Chapter I: Preface

Shanghai is a little world, where all China in miniature may be studied at close range. Thither drift Chinese from every province in the country, who for the most part in the new environment follow their age-long customs and cherish their inherited traditions. But the city is also remarkable for its rapid and constant changes. A member of a local book-firm declared not long since, “We have never tried to publish a guide to Shanghai because in six months it would be out of date.” To an Occidental the chief fascination of this busy metropolis lies in the curious commingling of things old and new, practices ancient and modern, which meet one at every turn. More strikingly than any other city in the Far East, Shanghai represents the Orient in transition. To catch and portray some of these shifting scenes, the following “Pictures” have been drawn, with the hope that they may stimulate interest in China and awaken a new love and admiration for the Chinese people. It need hardly be explained that no attempt has been made at a complete study of the subjects described. This is particularly true of the last chapter, where several phases of missionary activity have been touched upon by way of illustration, while societies and organizations doing an equally valuable work have not been mentioned. The history of the Christian Literature Society, for example, reads like a romance and it is a well-established fact that its books had much to do in shaping the radical policy of the late Emperor Kuang Hsü and the liberals of that period, which eventuated in the dawn of progress and a New China. To all friends, Chinese and foreign, whose suggestions and criticisms have helped make possible this little book, warmest thanks are extended.