226
if the wife of Swire's Taipan, accompanied by two pipers, did fire Jardine's gun to salute the arrival of 1967. Although 1967 saw several months of 'Disturbances' (spillovers from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China), it was also Swire's centenary in the East and a nice gesture on Jardine's part to invite the Taipan's spouse of the rival firm to fire their cannon.
Originally, the company was a textile firm, founded by John Swire (1793-1847), in Liverpool in 1816. It was inherited by his two sons, John Samuel (1825-1898) and William Hodson (1830-1884), by which time the firm was involved in the import-export trade. An office was opened by Richard Shackleton Butterfield (a Lancashire mill owner) and John Samuel Swire in Shanghai in 1867, and in 1870 a trading and shipping branch was established in Hong Kong. Even until 1974 the company was still known as 'B&S' (Butterfield and Swire), Its Chinese name, Taikoo (**太古**), means great and ancient. The partnership did not last long. John S. Swire wrote:
"Mr Butterfield retired (in 1868) from our firm at my suggestion; he was grasping and bothered me.
The astute, disciplined, sarcastic, autocratic John Samuel Swire was proud of his Yorkshire origins. Common expressions of his were:
**I told you so!**
"I write as I speak, to the point."
"I aim to be strong enough to be respected, if not beloved."
It was maintained by an American contemporary that he lived by and for business alone. He was addressed as 'The Senior' by his partners. Like many taipans, John Samuel Swire did not remain long in the East.
He was said to have been single-minded, forthright, ruthless and energetic, and drove himself and his staff, whom he discouraged from taking part in civic affairs. After his successes on the Yangtze he decided to expand into coastal trade. Here he used the same tactics
a vigorous attack that disheartened his rivals.
―
A residence had been constructed on the Peak for the B&S taipan and messes for the young 'gentlemen' officers of the firm by the late
226
if the wife of Swire's Taipan, accompanied by two pipers, did fire Jardine's gun to salute the arrival of 1967. Although 1967 saw several months of 'Disturbances' (spillovers from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China), it was also Swire's centenary in the East and a nice gesture on Jardine's part to invite the Taipan's spouse of the rival firm to fire their cannon.
Originally, the company was a textile firm, founded by John Swire (1793-1847), in Liverpool in 1816. It was inherited by his two sons, John Samuel (1825-1898) and William Hodson (1830-1884), by which time the firm was involved in the import-export trade. An office was opened by Richard Shackleton Butterfield (a Lancashire mill owner) and John Samuel Swire in Shanghai in 1867, and in 1870 a trading and shipping branch was established in Hong Kong. Even until 1974 the company was still known as 'B&S' (Butterfield and Swire), Its Chinese name, Taikoo (A), means great and ancient. The partnership did not last long. John S. Swire wrote:
"Mr Butterfield retired (in 1868) from our firm at my suggestion; he was grasping and bothered me.
The asute, disciplined, sarcastic, autocratic John Samuel Swire was proud of his Yorkshire oigins. Common expressions of his were:
**I told you so!'
"I write as I speak, to the point."
"I aim to be strong enough to be respected, if not beloved.'
It was maintained by an American contemporary that he lived by and for business alone. He was addressed as 'The Senior by his partners. Like many taipans, John Samuel Swire did not remain long in the East.
He was said to have been single-minded, forthright, ruthless and energetic, and drove himself and his staff, whom he discouraged from taking part in civic affairs. After his successes on the Yangtze he decided to expand into coastal trade. Here he used the same tactics
a vigorous attack that disheartened his rivals.
―
A residence had been constructed on the Peak for the B&S taipan and messes for the young 'gentlemen' officers of the firm by the late
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