Evening star., 1919-08-31

easiest people in the world
to trade with II you only understand
them and are willing to do an honest
business with them." remarked Will
son Greggs of the Great Western
Trading Company to an interested
group of visitors slipping their after
noon tea on the verandah of the Hong
kong Hotel. 1--WE been dealing with
them off and on for over twenty years
and know what am talking about.
You've got to have hrst-class article
to start with. and the goods must al
ways be UP to the samples, for If
they once suspect that you are lower
ing your standard you are gone. Then
you've got to have nice-sounding
chop or trade mark that they can
easily pronounce and that has some
good luck in It to crafty their little
superstitions, and. lastly, you have
got to have Q fair hxed price that
you never under any circumstances
vary from. and the trade and good
will Of the Chinese are yours. Now,
DR.. Burroughs, you've lived long
time among them and speak their
lingo and all that and know them
even better than do" he said, turn
ing to the mission surgeon. who had
just Joined the party. You'll bear
mo cut in this statement, am sure,
won't your
with pleasure. Mr.. Greggs." re-
Piled the surgeon; ''you have stated
the case very accurately, and I con-
gratulate you upon your grasp of the
situation. Unfortunately. a great
many European and American mer-
chants fail to understand these points
in the Chinese nature. and conse-
quently they allow the trade to slip
right through their hands. In the
years that have been here I could
give you long list of the firms
from abroad who have come out here
and hourished for a little while and
then gradually their custom has fall
en- of and passed into the hands Of
others. and they have finally given up
in disgust and gone home.
They've developed a very bitter
feeling against the natives and say
1t IL impossible for any decent Eu-
r0pean to deal with them, and all that.
whom all the time It was simply their
own fault and no one else's. II they
had really understood the nature of
their customers they could not only
have kept the trade. but have had it
grow larger every year. However.
this 10 q very large subject, this mat
ter Of international trade, and II I
should 60 into 1t to any extent am
afraid I should keep you gentlemen
here all tho rest of the day"
''You spoke Of tho trade mark or
chop Mr.. Greggs." interrupted one
Of the tourist group. II have heard
It said that this is really the all-im-
portant point with the Chinese and
that wisely chosen and popular chop
really goes further with them than
even the quality of the goods. Have
you found that this is so?
"Well. should hardly say that 1t
was the most important thing. but it
certainly goes very long way with
them toward selling the goods.
doesn't 1t, DR.. BurroughsT'
1T most certainly does. But, as I
said q moment ago. this is a very
large subject-it would fill a volume
in itself-and the full story Of it has
never yet been written for Europeans
may say, however. as an indication
Of the value that they place upon it,
that q large Chinese firm will spend
days and weeks of time and many
hundreds Of dollars. II necessary, in
selecting Just the right chop for an
article before placing 1t on the mar
ket."
1T practically corresponds, then, to
careful and elaborate advertising in
our countries, doesn't itY'
Eyes, and 1t practically takes the
place of public advertising. which tho
Chinese do not care very much about.
Let me give you just one little illus
tration Of the value Of a name in a
case that came under my own obser-
walton a few years ago. The lamp
trade, as you all know, is one of the
most important in this country, and
with the lamps. of course. there goes
q great importation of chimneys and
globes. There is naturally not very
much variety in the matter of the
chimneys inside. but there Is an end
less variety of choice in the outa;da