Five Turning Points
As we have traced the history of the International Settlement fromthe days of its beginnings， we have seen how it has developed fromwhat might be properly called a trading post， established by agreementwith the Chinese Government， into one of the most importantcommercial and industrial centres in the world.
There have been five great turning points in its history.
The first was the consent given to the residence of Chinese withinits borders， resulting in an ever increasing Chinese population withgrowing commercial and property interests， until it came about thatthe little community of foreigners had to provide a government for apopulation， ninety-five per cent of which were citizens of China.
The second was the conversion of a trading centre into a greatmanufacturing city which came about after the Sino-Japanese War in1895. The Settlement took on a new character with the coming of theIndustrial Revolution， and began to face the same labour problemswith which we are familiar in the West.
The third was the decision to develop the harbour of Shanghaiby the establishment of the Whangpoo Conservancy Board， afterthe Boxer Outbreak， enabling Shanghai to become one of the greatshipping ports of the world.
The fourth was the adoption of the policy of neutrality forthe International Settlement， making it a place of great politicalimportance， sometimes unfortunately a harbour of safety for politicalrefugees， and a place where all factions could carry on secret meetingsrelating to the political movements in the country.
The fifth was the revolt of the Chinese residents of the Settlementsagainst paternal government， and a demand for a voice in municipalaffairs， caused by student agitation， and the growth of the spirit ofnationalism.
Contrast between Earlier and Later DaysAs the Settlement has grown， there has been considerable changein the life of the foreign community. Some of the older residents regretthe passing away of the “good old days.” They recall the time whenthe foreign community was like one large family， every one knowingevery one else， the foreigner living in a lordly manner in a large housewith extensive grounds， with a host of servants at his beck and call.
He enjoyed many exclusive privileges， in a self-centred community，with little interest in the people around him except as it concernedcommercial relations. He had his amusements， his pony racing， paperhunts， boat racing， houseboat excursions into the hinterland and goodshooting. He enjoyed his club， and entertainments of an amateurnature， in music and theatricals. He found the climate not too trying，and revelled in the weather of autumn and early winter， and in thespring. He was not overworked and always had time for play. There wasplenty of opportunity for physical exercise in riding， cricket， footballand tennis， and there was a constant round of social engagements，dinners， card parties and dances.