Hong Kong is Anglo-Saxon Macao is Latin - both are Chinese
Media
Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal
- Title
- Hong Kong is Anglo-Saxon Macao is Latin - both are Chinese
- Language
- English
- Source
- The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XVIII (Issue No. 6) June 1938
- Year
- 1938
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- June, 1938 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 15 Hong Kong is Anglo-Saxon, Macao is Latin—Both Are Chinese By Walter Robb Since all Philippine cities were founded as Catholic mission and are hardly more different from one another than peas, it is beguiling to a Manilan to take a voyage up the China coast as far as Shanghai and remark the differences between Shanghai, Macao, and Hong Kong. He comes upon Hong Kong first, the tradesmen’s entrance to Ch'na, decked out in commendable blocks and streets solidly built along the harbor and over the moun tains, and at night blazing with lights whose brilliance is sheer deception. You would swear there was gayety and urban abandon back of these lights. But there isn’t; there are only clerks, with their families, reading and smoking and prepar ing for early bedtime. A day’s work is ahead, thank goodness; downtown at 9 and back up topside at 4, or even at 5, should you stop by the Gloucester Lounge for a spot. Tennis, of course, and squash and bad minton, a deal of walking and of course the races . . . it is up to a man to keep fit. No, the routine British life goes on behind those flashing lights of Hong Kong—not a bit what such lights against an Oriental sky should proclaim. Chinese Laugh More. In Hong Kong, where there are Chinese, there are chatter and jocularity along with incessant industry; swift and skillful move ment of crafstmen at their tasks, or of coolies, unskilled men, at work. The color of the place is limited t>o this. By 1 o’clock in the morning even the ferries to Kowloon have stopped running. Your quest for adventure has been vain, and you must rent a sailboat to take you back to your hotel. Next day what you do discover in Hong Kong is the first-rate shops—trafficking in British goods. All the woolens of every sort you need, get them here. All the time there are hundreds of travelers in Hong Kong finding enjoyment merely in shopping. In the good hotels are good meals and be verages. The subtlety of silver values is behind this, a mercantile alchemy that touches the little gold you carry into verit able fortune. For the week end you get to Macao, the old-time tradesmen’s entrance into China that Hong Kong made useless. It is only 40 miles from Hong Kong, but most Hong Kong folk have never been there—they dis courage you from going to Macao, assur ing you it will bore you. Macao Is on the Loose. Far from it! Macao, who, since she can’t trade, must be on the loose, is the end product of Christian effort in the Orient and could bore no one. As your boat labors to the dock the silhouettes lined up in the darkness ashore make you shudder with excitement. The shadows descend upon you as soon as you reach the street; every wickedness is offered you at once. You shake off the shadows, clamber into a rick sha and have- a patrolman note his number. It is worth your life, you think, that these hard-boiled policemen are about, and that their authority seems to be respected. This Macao, that.seems to be all under world, blazes like Hong Kong with lights, but the lure of Macao’s lights means what it says. You are free to do anything in Macao, where the public opium factory dis tills its product for your open pleasure. CYet you find that the Portuguese, Macao being a Portuguese colony, live out their bves in Macao without ever visiting this factory or beholding Chinese smoke opium. Even in the case of the Portuguese, there is +his difference between what they do and what the Orient does). Meticulous as to Religion. Macao taxes opium, taxes feminine ami ability, taxes all vice and lets it all run riot; only there must be no crime, no as saults and murders. Tawdry with opium flanking one side, motley indulgence an other, stands a church; and Macao, clean and colorful, outwardly immaculate, exploits to the traveler her meticulous attention to religion. When you stay longer in Macao than three days you should tell the police you are there. No passport is required. Macao shows her discreet politeness in her public Now, all wave bands have separate fullsized dials: Only one clear, casy-to-rcad dial is visible at a time. A flick of the lever gives you a complete new dial for each for foreign short amateur). Sounds like as practical and simple lights! for standard broadcast, wave, one for police magic—but it’s really as switching on the ZENITH MODEL 9S232 9 Waive AC Wave band: 16-555 meters. World Wide Re ception. Short Wave Split Second Relocator. "Robot Dial.” Operates Dynamic Speaker Voice-Music-High Fidelity Control. Sensitivity and AC Switch Control. Built-in Antenna Circuit for Doublet Connection. Improved Spinner Tuning. Bass Compensation. Gramophone Terminals. Electric Target Tun ing. May be used with External Speaker and Hard-of-Hearing Aid. Height: 24 inches. AT BECK’S RADIO DEPT. 89-91 Escolta Cebu-Baguio-Manila-Paracale Tune in on Zenith Program every Monday and Thursday. 6-6:30 p.m. Station KZIB. PHILIPPINE TRUST COMPANY sells drafts and cable or radio transfers for the payment of money any where in the United States, the principal cities of Europe, China and Japan. It receives checking accounts in Pesos, Savings Accounts in Pesos or United States Dollars, Fixed Deposits and Trust Accounts. FIDELITY AND SURETY COMPANY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS executes and covers BONDS INSURANCE Court, Custom*, Firearm, etc. Fire, Life, Marine, etc. Plaza Goiti and Escolta Tel. 2-12-5S P. O. Box 150 IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 16 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL June. 1938 administration; she asks no questions. But probably her police are equal to any emer gency—any, that is, that affects Macao. The interest another jurisdiction may have in you is not Macao’s—the ancient right of sanctuary persists here. You will not, in contrast, be in Hong Kong three hours without presenting your self to police headquarters, exhibiting your passport, filing an autobiography and leav ing a photograph with it. Hong Kong Fears Air Raids. Another contrast between Macao and Hong Kong relates to Japan’s current cam paigns in China. Though Macao is on the mainland and from her customs gate you can drive 80 miles into China and through three cities of considerable size, Macao has practically no trade with China (deepdraft ships can’t get into Maaco’s harbor!), and Macao feels no anxiety that Japan will attack her. But, though Hong Kong is on an island and is British territory (only her suburb Kowloon is on the mainland), Hong Kong exists upon her entrepot com merce with China and lives in hourly ap prehension of bombing raids by the Ja panese. Macao, without a newspaper—though they do say there is one that comes out once a week—hardly knows that China and Japan arc at war. Hong Kong, 40 miles away, thinks of nothing else and scans the extra editions while she sips her tea—because there is so much special work at the office with the goods that must be got to Canton and slipped up the way to Hankow. When you leave Hong Kong and reach Shanghai again all is different. You feel here: “What on earth is done about child ren?” Older folk manage what passes for adult enjoyment, but the parks and provi sions for the normal life of children you never come upon. However, Shanghai is in ruins—you will not judge her now. But you know at once that she is not like Hong Kong or Macao. And of the three cities, which is most like your home city of Manila? The jolliest, the gaudiest and the oldest—old Macao! Men Worth . . . (Continued from p<i<jc 14) yachtsman during his off hours. At this time of the year, Saturday afternoons and Sundays will find him out on the waters of Manila Bay, enthusiastically racing his “Star” boat in the annual series of the yacht club. He is no stranger to Manila’s night spots. In the Philippines since 1927, Sammy Schier has acquired a considerable fund of information about the Philippines. He adds constantly to this store of knowledge by periodic trips to the hinterland, and puts down what he knows in very readable ar ticles. Many of these have appeared in the Sunday Tribune magazine section, (the last series was on the Bontoc Igorote tribes) and Schier is sending others to Brown & Bigelow to place for him in the States. An expert amateur photographer, he illus trates these stories with his own photo graphs. U. S. FAR EASTERN TRADE Our data are from the Manila Tribune of Sunday, February 6, United Press wire less from Washington. Because there has been inquiry for them, we print them: In 1937 Japan was America’s third best customer, America’s exports to Japan upped 41r/< from 1936. Asia for the first time outranked Europe as a supplier to America. Also, exports from the United States to Asia upped to $579,749,000 from $398,885,000 during 1936. Major exports for the two years: Country 1936 1937 To China ....... $ 46,819.000 $ 49,697,000 To Japan ........... 204,348,000 288,378,000 To Common wealth ............ 60,350,000 85,031,000 United States imports from Asia during the same years— Country From China . . From Japan .. From Common wealth ........ 1936 $ 74,232,000 171,744,000 101,679,000 1937 $103,616,000 204,202,000 126,207,000 Total American imports from Asia dur ing 1937 summed $796,541,000 compared to $707,728,000 during 1936. In December, America sold Japan goods worth $16,532,000, compared to $16,433,000 in December, 1936. She sold China goods worth $1,787,000 in December, compared to $4,748,000 in December, 1936. In December, America bought from China goods worth $4,992,000 compared to $4.548,000 in December, 1936. She bought goods worth $11,839,000 in December from Japan, compared to $16,451,000 in Decem ber, 1936. Summary for 1937— Country Exports to U. S. China . . . S103.616.000 Japan ... 204.202.000 Common wealth 126.207.000 Imports 1937 to U. S. Total S 49.697.000 $154,313,000 85,031.000 492.580.000 288.378.000 211.238,000 IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL