Evening star., 1952-05-27
New China Not Like Old Hands Knew It.
By Ann cottreII Free

Mo ONE can Say-eVen at this dis
~ tance from the Orient-that the
closing down Of British interests in
China with neither bang nor whimper
brings any measure Of surprise. Certain
ly. it brings feeling of relief to Britain's
major ally, the United States. This
country may sympathize with her prop
erty loss of nearly billion dollars. but it
always has taken dark view Of Brit
aims attempt to maintain her invest
ments in that now red-starred land.
But even more it brings to old China
hands wave Of nostalgia for colorful
way of life that had its origins back in
the days Of the old East India Company.
This is true whether one is an admirer
or critic of Britain's trade practices The
days Of the hongs, taipans, grifinS and
compradoes (business houses. man
ayers, Junior executives and Chinese
middle men, respectively are gone. But
many people remember.
Britain's way of life in China with its
privileges and with its dangers was on
its way out in the 1930s. The Japanese
took Shanghai in 1887. At wars end in
1945 less than 5000 Of the 10000 British
there before the war returned. They
soon realized it could not be business as
usual. The protection Of extraterritorial-
ity (justice under the laws of their own
country. rather than Chinese) was miss
ing. And Chang Kai-shek imposed
many restrictions on all foreign traders.
But British investments in oil, COAL
tobacco. business and residential prop
erty, shipping and textiles were great.
They tried to hang on even after
Chiang's government fed, by keeping
skeleton stats operating inside Red
China. They have now asked their lonely
120 British "caretakers" to come on
home.
Among those holding on tenaciously
were Jardine MatheSon and Company,
Ltd. and Butterfield and Swire. These
two shipping and general trade COM
panies had large stakes in China. And
it may be no coincidence that their
managers have stubborn Scotch blood
coursing through their veins Anyone
who has ever been to China. or for that
matter read much about it, knows that
these two firms with their multifarious
interests contributed to the heady at
mosphere of the former treaty ports,
principally Shanghai.
Jardine's. whose blue hong flag new
over No. q, the Bund, Shanghai, dates
N0CA W CA4c OdyS O1 GLlG OlO Ed6C IQQla
Company. 1t was the Oldest British f1rm
IN China. Located next to the British
Consulate, It faced the muddy and busy
Whangpoo. Close to sampan-crowded
Soochow Creek. its doors were guarded
always by bearded, turbanned Sikhs.
Its founder, DR.. William Jardine, was
surgeon on an East India Company sail
ing ship until he started dabbling In
trade himself. With a fellow country
man. James MatheSon, he established
the company in Canton and Macao
about 1927. Later the firm moved up to
Shanghai after Britain's victory in 1912
in the Opium War. britain had flooded
China with mdia-grown opium. The
Chinese rebelled. But British g,mboats
steaming up the Yangtze brought defeat
to China and gave Britain i've treaty
ports plus Identities The ports were
Shanghai, Marking, Annoy, Ningpo and
Foochow).
Jardine's Shanghai history seems free
OF the opium taint. There were other
ways to make money. It became China's
number one house of business and earned
itself the title Of "Princely Hong" re-
ferred to in Chinese as "EWO." That
one word "EWO" could be found almost
anywhere IN China when Jardine was
at its zenith. It was not only on COM
pany stationery, but on bottles of the
very respectable beer brewed as a side
line. Jardine MatheSon maintained an
insurance. property and estate, and silk
departments. cold storage plant, cotton
mills. fleet Of ships and the Indo-C China
Navigation Co. It had q magnificent
tea department filled with discerning ten
tasters. In the mid-19th century, Jar
dimes ship Sarah" was the first vessel
to bring "free trade" tea to England
from China.
Bright young gentlemen came out
from England as 'grifins"-taken from
the Chinese name for untried Moneol
ponieS-and Joined such firms as Jardine
Matheson and Butterfield Swire. They
lived in the hongs and ate tremendous
meals at the mess maintained for them.
Jardine's in particular was noted for its
lavish entertaining. and the ability of
It's stan to both play and work hard.
Members Of the established old firms
played polo on real Mongol ponies, rode
on paper chaSes and in gymkanas. In
the heart OF Shanghai there was q 1ine
race course. Clubs and lovely estates
abounded. "Grifins" did not necessarily
have to be members of their hons's
founding families. A family connection
helped, certainly. John Keswick, No, 1
man OF Jardine Matheson, who made
the announcement of Jardine's closing
IN Hong Kong the other day. belongs to
family associated with the arm since
the early 18th century.
Jardine Matheson in its later years was
connected closely with the Hong Kong
Shanghai Banking Corp. Any one who
has been swept by the blue-gowned
Chinese crowds up Shanghai's Bund and
past the bank asks: DO the Chinese still
pause to stroke for good luck the paws
OF the bronze lion guarding this symbol
OF the British Empire? Is the lion still
there?
Over on the French Bund, Butterfield
and Swire carried on business similar to
its competitor, Jardine's. Known infor-
mally as "Butterswire." this Scotch
TH:@ -1 IT,