Stories from Deli

Foreign businessmen set up “foreign companies” in Shantou to do business. The British merchant “Jiahe Foreign Company” was first promoted in 1860, followed by the German merchant “Luyu Foreign Company” in 1861. 
 
     Lu Yu went to Shantou to run a business and hired Guo Jirong (Guo Runting) as the comprador of the bank. Ji Rong was a comprador and lived in Shantou for more than 20 years. By the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), he was unable to pay off due to inadequate expenditures and heavy debts. He fled without a trace. 

In March, the senior class of Lu Yu Yanghang (ie the person in charge of the management of the foreign business) asked the deputy consul of Germany in Shantou to give a note to Zhang Liangui. With Guo Jirong’s written record, he declared the customs flat and the Tongshan Road (near Yongping Restaurant) Around the area) and the surrounding Haiping and other industries, according to the Luyang Foreign Company, the roads and platforms are required to send personnel to investigate in order to manage the industry. 

Zhang Daotai felt that the case was bizarre, and he asked the government to launch the official document management business based on an inadequate letter. In April, Zhang Liangui gave a note to the German consul in Shantou, saying that Lu Yuyang had only a piece of paper with only foreign officials (German consuls) stamped, and there was no contract stamped by Hua officials (then Shantou belonged to Chenghai County), so he wanted to monopolize all of Guo Jirong’s possessions. The industry is unreasonable. In addition, Guo Jirong declared to fill the Haiping area at the head of Tongshan Road. After measurement, the amount overflowed seven or eighty-eight, which belonged to the private land. Guo Jirong still owed many merchants and citizens in Shantou, not just the Lulu family. This refutes the German consul. 

.In June, the German consul called Zhang Daotai again to fill up the lot with Guo Jirong. He did not selflessly take advantage of the situation and asked for a traffic management survey. Zhang Liangui tried his best to refute that Guo Jirong was still at large at that time, so Zhang Liangui said, “As soon as Guo is seized, the case will be interrogated and the case will be verified.” In August, the German consul came to a note again, saying that he would report the case to his imperial minister in Beijing (ie, the German minister), thereby threatening Zhang Liangui. Zhang Liangui’s reply stated that the matter was “you are the leader of your own judgment, and you cannot participate in this matter.” The case has been entangled for more than eight months, and both sides insisted on their opinions and failed to resolve it. (Refer to “Wen Xin Zhai Study and Management”) The case of Lu Yu’s land dispute also involved the German Consular Office. Because the consular office was located in Tongyi Lane, Haipingdi to the west was accused of being owned by Lu Yu Yang Xing. Ask the German consul to come forward and negotiate, and the German consul asked the German warship to go to Shantou for protection. At that time, Cai Lingxiao, the magistrate of Chenghai County, was sent to Shan, and Zhilu Tan spurred the German ships into Shangang as a threat. He was very dissatisfied, so he announced to the public that this is the land of Chenghai. I have the responsibility to come and investigate. You German warships also have it. Will the responsibility come? The German captain was speechless and asked the German consul that there is no danger for German overseas Chinese here. It is just a dispute over the location. Why should I send a warship? The consul had no choice but to blame Mr. Lu Tan and relieve himself of responsibility. The captain consciously left. Taipan Lu thinks that the failure of the negotiation is a great shame, and he is ashamed and excited and committed suicide with a knife. 
 
     After the death of Taipan, Lu Tan was taken over by the secretary Xia Shilu (German), and was renamed “Yuanxing Foreign Trade”, and his location was also named Yuanxing Lane. After being renamed by Lu Tan in the tenth year of Guangxu (1884), Yuanxing Foreign Trade Co., Ltd. has been doing so much to lure and sell labor for 30 years and has a bad reputation. 

During the First World War, the German merchant Yuanxing Foreign Company closed its business, the owner dispersed, and the bank borrowed heavily in the market. The creditors once demanded compensation from Yuanxing Taipan, and the Taipan pretended to be “unhandled and unsigned” to prevaricate. After negotiation and refutation, the Taipan was speechless, and agreed to investigate and discuss again. However, many of the land in this bank are sold first and sold later. Later, due to the closure of the business, the boss dispersed, and the bad debts hanged up and waited to be dealt with… 
 
     This is the ups and downs of Yuanxing Foreign Company and Yuanxing Lane.

http://cstc.lib.stu.edu.cn/chaoshanzixun/lishiwenhua/6461.html