Life and Adventure - Taipei - Early 1950s - Part 3

1952 - Taipei - Alice Winans continues her story . . .

       The Taiwan Trading Corporation was located at 107 Chung Shan North Road. 

 It was a 2-story building and fairly sizeable.

The Office and Staff personnel of the Taiwan Trading Corporation, circa 1952, including trade representatives, standing on the sidewalk, on Chung Shan North Road, facing south.  The Grand Hotel is to their backs.

       Chung Shan North Road was a quite nice very broad avenue, but the sidewalk was constructed of cement blocks that were broken and loose.

        The firm acted as a Manufactures Representative for various firms, including Pan American Air, General Electric, Parke Davis Pharmaceuticals, Hong Kong Spinners & Weavers Association, connections in Egypt and elsewhere,furnishing textiles (i.e. herringbone twill for the Army) to Taiwan, Korea, and others, Canadian Newsprint firms., Worthington Pump @ Compressor  During that time Mr. Henningsen obtained a franchise for Coca Cola in Hong Kong, and established a large, modern plant known as Hong Kong Bottlers.  This was a huge success.

        I enjoyed my work with the employees immensely and learned very quickly to avoid remarks that would cause anyone to "lose face." 

        One of my first challenges was to find that all files pertaining to Coca Cola which were not to be found under "C", but rather under "L" for Liquor.  

         I tried to ingratiate Mr. Ting, the bookkeeper, by attempting to learn to use the abacus, but I lost face on that one!

Alice in her Taiwan Trading Corporation Office.  October 1952 calendar can been seen.

           After the first month or so, I moved to a desk on the second floor where we could experience the building's creaking sound, and motion of the swinging lights above whenever a fairly frequent earthquake occurred.  

           A shy young girl, Mai, (in the photo above) was our go-fer.  She kept the glasses on our desks filled with tea.  This was done with loose tea in the bottom of the glass, which she kept filled with boiling water.

           An occasional runny nose caused her to sniff a great deal.  After I had known her for some time, I suggested she might like to use a handkerchief.  She smiled sweetly and firmly protested any such idea because that would be "unclean".  I learned to accept her sniffing.

 A street vendor outside the Taiwan Trading Corporation Office on Chung Shan North Road.

The street corner can be seen above, a lady in a purple dress, green car to her back.

This recent photo taken at the same location.

Same location circa 1952.

I was thinking, would you have taken a MAAG assignment in Taipei City in 1952?

I would have, yes send me.

         Sometime following my arrival in Taipei, I met several of the MAAG officers and along with the British couple with whom I shared a house - and several of their friends, we became a close group and shared many great experiences.   

More memories from Alice, with her beautiful 60 year old photographs -- soon.