Show meol an P a I 1 I 1 w 0 TIN V 7 r shanghais Shan ghais busy bund prepared by national geographic society washington D 43 service 0 already complex TO T newspaper world was recently added another foreign language paper the deutsche Den Shang shanghai bal Zel tung which as its name implies Is printed in german two british two american many chinese chine se a french an and other foreign language newspapers in addition to the german language paper are an index to the cosmopolitan aspect of the city this aspect too is shown in the cites latest at census where are recorded peoples of fifty foreign nationalities and chinese speaking nearly all the numerous dialects of china abang shanghai bal Is the greatest seaport in the far east and emporium to one eighth of the human race A bold skyline of steel and concrete now rises where reeds once waved over marshy flats flat the wide bund which throbs with the kaleidoscopic mareb march of motors electric trams and other traffic extends along the water front where boat trackers once beat a narrow footpath paper lanterns change to neon lights for advertising display signs beside ubiquitous chinese cabbage now are supplies of caviar from fishing to high finance has ben been the cites growth at the end of the first year after it was formally opened as a treaty port 1843 shiang shanghai hat could marshal for statistical evidence of foreign enterprise and industry only 23 foreign residences one consular flag 11 bustness business firms and two missionaries today it domiciles domiciled domi ciles nearly foreigners 17 consular flags wave wane in the shanghai breezes and others have representation resen resent tation atlon business firms are le legion ion and the city is headquarters for countless phases and branc branches lieg of missionary and other activities for a small fishing village hiding behind fortifying walls tor for protection against the inroads of japanese pirates aided frequently by chinese of the same calling and doing only a I 1 limited amount of trade with coastal junks to expand and become the fifth largest seaport of the world in less than PO 00 years Is no mean accomplishment in any land but in china this transition Is an enen een greater marvel arvel re to find the reason reason for this remarkable transformation one need not search far A glance at the geography of its position reveals why shanghai should logically take rank as chinas cainas key seaport ideal distributing center its situation approximately midway along the china coast makes it at once the most natural distributing center for extensive trade with coastal ports but of far greater importance Is the fact that shanghai commands the vital position for commerce at the very outlet of the whole yangtze river system in all the world it is doubtful whether there is another equally extensive region of wealth where the people depend as solely upon a single artery of traffic and upon one as do the inhabitants of the yangtze basin approximately people halt half of the population of entire china live in this fertile area utilizing the river its tributaries tributa ries and its network of canals as their means of 0 communication muni cation their needs beyond those supplied directly or indirectly by the products of their own hands mate mahe business for shanghai As ones steamer cleaves the muddy yangtze waters and enters the whang poo on the approach of Shan shanghai there Is little to indicate that one Is entering china unless a fleet of native fishing junks happens to be moving out to sea at the time today the skyline that marks shang hats hais water front Is decidedly occidental in appearance and most strikingly Impress he an effect due in part perhaps to its contrast with the flat alluvial plain rather than to the actual heights of the buildings until the present century low commodious chinese buildings of two and three story structures served a majority 0 of f the business concerns but the introduction of excellently equipped modern offices has initiated a period of extensive building in a fen minutes walk from the most up to the moment districts of shanghai however one can be in surroundings roun dings that are little altered since the day when tile first foreign fore ign firm marked out its business S site ile in thu the muddy concession even the native city changes within the bantao dist distinct lica at the southern side of the city lies the old chinese settlement or native city modernization has been slow to move in this locality and native life takes tabe much the same course that it fol J owed before steamship screws began q stirring up the muddy Whang poo v around the fishing junks and campana sam in pana i even here however there have been changes since the republic has come into existence the old wall that sur sir rounded the city has been demolished narrow cobbled streets with open sew ers running down their centers grad bally have given way to more ore cleanly concrete passages loathsome beg I 1 gars have somehow been reduced la in numbers although there are still more than enough ot of the pitiable wretches wandering about the streets A fey few timely fires have been a godsend in clearing out several disease traps anil and pest holes which have since been rebuilt with somewhat better structures structure north ot of the international settlement lies the thickly populated chinese district ot of chapel chapel borders upon the creek boundary and Is just back bach of the foreign district of 0 hongkee Hong kew this district before the recent bombardments was wa somewhat more modern and progressive than the native city region here in chapel were located large chinese business concerns devoted to exporting 9 and importing here had sprung up offices factories and printing establishments among the last named the commercial press largest publishing ln concern in china valued at one on ar and d a quarter million dollars but the focus of all shanghai Is the foreign settlements for in them have hava been the remarkable incentive and expanding force that have built this modern seaport first allotted a portion j of land on the south side of soo chow creek following the treaty of 0 in 1812 1842 when Shan gahl was indicated indicate as one of the five treaty 4 ports british business established itself and expanded digging drains and filling canals to make the concession habitable foreign settlements six years later france was conceded concede the territory between the british concession and the native city and only a few years afterward americans leased land in the hongkee district which extends along the Whang por poo 3 witter water front north of creet creek where the river makes a sharp curve to the right this so called american settlement was never organized as such but wn was incorporated with the british district in thus came into being the international settlement premier nucleus ot of modern shanghai other portions of land have been added on the west where old timers used to bat bag snipe in off days from their offices the french chose to remain apart and today continue to ad minster their own concession as a separate unit the years have seen a fast moving panorama since the early days when the international territorial fusion came into being received nourishment and became what has often been termed the model settlement the administration of the international settlement has been in many ways a unique experiment perhaps without parallel in any other place anil and results make it evident that the shanghai hai municipal council has served the settlement well the council Is composed of a group of members elected by the taxpayers taxpayer of british american japanese and more recently chinese nationality the number has been increased from time to time until 15 13 members are now DOW included in the group that direct the affairs of the settlement of IPA people paving policing planning a multitude of tasks face the paternal body which gratis guards the interests of 0 international shanghai A similar but smaller task confronts coffron is the 17 other men who handle the affairs of tha french territory with its nearly inhabitants because shanghai has not always had a peaceful career troops of the taa four chief foreign nationalities have hav been maintained to give necessary pro lection to the residents of tile the city shanghai has also hail had a volunteer corps with a personnel of more than 2000 which was organized at the time of f the stress of the rebellion 0 in 1 and has been mobilized at various intervals of necessity during strikes anil and aleu aheu the pot of 0 chinese political affairs has be been en boiling over this titan of 0 big bustling shanghai commerce in far asia lives beyond the boundaries of any one settlement commands bands all of 0 or nationality lt it con them together for its life and trade well belond three million people art are numbered in the districts that toia form the whole of greater Shang shanghai baL |