On this day, 193 years ago, on July 1, 1832 (June 4, 1832, the Lunar Calendar), Jardine Group was established. Jardine Matheson (SGX: J36, LSE: JAR) is the most famous old British-owned foreign firm and the largest British-owned consortium in the Far East. It was engaged in trade with China during the Qing Dynasty. Foreign companies played a pivotal role in Hong Kong's early development. They were also the first European company to open in Shanghai and the first foreign company to establish in Japan. A brief history of development Jardine was established on July 1, 1832. It was founded in Guangzhou, China by two Scottish-born Englishmen, William Jardine (1784 - 1843) and James Matheson (translated "Ma Di Chen", 1796 - 1878). Jardine Maison played a decisive role in Hong Kong's early development and is known as "Without Hong Kong, Jardine Maison came first." It was also the first European company to open in Shanghai and the first foreign company to establish in Japan. Jardine Matheson was involved in trade with China in its early years, mainly engaged in the trading of opium and tea. When Lin Zexu implemented the ban on smoking in 1839, William Jardine, the founder of Jardine, personally lobbied the British government in London to go to war with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and also advocated taking Hong Kong from the Qing Dynasty as a trading base. 1843 Shanghai Jardine & Co. was founded. The first land auction in Shanghai in 1844 was also purchased by Jardine. Jardine's competitors in Hong Kong in the early years included other trading companies such as "Diandi Foreign Company" and Sassoon Foreign Company. After 1872, Jardine's foreign firm gave up its opium trade with China. After that, Jardine's investment business gradually diversified. In addition to trade, it also invested in the construction of railways, docks, various factories, mining, shipping, banking and other industries in the mainland of China and Hong Kong. In addition to building China's first railway, Wusong Railway, in Shanghai in 1876, Jardine also installed China's first elevator and introduced various machinery and industrial equipment. After 1912, Jardine's company headquarters was located in Shanghai. After 1949, most of Jardine's assets and businesses in the mainland of China were nationalized. In 1954, Jardine's last domestic office in China was forced to close, and the company's headquarters moved back to Hong Kong. The company was first listed in Hong Kong in 1961 and was oversubscribed by more than 50 times. In 1984, Jardine Matheson moved the company's domicile from Hong Kong to Bermuda, and in the early 1990s moved the listing of the company and many of its subsidiaries from Hong Kong to Singapore or London. After a century of vicissitudes and witnessing the changes in Hong Kong, Jardine Maison shifted its focus and left Hong Kong and Kowloon just before Hong Kong's return. Jardine Maison in China Picture 1: The original old building of Jardine Maison (a three-story building built in 1845); In 1845, Shanghai Jardine International Trading Group rented a piece of land north of what is now Beijing East Road, obtained the No. 1 Land Certificate of the British Concession, and built a three-story building (Figure 1, the arrow points, at the intersection of Beijing East Road on the Bund). Figure 2: In 1908, an East Indian building was rebuilt on the original site; by 1861, Yanghang had rebuilt it three times and rebuilt an East Indian building on the original site (Figure 2, 1908). Figure 3: In 1920, Jardine International Corporation converted the original building into a 6-story reinforced concrete building; In 1920, Jardine International Corporation renovated the original building into a 6-story reinforced concrete building with an area of 2100 square meters and a building area of 14300 square meters (Figure 3, now No. 27 Bund). The exterior of the building, the architectural style imitates the shape of the British Renaissance (also known as the Neoclassical Conlint style), uses Corinthian columns to decorate the facade, and the base of the column column is square. The building was designed by Ma Haiyang's British architect Si Jinsheng and constructed by Huashang Yuchangtai Construction Factory. Jardine Matheson was earlier known as McNee, and was the world's largest opium dealer. The founder of this foreign firm is called William? Charton was originally just a doctor on the East India Company ship. In 1832, Charton and Ma Dicen opened Jardine's Foreign Shop in Guangzhou. After the Opium War, Jardine Matheson made a comeback and established Jardine Matheson branch in Shanghai. Jardine Matheson was forcibly taken over by Japan's Mitsui Co., Ltd. after the Pacific War, and resumed business in 1946. Due to the declining business, the building was leased to Changxing Shipping Company, Overseas Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, as well as the First Class Commercial Counselor, Financial Counselor's Office and Information Office of the British Embassy. In the early years of the liberation of Shanghai, business became increasingly neglected. In 1955, the building was handed over to the Foreign Trade Bureau and its affiliated units for use. In 1983, two more floors were added to it, changing the original style of the top of the building. It is now the Roosevelt House. Figure 4: Jardine Maison International Refrigeration Company; Figure 5: Jardine International Brewery. Figure 6: Now the Roosevelt House