Former Site of Taylor & Co.

Former Site of Taylor & Co.

The former site of Taylor & Co. is located on Yuhua Road in Weihai. It dates back to 1919.

Taylor & Co. was jointly founded on March 17, 1899, by British businessmen Ernest Clark, Bridges, and Lavers. It had branches in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and other locations. Several years later, Bridges withdrew his investment and returned to his home country. In 1917, Lavers also transferred his shares to Clark before passing away due to illness. From then on, Taylor & Co. was solely owned and operated by Clark.

During the British lease period, Taylor & Co. managed certain economic affairs on behalf of the colonial authorities. These included handling financial services for HSBC in Weihaiwei, managing the storage of various taxes collected by the colonial government, disbursing military salaries, and providing currency exchange and deposit services for foreigners who came to Weihai for business or tourism. Additionally, the company handled shipping operations for the steamship companies Swire and Blue Funnel, as well as urban waterway public transport and peanut export businesses. Taylor & Co. was also the largest real estate developer in Weihai. Along Half Moon Bay and the city’s coastal area, the company built over ten summer villas, which were rented out to Westerners residing in China. Moreover, Taylor & Co. was entrusted by the colonial authorities to handle official real estate transactions. All official property deals had to be priced and processed through the Weihaiwei Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of Taylor & Co. Those wishing to start businesses were also required to first purchase operating rights from the company.

During the British lease period, Taylor & Co. was the wealthiest among all foreign firms. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the company was seized by the Japanese military, and all its assets were confiscated by the puppet financial institution “The Bank of China, Weihaiwei Branch.” In 1919, Taylor & Co. constructed this comprehensive office building on prime land near the dock. The building faces south with a north orientation, featuring a stone-and-timber structure. It has two main floors, a veranda on the southern side, and a prominent four-story tower on the eastern side that overlooks the entire bay. The top of the tower is adorned with European-style decorative elements.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the building was managed and used by the naval forces stationed in Weihai. In 2013, the Weihai Municipal Government invested in a full-scale restoration of the building, which is now repurposed as the Maritime Rights Education Exhibition Hall.

On December 7, 2006, the former site of Taylor & Co. was designated by the Shandong Provincial People's Government as part of the third batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units