Opening of the Hongkong and Shanghai BankOne of the most important events in the commercial world wasthe formal opening of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank on June23rd. The building， which had taken two years for its erection， in sizeand architectural beauty， is probably the finest commercial house inthe Far East. As was well said in the North-China Daily News of June25th， “The building of "Way-foong‘ （the bank"s Chinese name） reflectsthe highest credit on all concerned in its erection， on the daring of themen who authorized the stupendous plan， the creative genius of thearchitects who designed it， and the triumphant organization that madeits completion possible in the short space of little more than two years.“As the traveller approaches Shanghai by water， one of the firstsights to attract his attention is the well proportioned dome that fitlycrowns the edifice.
Sir Ronald Macleay， k. c. m. g.， H. B. M."s Minister to China，was the Master of Ceremonies. When he opened the central gates，a vast crowd poured into the building， indicating the great placeoccupied by the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in the interests of thecommercial world of the Far East.
The erection of the building at such a time was an evidence ofthe faith in China"s financial future， and of her future development asa great country. It was an evidence， too， that in some ways Shanghaimight fittingly be called the Venice of the Eastern World.
Bank of China
Another interesting event in banking circles was the conversion ofthe German Club on The Bund into new offices for the Bank of China.
Earthquake in Japan
On September 1st， 1923， occurred the appalling earthquake inYokohama. Much sympathy was manifested for the people of Japan，and this increased as the news came through showing that the calamitywas greater than at first had been supposed. Steps were at Once takenin Shanghai to start relief measures and Yen 20，000 were cabled to theforeigners relief committee in Japan. The British Women"s Associationand the American Women"s Club exerted themselves especially onbehalf of the foreign women victims of the earthquake. Many residentswere in suspense for a long time in regard to the fate of friends andrelatives spending the summer holidays in the Island Empire.
Riverside Power Station CalamityA very unusual and serious accident occurred at the RiversidePower Station of the Electricity Department Thursday， November15th. An explosion took place in one of the new 20，000 k.w. turbineswhich was being run on trial for purposes of balancing. The threeengineers who were in charge of the trial were killed， making it difficultto discover the real cause of the disaster. Four Chinese workmen werekilled and many others injured， and the turbine house was completelywrecked.
Anti-Japanese BoycottDuring the year the anti-Japanese boycott had serious effects ontrade. The students stirred up an agitation because Japan was unwillingto return Port Arthur and Dairen and， as they claimed， still insisted onthe Twenty-one Demands.
The Japanese Chamber of commerce protested against theinterruption of trade， and appealed to their Government for support.
The Customs revenue for Shanghai， in spite of the effective fiveper cent import tariff， showed a decrease in the month of July of nearlyHk. Tls. 180，000. This was largely due to the anti-Japanese boycott.
Distinguished VisitorsSeveral distinguished visitors were in Shanghai during the courseof the year， among them being Dr. Einstein， who gave an address onthe theory of “Relativity，” Miss Jane Addams， the well-known welfareworker of Chicago， who gave a talk at the community Church， andDame Adelaide Anderson. The latter came at the invitation of theNational Christian Council， to investigate the condition of child labourin the factories.
Death of Rev. Dr. FitchThe death of one of the most respected and well-knownmissionaries in Shanghai， Dr. G. F. Fitch， occurred on February 7th，after 53 years of service in the Mission field. Largely owing to hisefforts， the Presbyterian Mission Press developed into an importantagency for the publication and printing of missionary literature.
