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A Brief Look at the Rotary Club of Shanghai |
| From 1919 to 1949 |
| Achievements, Issues, and Struggles: An Overview of Club History |
| The Rotary Club of
Shanghai (RCS) was first chartered in October 1919. The Club operated
from 1919 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1949, being forced to cease in 1941
due to war, and in 1949 due to political and legal restrictions. In
order to gain a deeper grasp of what it was like to be a member of the
Rotary Club of Shanghai in the first half of the twentieth century, it
helps to understand the social, political, and economic context in which
the Club operated. Thus, this historical overview will parallel the main
events in the history of the RCS with events in the history of China,
especially as they relate to Shanghai. The Birth of the Rotary Club of Shanghai, 1919 On July 9, 1919, Seattle Rotarian Roger D. Pinneo met with Messrs. J. Petit, W. S. Fleming, A. B. Rosenfeld, J. J. Gorman, and W. L. Johnstone at the Palace Hotel to discuss the possibility of organizing a Rotary Club in Shanghai. (Mr. Pinneo was part of the International Association of Rotary Clubs, and had the authority to organize new clubs.) Two days later, the group met again for further discussion. They were joined by Messrs. R. Buchan, E.H. Dodge, Thos. Sammons, N. L. Downs, E. O. Baker, and F. J. Raven. There had been some doubt regarding the role of the Rotary Club in a club-ridden city like Shanghai. At this meeting, a motion was passed that the RCS would aim to be international in its membership and its objects, dedicated to “international membership for the development of international relations in China.” A third meeting was held on July 19. New attendees included Messrs. T. C. Britton, G. F. Ashley, C. B. Perkins, A. B. Hensler, Carl Crow, N. Peffer, R. W. Gilmore, G. L. Treadwell, and A. H. Jennings. At this meeting, a report on the Committee on Constitutions and By-Laws was read and adopted. Finally, on July 20, 1919, Mr. Pinneo sent a cable to Chicago that read: “Interotary Chicago: Shanghai organized. Julian Petit Chairman, mailing particulars. Pinneo.” RCS had 35 names on its proposed Charter membership list. The group continued to hold meetings. On July 24, a report by the Committee on Permanent Organization was unanimously adopted, and members elected the Officers and Directors for the Club’s first year: President Julian Petit, Vice-President A. B. Rosenfeld, Secretary E. O. Baker, Treasurer R. Buchan, and Directors Hon. Thos. Sammons, F. J. Raven, and W. L. Johnstone. A final organizational meeting was held on July 31. The Rotary Club of Shanghai was officially chartered on October 1, 1919 as Club #545. When the Club finally received its Charter in January, the Club’s weekly newsletter The Pagoda reported that President Julian Petit held it under his arm as though it were his first child. (The first issue of The Pagoda was published on September 2, 1919, demonstrating the Club members’ motivation to begin Club operations even a month before official chartering.) The first organizational meetings took place merely two months after the beginning of the May Fourth Movement. On May 4, 1919, thousands of students carried out a demonstration in Beijing expressing dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles. The incident initiated the New Culture Movement across the country, which rejected monarchism and traditionalism in favour of nationalism and modernity. This was the spirit of the times in China when the RCS was born. On Chinese Membership, 1921 RCS was the first Rotary Club to be established in China. Rotary International (RI) soon contacted the RCS asking for help in identifying other Chinese cities into which Rotary might extend. In 1921, RCS members were asked to provide brief reports on Chinese cities that they were familiar with, including a survey of the city’s population, institutions, business and professional men, along with some opinion from an RCS member on the likely success of efforts to organize and maintain a Rotary Club there. Rotary International also encouraged RCS to recruit Chinese members into its Club, believing that the Shanghai Club would realize its period of greatest success when its membership consisted of a considerable number of native business and professional men. RCS President H. C. Norman replied that unfortunately, in his experience, the vast majority of Chinese did not demonstrate the Rotary spirit, noting that the Chinese had a highly developed family instinct but lacked the sense of altruism that lay at the core of Rotary’s purpose and objective. After three years, only four of RCS’s members were Chinese, a small minority of its total of nearly 70 members. Norman suggested that the cities into which Rotary might possibly extend would be those most open to foreigners. The Lincheng Incident, 1923 The Lincheng Incident in the fifth year of the Rotary Club of Shanghai demonstrates the zealousness of the young Club. It also reflects the Club’s early lessons on the nature and boundaries of Rotary. On May 6, 1923 the Blue Express traveling from Pukow to Tsientsin was ambushed and derailed by bandits. One British man was killed, and 27 foreigners and 300 Chinese passengers taken hostage. Among the captives were two members of the Rotary Club of Shanghai: J. B. Powell and L. C. Solomon. Four days later, the RCS held a two-hour meeting regarding the best course of action to take in pursuing the captives’ release. The discussion was intense, running from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm with no one leaving the room despite the fact that everyone was supposed to return to their offices by 2:00 pm. There was strong disagreement between those who were in favour of direct action, and those who were in favour of calling on Rotary International for assistance. The latter group, headed by Past President Julian Petit, was eventually successful; a cable was sent to Chicago asking Rotary International to call upon all the Rotary Clubs worldwide to urge their governments to take action demanding the protection of life and property in China. (At the time, Rotary International consisted of 1,444 clubs in 27 different countries.) Rotary International did not reply until two weeks later, with the simple statement that the matter would be discussed at the next meeting of the International Board on June 14. The RCS was outraged, especially Dr. Petit, who wrote a letter to Rotary International indicating that Rotary had lost considerable prestige and value in the eyes of the members of the Shanghai Club, and that a similar instance in the future would most likely lead some to resign. The captives were released on June 13, one day before the meeting of the International Board. Rotary International replied to Dr. Petit’s letter in September, explaining that Rotary was an international organization, and must therefore refrain from being involved with national matters in order to avoid putting itself in embarrassing situations that bring no compensatory results. RI did not believe that it had the power to ask the governments of the world to give orders to the government of China. Furthermore, sending such a request would set a precedent for other Rotary Clubs to call on RI to take its side on a national issue. Much debate ensued in The Pagoda regarding the roles of Rotary Headquarters versus local Clubs in handling local matters, the importance of discussion versus action in times of crisis, the constitutional rules requiring that Rotary activities steer clear of politics, and the constitutional rules requiring that Clubs cooperate with RI. The Shanghai Club became infamous for its attempt to appeal to all Rotary Clubs worldwide over the Lincheng matter. The Club’s growth is perhaps best seen in contrasting the Lincheng incident with the maturity with which the Club handled the Japanese attack on Shanghai in February 1932 as well as the second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945, when national and political differences among Club members were set aside in order that the Club could focus its energies on helping the victims of war. RCS Meets Paul Harris, 1935 In March of 1935, Rotary founder Paul Harris paid a three-day visit to Shanghai. RCS President Percy Chu hosted his visit, and the Club held a reception and banquet for Mr. Harris to honour the 30th anniversary of the founding of Rotary. At the banquet, Mr. Harris gave a speech titled “Strength and Principles of Rotary: Its Past, Present and Future”. Percy Chu later recalled Harris as being “a very happy chap.” On the Formation of a Second RCS, 1936 In March of 1936, RCS members Fong Foo Sec and Dr. C. T. Wang spoke to the Club on the proposal to form a second Rotary Club in Shanghai. They hoped to form a Chinese-speaking Rotary Club in the city, and the translation of Rotary literature into Chinese was already well under way. Rotary International had been contacted regarding the proposal. RI was in favour of organizing an additional Club in Shanghai, but on the basis of locality, not language. In August of 1948, it was proposed that for the purpose of establishing a second Club, the first Shanghai Club would cede the territory west of Honan Road, south of Soochow Creek, and northwest of Minkuo Road. As far as we know, however, this second Club was never established. A possible reason is that the Civil War between the Chinese Nationalist and Communist Parties at the time made Club organization and operation increasingly difficult, until Club activities were finally forced to stop in December 1949. Nonetheless, the name, meaning, and objects of the Rotary were successfully translated into Chinese. Wartime Struggles The second Sino-Japanese War began on July 7, 1937. Shanghai was captured on November 12, and Nanking on December 13. The RCS immediately began efforts for refugee relief. RCS’s efforts helped thousands of refugees survive through the winter. (More detail on RCS’s Civilian Refugee Aid efforts can be found on page 7.) In December of 1941, the level of conflict in Shanghai intensified. United States and Britain had entered the war, which meant that the American and British Settlements in Shanghai were no longer neutral territory. Amidst the chaos, the Club was forced to cease its regular meetings, although members continued to meet informally in each other’s homes, in order to maintain fellowship and to promote goodwill and understanding between the different nationalities that they represented. In 1942, 19 members of the RCS whose native countries were part of the Allied powers were repatriated. The remaining American and British members were interned at various camps around Shanghai, including 5 at Haiphong Road Camp, 7 at Pootung, 2 at Yuyuen Road, 3 at Ash Camp, 1 and Lungwha, and 9 at Chapei. At the end of 1944, these camps suffered a shortage of food. The Shanghai Club arranged to deliver special Christmas parcels to each internee, and to each member of his family. World War II ended in August 1945, and the Japanese officially surrendered in China on September 9. By October, all the internees had been released. The Rotary Club began to reorganize on November 9, although special provisions had to be made owing to the heavy effects that the War had had on the members’ business and property. Some members’ businesses had been completely dislocated, and others were unable to access overseas funds due to the lack of banking facilities. As a result, it was agreed that meetings would be held bi-weekly so that members would not feel overburdened by transportation and financial difficulties. The publication of The Pagoda was temporarily put off due to the high cost of printing. The Club, however, was determined to resume its normal activities by January 1, 1946, including the collection of regular RI dues and Club dues, and the enforcement of rules regarding regular attendance. Rotary International agreed to waive the per capita taxes owing from January 1, 1942 to December 31, 1945 for the RCS, but required that the Club formally apply for readmission to membership within RI, which all other Clubs in similar circumstances were also required to do. (RCS’s charter had been formally cancelled on December 31, 1943.) The RCS’s application for readmission was granted on March 27, 1946. RCS in the Peoples Republic of China Era The end of World War II was not the end of war for China. The Civil War between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Guomindang followed immediately, and civil strife ensued for the next four years. The Civil War finally ended with the official establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, and the retreat of Guomindang leader Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan on December 10, 1949. The new Communist regime had no place for a club like the RCS. Under the new system, social welfare was considered to be the responsibility of the government; non-governmental organizations were therefore considered to be anti-revolutionary. Furthermore, foreign businesspersons were considered to represent imperialism, a form of economic invasion and an obstruction in the transformation towards a national planned economy. By December of 1949, the RCS was forced to stop its activities. Furthermore, on October 19, 1950, the government passed the Interim Provision on the Registration of Social Organizations, which required all social organizations in China to register with the government. Organizations that were considered “counterrevolutionary” insomuch as they “threaten the state security and the interests of the people” were not allowed to incorporate; those that were already incorporated were to be stopped and dissolved. By 1952, all Rotary Clubs in China had been closed. In 1965, the year just before the onset of the Cultural Revolution, all of RCS’s property was confiscated by the Chinese government. In 1978, Deng Xiaoping announced China’s policy of economic opening and reform. Rotarians in Shanghai began to meet informally in 1993. Rotary International’s Asian Extension Committee, with special help from Seattle Rotary’s International Service Committee, began their efforts to re-establish Rotary in Shanghai and in China. (The Rotary Club of Seattle was keen on helping re-establish the Rotary Club of Shanghai because of the historical connection between the two Clubs.) When the Chinese government finally gave its approval, Rotary International granted the Clubs of Shanghai and Beijing provisional status in June 2001. On February 8, 2006, the Rotary Club of Shanghai was officially re-chartered as Club #60725. Within the 50-year gap in the history of Rotary Club of Shanghai, there were many occurrences that significantly impacted the Chinese people. The country suffered widespread famine from 1959 to 1961 as a result of Great Leap Forward policies; the famine claimed an estimated 22 million lives. The Cultural Revolution began in 1966, and lasted 10 years until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. On July 28 that same year (1976), the city of Tangshan suffered an earthquake that measured 7.8 in magnitude and claimed over 240,000 lives, making it the deadliest earthquake in the 20th century. The Rotary Club of Shanghai was resilient in the face of the many social, political, and economic barriers that it had to face. No matter what the circumstances, Shanghai Rotarians were determined to continue their pursuit of fellowship and service as best they could. The Club grew significantly in the first three years of its operation. Dedication to Service: Some of RCS’s Major Projects The Rotary Club of Shanghai engaged in numerous projects to help the people and community of Shanghai and China. The RCS was known for being ambitious in its goals, and resolute in the face of opposition. Although some of the Club’s visions were bigger than its capabilities and therefore could not be accomplished (e.g. the proposed Big Brother Movement, Trachoma Campaign, and Shanghai City Sanitation Project), many of its successful projects were crucial to saving and improving the lives of the needy. The RCS was especially dedicated to serving children, victims of war, and those with illnesses. Below we briefly describe four of the main projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Shanghai: the Russian School for Boys, Christmas Toy Drives, the Institution for Chinese Blind, and Civilian Refugee Aid efforts in 1937. In 1924, Shanghai Rotarian Walter “Rex” King appealed to the Club that something be done about the large number of poor Russian children living on the streets of Shanghai. He wrote in The Pagoda, the weekly newsletter of the Rotary Club of Shanghai: “We dare not refuse this charge to help these little outcasts in a strange land through no fault of their own”. The Club acted right away, setting up a boarding school on Rue Chapsal to look after as many children as could be accommodated. By 1925, the Russian School housed 69 students, but there were many more who unfortunately could not be accommodated due to limited space and funding. The RCS, therefore, set out to build a bigger school in the French Concession. The Club raised over $100,000 for the project, including $17,760 from a dinner, dance, and raffle held at the Majestic, and $32,814 from a beauty contest that sent the winner to Hollywood and gained much attention from the Shanghai press. RCS member Hans Berents, a civil engineer, offered to supervise the building of the school free of charge. The French Municipal Council, in addition to providing some of the additional funding necessary, leased land for the building of the school at a cost of $1.00 per annum in perpetuity. The new school was located at 13 Rue Doumer (now Donghu Road), and in 1932 provided education for 148 students, including 70 boarders. King was elected as the first President of the Board of Trustees, on which Berents and another RCS member E.S. Thellefsen also served. Christmas Toy Drives Each December from the early 1920’s through 1941 (when club activities were forced to cease because of war), the Rotary Club of Shanghai devoted much effort to preparing Christmas packages to the underprivileged children of Shanghai. The Club appealed to the public for donations of old toys, which Club members would repair and deliver to children in various orphanages and children’s institutions around the city, along with such necessities as toothbrushes, soap, and towels. The members of the Club contributed the best of their abilities and resources to the project. U. S. “Hark” Harkson provided the premises of his Egg Products Manufacturing Company (Henningson Produce Co., Ltd.) to serve as the toy hospital, and in 1931 also gave ice-cream bars to each of the children that the Club visited. Former Club member E. W. “Dick” Brewer of Ford Hire Services offered to collect and deliver the donations free of charge. T. J. Holt of Nanking Theatre arranged for a performance of children’s cinema where the admission price was an old toy, in order to encourage the privileged children of Shanghai to participate in the project. Those in media and advertising publicized toy collections, including appeals made to local schools, and arrangements made with local department stores to display signs that read, “Send your old toys to the Rotary Club, and buy your New Toys here!” In 1931, RCS visited 1500 children, and donated an additional sum of $1083 to various institutions, including Ms. Henderson’s School, Chapei Baby Clinic, Providence Orphanage, Door of Hope Children’s Refugee, First Russian School, School for Poor Russian Children, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Mrs. Herman Liu’s Beggar Guild. Eight years later, the Club visited 6000 children in 59 different institutions, and donated an additional $1,830. The Club continued their Christmas Drive even during wartime, providing special treats and gifts for 2,700 children in refugee camps in 1937, the first Christmas of the second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). As noted in one of the thank-you letters that the RCS received in 1923, the gifts not only made the children happy, but they also helped raise the health standard of the city. The Institution for Chinese Blind was founded by Reverend George B. Fryer in 1912. Reverend Fryer’s son, also named George B., was a member of the Rotary Club of Shanghai in the 1940’s, and along with his wife dedicated their lives to serving the blind. Unfortunately, the Blind School was forced to stop its activities in 1941 when Fryer, of British descent, was imprisoned in one of the concentration camps during the Japanese occupation. Fortunately, the school resumed its operation upon Fryer’s release in 1945. Located at 4 Edinburgh Road at the corner of Brenan Road (now Jiangsu and Changning Roads), the Blind School served 45 boys in 1924, ranging from ages 3 to 21. The boys were skilled at manufacturing steamer chairs, table, baskets, hardwood furniture, and other hand-made products; the sale of these products provided much of the school’s funding. The boys were also known to be excellent singers, despite the fact that they could not read notes and lyrics. They also demonstrated impressive athletic abilities, especially in the performances they gave during visits by the members of the RCS. In addition to hosting outdoor parties for the boys and taking them on trips through Shanghai, the RCS also built a 40 by 20 feet room and a kitchen for the institution. As well, the RCS tried to provide treatment and to find a cure for trachoma – a contagious and preventable disease that leads to blindness, the chief cause of which was a lack of sanitation. Trachoma was a serious problem in China during the three decades that the Rotary Club of Shanghai operated. Civilian Refugee Aid, 1937-1945 The second Sino-Japanese War officially started in July of 1937. Japan captured Shanghai on November 12, and the capture of Nanking on December 13 was the beginning of what is now known as “The Rape of Nanking”. By the end of 1937, there were 400,000 refugees in the Nantao Safety Zone of Shanghai, all in desperate need of food and shelter. The estimated population of the French Concession for the last four months of 1937 was 1,500,000: one million more than its normal population of 450,000. Likewise, the estimate for the International Settlement was 1,250,000 above its normal population of one million. Amidst the scene of destruction, chaos, death, and poverty, the Rotary Club of Shanghai refused to be overwhelmed, and instead sprung into action. The Club dipped into its reserves to fund local medical and relief organizations, with the goal of providing as much support as possible to those with special qualifications in providing aid. One of the emergency hospitals was funded almost entirely by the RCS, and the RCS also single-handedly built, equipped, and staffed a mobile clinic and dispensary. The club also supported an emergency maternity hospital, and built and maintained four units of a camp, which provided shelter for 1000 refugees, and sleeping platforms and food for thousands. At Christmas, the Club distributed special treats and gifts to 2,700 children living in refugee camps. By the end of 1937, the Rotary Club of Shanghai had raised $10,000 for its Refugee Relief Fund, and an additional $40,000 was received from other Rotary Clubs worldwide. RCS’s own funds were distributed among such organizations as the Civilian Refugee Convalescent Hospital, Refugee Children’s Hospital, Leper Mission, and Refugee Orphans Child Welfare Association. Funds were also allocated for medical supplies for relief camps, and milk for babies at a Russian nursery. These organizations helped provide refugees with food, shelter, blankets, and warm winter clothes. The RCS also provided aid for other war-torn areas outside Shanghai; 50% of the funds received from abroad were sent to other cities, including Nanchang, Hangchow, Wusih, Wuhu, Nanking, Hankow, and Changsha. RCS member Alfred Morley recalls that the war deeply impacted members of the Rotary Club of Shanghai, which included members of many different nationalities, including both Chinese and Japanese. He noted in the April 1938 issue of The Rotarian that the Club had dedicated two meetings to discussing the pros and cons of politics in Rotary, in the end deciding that “nothing would be gained and possibly much would be lost” if Rotary intervened in politics. Thus, the Club decided to set aside any political differences, and to instead dedicate their energy to helping the victims of war. The nature and size of these projects illustrate the strong heart, mind, and will of Shanghai’s Rotarians. It is also worth noting that the Rotary Club of Shanghai did not simply donate money to the various charities and institutions that it supported, but also developed a close relationship with each of them. Club members spent much time with those they were helping, and sought to better understand their situation in order that the Club could improve its service to them. Model Leaders: Some Prominent Members of the RCS Of course, every member of the Rotary Club of Shanghai was a model citizen simply in light of the fact that he was a Rotarian – a respectable businessperson, and devoted to serving both the local and international communities. Many members of the RCS were leaders in their field of expertise, whether it was politics, education, medicine, commerce, or otherwise. Proof for this can be found in the large number of RCS members who were featured in such books as "Who’s Who in China" and "Men of Shanghai and North China" published during their time. Below we briefly outline the main accomplishments of four of the most prominent members of the Rotary Club of Shanghai: Dr. C. T. Wang, Mr. Fong Foo Sec, Dr. New Way Sung, and Mr. Percy Chu. Dr. C. T. Wang Cheng-ting Wang (1882-1961) was born in Zhejiang Province. He completed a Master’s degree at Pei-Yang University in Tianjin in 1900. Later, Mr. Wang studied at Michigan University for a year (1907-1908), and received a Bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1911. In 1920, St. John’s University in Shanghai granted Mr. Wang an honorary Doctorate of Law degree. Dr. C. T. Wang played a major role in shaping China’s political scene. After the collapse of the imperial Qing dynasty in 1911, Dr. Wang assisted in organizing the provisional government of 1912. After the Dr. Sun Yat-sen founded the Republic of China, Dr. Wang was appointed the Vice-Minister of Industry and Commerce of the first Republican Cabinet in 1913. Dr. Wang also served as Vice-President of the Republican Senate that year, and was the General Secretary of the National Committee of the Chinese Y.M.C.A. one year later. Dr. Wang contributed much to the various peace-making projects of China’s Nationalist Government. He was one of China’s chief delegates to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, aimed at drafting treaties between the Allied powers and the defeated Central powers after the end of World War I. In 1922, he was China’s chief commissioner to the Sino-Japanese joint Commission to settle the Shantung question. He was also the Director-General of the Sino-Russian Conference of 1927, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1922, 1925, 1926, and 1928-1931. In 1936, the year leading up to the second Sino-Japanese War in China, Dr. Wang was a member of both the Central Executive Committee and the Central Political Council of the Guomindang. (Guomindang led China’s War of Resistance against Japan from 1937-1945.) Dr. Wang became a member of the Rotary Club of Shanghai in 1921. In March of 1922, however, Dr. Wang’s membership was changed from active to honorary at the suggestion of RCS President H. C. Norman, because Dr. Wang’s job so often required him to travel out of Shanghai and China. In 1936-1937, Dr. Wang was the Governor of District 81 of Rotary International, but was forced to resign when his post as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States required him to move to Washington, D.C. (RCS Past President Fong Foo Sec replaced him as District Governor that year, effective October 1936). Dr. Wang also served as a Director of Rotary International in 1944-1945, the last year of World War II. Mr. Fong Foo Sec was born in 1869 to a family of farmers in Toishan, Guangdong. At the age of 13, he went to the United States, where he studied and worked for 24 years, attaining a Bachelor’s degree at the University of California and a Master’s degree in English Education from Columbia University. In 1906, Mr. Fong returned to China to teach English at government colleges in Guangdong, and was awarded a Doctor of Literature degree following the government examinations. Mr. Fong was one of the leading editors and writers in China. For more than 20 years, he was the Chief English Editor of the Commercial Press, the largest book publishing company in Shanghai. He was also dedicated to a number of educational and welfare causes. For example, he was part of the Management Committee for the Institution for Chinese Blind, the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Y.M.C.A., a Director for the Chinese Mission to Lepers, the first Vice-Chairman of the National Child Welfare Association, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Church of Christ in China. Mr. Fong became a member of the Rotary Club of Shanghai in 1922. He served as Club President in 1931-1932, during which Shanghai suffered a Japanese attack (February 1932) that led to much tension between the Chinese and Japanese members of the Club. Mr. Fong notes, however, that the Club was able to overcome their ethnic and political differences and continue to exemplify the Rotary spirit. Several Chinese members of the RCS had been forced to evacuate their homes in a hurry after Japanese military authorities took control of the Hongkew District; Japanese RCS members lent them the passes necessary to re-enter the district, in order that they could collect their personal belongings. Mr. Fong was a Director of Rotary International in 1933-1934, and had the opportunity to meet Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary. Mr. Fong took over for Dr. C. T. Wang as Governor of District 81 in October 1936, after Dr. Wang left for Washington, D.C. as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States. Mr. Fong was also a District Governor in the following two years (for Districts 96, 97, and 98 in 1937-1938; and Districts 97 and 98 in 1938-1939). Mr. Fong passed away on October 10, 1938. Dr. New Way Sung, born on June 14, 1892, was a leader in the field of orthopedics. He attained his Bachelor’s degree at St. John’s University in Shanghai, and then continued his education in the United States, finally obtaining his doctorate degree from Harvard University. Upon his return to China, Dr. New became a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at a number of universities, including the Peking Union Medical College, St. John’s University (which he had previously attended), and the Women’s Medical College. He was an important member of numerous medical associations both in America and in China. For example, in the United States, he was a Fellow of the American Medical Association as well as the American College of Surgeons; in China, he was the President of the Shanghai Medical Society, the National Medical Association of China, and the Chinese Medical Association. Dr. New also served as the Surgeon General to the Army of the National Government of China from 1928 to 1930. Beginning in 1928, Dr. New served as Superintendent and Chief Orthopedic Surgeon at the Orthopedic Hospital of Shanghai. The institution soon attained international recognition, and was chosen by the Rotary Club of Shanghai to be the main beneficiary of its projects for the year 1931. (Unfortunately, Club plans to raise funds for the hospital were delayed due to more pressing concerns of relief for victims of the flood in Hankow (August 22, 1931), and aid for refugees from Japan’s invasion of Manchuria (September 1931) and attack on Shanghai (February 1932). Nonetheless, the Rotary Club of Shanghai raised $550 for the hospital in 1930, and $582 in 1931. Dr. New formally became a member of the Rotary Club of Shanghai in 1923. In 1924, he married Ms. Zee Yuh-Tsung in Shanghai. They had a child named New Kang Ming. Percy Chu Zhu Bo-Quan was born on October 2, 1898 in Hangzhou, and at the age of 10 chose for himself the English name “Percy” after he began his studies at a foreign boys’ school in Shanghai. He attained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Shanghai in 1919, and continued his studies in Economics and Business Administration for one year at Columbia University and New York University contemporaneously. Because his father urged him to gain practical experience, Mr. Chu began working at one of the leading financial houses in New York. Upon his return to China, Mr. Chu became one of the most important bankers in the country. Mr. Chu was responsible for the establishment of China’s first Foreign Exchange operation (1921), first Federal Reserve Board (March 1932), and first Clearing House (January 1933). He was appointed Associate General Liquidator by the National Government in 1928, and from 1928 to 1931 served at the Central Bank of China, first as the Chief Auditor and later as the General Manager. Mr. Chu was appointed the Manager of the Joint Reserve Board during the financial crisis that followed the Japanese attack on Shanghai in February 1932. All the Chinese banks in Shanghai (the financial centre of China at the time) were part of the Joint Reserve Board, and with Mr. Chu’s direction, the Joint Reserve Board functioned successfully through the crisis. Besides banking, Mr. Chu was dedicated to education and social service. He established China’s first night college for professional workers, so that business people could continue to increase their knowledge and improve their skills. At one time, Mr. Chu was the chairman, manager, or president of over 108 different clubs and organizations, including the Chairman of the Shanghai Central Committee of the China International Famine Relief Commission, the Director of the Chinese Bankers’ Institute, the President of the Association of Institutions of Shanghai, and the President of the University of Shanghai (1942-1945), which he had previously attended. Mr. Chu’s expertise in finance made him both a tool and a target in the political turmoil of 20th century China. During the Japanese occupation (1937-1945), Mr. Chu was jailed for a month by the Pro-Japanese Wang Jingwei Government because he had refused to cooperate with their requests for his help in establishing a new financial institution in Shanghai. (The Central Bank, the Bank of China, and the Bank of Communication had all been uprooted by the Guomindang.) When the Japanese Army arrived in China, Japanese members of the Rotary Club of Shanghai arranged a meeting with the Wang Government, who again asked Mr. Chu to help maintain business activity in Shanghai. This time he agreed, and was then instructed to form and serve on a General Committee of Chinese Commercial Banks and Chinese Native Banks. After the end of World War II, Mr. Chu was kidnapped, tried, and jailed for two years by Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Government for being an “economic traitor” by having collaborated with Japanese administration, despite the fact that the Vice-President of the Guomindang had written to Mr. Chu praising his work. All of Mr. Chu’s property and finances were confiscated by the Guomindang, and one of his houses later given to Soong Ching-ling, widow of Mr. Sun Yat-sen. (This house, located at 1843 Huaihai Zhong Lu, is now open to the public as “The Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling.) After the Communist Government took over in 1949, Mr. Chu was accused by Red Guards in 1959 of being an “anti-revolutionary” as a result of his previous connection with the National Government. He was sentenced to 22 years of manual labour in a cotton mill factory, where he carried boxes of bobbins to and from machines, swept the courtyard, and cleaned the washrooms. As he was working, high-level party cadres would visit him to receive advice complex trading and financial issues, and Mr. Chu would speak to them as he was sweeping in order to prevent anyone from accusing him of being treated with respect. Mr. Chu joined the Rotary Club of Shanghai in 1926, and served as the Honorary Treasurer from 1927 to 1933. From 1934 to 1935 he was the Club President, and at age 36 was the youngest President in the history of Rotary. Mr. Chu also met Rotary Founder Paul Harris during his three-day visit to Shanghai that year. In 1931, Mr. Chu married Chiang Tong-chi, the daughter of Jiang Yizhi. (Jiang Yizhi was another important figure in the history of banking in China, including being one of the founders and major stockholders of the Zhejiang Industrial Bank.) Together, Percy and Tong-chi had three daughters: Jane, Alice, and Mary. Mr. Chu passed away on March 19, 2001 at the age of 102, after having lived through three centuries. There are many other members of the Rotary Club of Shanghai who made significant and unique contributions to their field; these four biographies are merely a small sample of the remarkable personalities that made up the Rotary Club of Shanghai. Connie Fan April May Shanghai, December 2006 |
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