Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-08-23
Tale of Two
Shanghais
By Lewis Rex Miller

Whatever may come of the conflict
in the Far East, this much is certain
The old Shanghai is gone forever.
There will be another Shanghai, but
it will be different.
What is happening on the banks of
the Whangpoo today marks the end
of one epoch and the lightning of
another 1t is not often that we find
periods of history SO neatly sliced up
into sections, but it does happen oc-
casionally, when it does, it is compel
ing in it's decisiveness.. A good exam
pie of this sort of thing is the San
Francisco fire of 1908. On April 18, in
that year, everybody knew that the
old San Francisco was finished.
Everybody knew also that there
would be a new San Francisco It has
turned out to be a finer city than its
predecessor, and something of the
old atmosphere fingers on. But the
career of the Vests most cosmopoli-
tan city is divided by that date into
sections which are as sharply defined
as any divisions in human history can
well be.
Shanghai like San Francisco, has
always been unique It will always be
unique, if for no other reason than
because it has a unique background
of history But from now on, it will
be unique in different way. 1t may
be a greater city than ever before, it
may be more beautiful, it may be less
turbulent. But this is written in the
great book of human record and
achievement: it will not be the old
Shanghai.
Here is a sharp break in the story
of one of the strangest cities man
ever built. Here is a climax in the
drama of a village which came to be
a cosmopohs. Here is a turn in the
road which has already led in less
than a century, from mud flats to
skyscrapers. No one can yet say what
will come of it all, but those who
know Shanghai feel that a fascinating
second act is ended. ard that only
master dramatist can provide de-
nouncement that will be worthy of the
plot already unfolded.
Change has always been of the es-
sence of Shanghai. The city was in
significant in it's conception 1--WE mean
of course; the international city be-
side the walled Chinese city, for it is
the former that has always been
Shanghai to the world at large). It
came into being i'll a swamp, misef-
able pied-a-terre assigned to the de-
spised foreign devils" who presumed
to visit a proud hermit kingdom, beg
ging the privilege of trade with
celestial people. But these foreign
devils" these experienced Indian
traders and shrewd Yankee shippers,
actually made GO of it. They pulled
themselves out of the mud Ky their
own bootstraps, as their saying went.
they drained the swamps and built
docks and piers. They even had gar
dens. Their city was clean and beau
tiful and safe, and as time went on
wealthy Chinese merchants chose to
live in the formerly despised settle
ment.
When the foreigners came am
were assigned to their unattractive
abode on the mud flats, there was
towpath along the river i'll front Of
their consulatcs, where coolies used
to toll. pulling junks and barges up
the turgid, stream to the Chinese wall
ed town. Thia towpath has now be
come one of the worlds most interest
ing streets, the Shaag hai Bund. 1t i
q Michigan Boulevard in miniature.
All through the day and most of tn
nipbt II teens with traffic and pedes
train throngs. Sit beside the Bund
for an hour and you will see someo..
from almost every nation under tt
SIM mass before you. The substanti;
buildings built by British, America:
and other Wesle4ness along this p.
tnresoue Waterfront overlook tn
handsome stree, and beyond it tn