one lonely consul II business houses
and two Protestant missionaries, with
a small native population. Today it
is one of the worlds great ports and
boasts 10000 people, of Whom $4,000
are foreigners CLEANED from every
country on the globe, all be~neficiaries
of a total annual trade a~ggregating
1920, 000, 900, gold.
Western official rule over Shanghai
began over so years ago. At the sug-
gestion Of the British consul a mar
row strip of land about one mile long
and about half as wide was set aside
for foreigners. This became the
British and French settlements,
bounded by Suchow creek and the
Yang-king canal. Later the Ameri-
cans were given a concession across
the creek. Tor a time the settlements
were governed by the British, French
and American consuls. AS the for
eign city grew and foreign interests
developed, so the administration of it's
affairs became ~systematized. Man
agement of public business was later
vested in a municipal council elected
by the taxpayers. For reasons of their
own. the french withdrew from this
plan several years ago, and established
their own little government on a strip of
land separated from the main settle
ment by a baby canal. Over there
Shanghai is wholly French in archi-
lecture, customs and people, and is
we'll worth visiting. A municipal u
Gil elected annually is in charge of the
foreign settlement. Britishers usually
control the council. but there are al
ways American and German members.
and there is very little national ri
valry.
The are~ administered. or influ-
enced to the point of control. by the
westerners has grown steadily, so that
the modern city OF Shanghai Is very
imposing. Four, five and six story
gray and red stone buildings with ele-
vators line the wide. clean streets.
Up-to-date stores sport plate glass
windows, ample show cases and a