EUROPEANS IN CHINA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19060, 3 July 1925, Page 11

EUROPEANS IN CHINA.

FOREIGN SETTLEMENTS, THE HISTORY OF SHAMEEN. ORIGIN OF THE CONCESSIONS. Th o frequent references to Shajmeen in tho cablegrams from China dealing with the present unrest in that country have led to many queries whether the word is used to denote any part where Europeans live. Some information about Shameen and its history, supplied yesterday by the Rev. W. Mawson, who spent many years in Canton and its neighbourhood, should help to clear up several points about foreign concessions in China. ( the first place," said Mr. Mawson, ' lot me say that Shameen is only the name of a locality at tho bend of the Canton River in front of the western suburbs. It was bare at low tide and Shameen simply means 'sand flat,' the naime it boro long before it wau appropriated in 1858 by the British and French for tho purposes of a foreign concession. It difers from Hongkong, winch is a British possession, administered as a British Crown Colony with its own Governor and Legislative Council Nor is it leased like the mainland immediately opposito Hongkong, which is held by the British on a 99-years term for tho purpose of food supplies and defence. "Shameen and tho concessions in other treaty ports are simply areas of land granted to foreign Governments as places of residence for their nationals who come to China for trade or other purposes. From the first the difficulties arising from differences of language, civilisation and customs have teen frankly recognised and tho foreign concession is a practical arrangement by which the -officials and traders of the two nations could be in contact and do business and yet not be intermixed. Friction was thus reduced to a minimum. Reciprocity in Trade. "The history of the West in the East is an interesting study. Rhymesters may say that 'never tho twain shall meet,' but as a matter of fact the West has been irresistibly drawn- to the East. Tho lnre of Chinese silks and teas, spices and porcsiain drew the British turer over 200 years ago into the Eastern seas. Nor was tho Chinese irurchant 1 slow to appreciate tho qualities of British steel goods and ootton fabrics, not to speak of the goodly profit to bo made on more doubtful articles of ccmmerca brought to his shores. In later years tho Chinese have reciprocated' our visits. They have emigrated almost as widely as the British and have settled down with us in almost every part of our far-flung Empire. "In the early days foreign grading ships were kept ancnorea at the islands in the estuary of the Canton River, but they suffered from piracy, and toward ths end of the 17th century we find the Chinese merchants in Canton conniving to circumvent the official policy of exclusion of the foreigner. Be it noted that the Chinese merchants have always b£? n loyal in the freemasonry of trade. Tho cry to turn out the foreigner has always come from the official and literary classes, backed up by such of' the populace as they could manage to stir up. After the storm had passed the Chinese merchant generally managed to devise means to get nis confrere from abroad back into the community again. "Thus for nearly 200 years the foreign merchants lived at what was called 'The Thirteen Factories,' the residence of the factors, or agents, of the various foreign nations trading at Canton. It consisted of an area of about 15 acres situated on the banks of the river in front of the city. The Chinese name of tho Factories, 'Shap Saam Hong,' is still retained in the name of one of the main streets. • Outside this area the foreigner was not supposed to go without permission, and the Chinese 'Hong' mierchants, licensed to trade with him, were also his sponsors and protectors' and intermediaries between him and the officials of the city. Life in the Factories. "When the merchantmen arrived annually from the West there were bustling times, but life over long .periods must have been monotonons. There were occasional times of international excitement, but on the whole it was wonderful how, under this arrangement, East and West managed to live alongside each other and trade ♦ith mutual profit. It is curious to read, in these troublous days, the description of life in the Factories hy an old Chinese hand who spent many years there. "' The Hong merchants,' he says 'formed a body, of intelligent, influential and well-bred men, always most friendly and courteous in their datfy relations with the foreign residents. The Hong pursers, or clerks, were intelligent, quick at 1 figures, ami correct. Coolies and boat peoplo who served us were uniformly goodnatured and insolence was never met with, while sobriety was their unalterable characteristic.' "During the second Chinese War, In 1856, the Factories were entirely destroyed by fire. At the close of the war it was arranged that the sand-flat, known as Shameen, a little west of the old Factories site, should be handed over to tho British and French for the purposes of a new foreign settlement. Round this sand flat a stone embankment was built and the whole surface raised well above flood level with sand dredged from tho river., In area it was about 100 yards long and 200 yards at its widest acrcwsis. Two fine bridges with iron gates spun the canal separating it from tho Chinese city. "Thus what was originally a barrtn sand flat, has, in the course of 60 years, under European management, become a beautiful model settlement, with imposing blocks of business houses, banis. and consular offices. Tho wido avenues are shaded with long lines of beautiful tropical trees. On the south side facing the river aro tho gardens, tennis courts, bowling green, football ground and even a playground for tho children. One-fifth of the area at tho east end is under the jurisdiction of the French, the rest is British. It has its own municipal council with the British Consul-General as chairman. The settlement is guarded by well-trained * Chinese* police, under a British sorgeant. Gunboats on Patrol. "Near-by on tho river you will usually find a British gunboat, perhaps oho or two of other nationalities. These patrol the rivers of South China, keeping unobtrusive, but firm, watch over the lives and interests of their nations in that region". '. "Forty years ago there was room enough on Shameen for all the Europeans and Americans resident in Canton. Nowadays tho numbers have increased from a few hundreds to over 1000 and many have removed to sites leased from the Chinese in the suburbs. All are -still, however, under the legal jurisdiction, net of the Chinese, but of their , own consuls. "A concession is, therefore, a piece of territory granted by the Chinese Government and placed under the jurisdiction of some foreign Power or Powers, as a place of rosidenca and business for their nationals in China. It has grown up from a variety of conditions, desire for trade, tbe old official policy of exclusion, tho recognised differences of language, customs and civilisation. It has proved for several centuries a good working solution of a difficult problem in international relationships. "Friends of China are glad to note that with the progress of time conditions have so improved that many business people, as well as missionaries, reside outside the foreign concessions and iii.ve on good terms among the Chinese people. But when toe . students ask that all foreign concessions be resumed by the Chinese the question" naturally afto* whether we Chinese Government is stable enouga apa strong enough to give the J U *V C ° * protection the European expecw, tection she is too pften ijtJawa to v , ■ many of her owa people.-