Money
Before the advent of the foreigners and
the international settlements, the Chinese unit of currency was the ‘tael’. A tael was not a coin per se,
but was in fact a unit weight of silver (valued at 2s 6d, or about US$1.60).
Due to this, even after the Western invasion, it remained the currency for all
large commercial transactions such as auctions, land purchases and salaries.
One tael could be subdivided into 10
‘mace’; each mace was worth 10 ‘candareens’.
Alongside these units of exchange was ‘cash’
– traditional copper coins with a square hole in the centre. These were useful
when travelling as they could be strung together on string and easily
concealed. 1,100 cash were considered
the equivalent of one tael. Western
visitors in China would have had little to do with either taels or cash, although cash was useful when going into the
hinterlands, or on river trips, where the natives, for the most part, had no
knowledge of any other form of currency.
In the foreign settlements the standard
currency adopted for day-to-day business was the Mexican Silver Dollar (or
Eagle Dollar), identified for use in the city by being stamped with Chinese
characters using a metal die. Throughout the history of Shanghai, the rates of
exchange fluctuated wildly depending on the tenor of the times; however the
rate remained generally steady on an average of 15 Shanghai Dollars to the
British Pound. Some cunning Shanghainese would shave these coins, trimming the
edges to garner the metal, or would slice them, replacing their centres with a
lesser value metal: Shanghai residents quickly became adept at tapping their
coins and listening for the ‘ring’ that would prove the metal’s integrity. The
Shanghai Dollar was the standard currency there until 1941, when the invading
Japanese replaced it with notes of their own.
When figuring the value of goods and
services in this period use the following conversion:
8 taels = 8,800 cash
= £1 =
US$5 = Shanghai$15
General
Expenses
Bargaining is a way of life in China and
all prices quoted here are to be considered mere indications. Some haggling is
always expected so traders and shopkeepers generally add about 20% to a
commodity’s worth and then bargain downwards. The rarity of an item and the
remoteness of the community where the transaction is taking place are also
factors which can arbitrarily inflate the price of an object or service, so the
Keeper should keep this in mind and allow the Investigators to learn to use
their Bargain skill the hard way...
=All prices listed here are in Shanghai
Dollars=
Clothing
Men’s
Clothing:
All-wool
Spring Overcoat $85.00
Braces $1.50
Bowler
Hat (Derby) $25.00
Chinese
Slippers $1.00
Clerical
or Professional Suit $68.00
Collars,
3 in a box $1.00
Cotton
Drill Trousers $15.00
‘Combinations’
(Long-Johns) $5.00
Cotton
Shirts $12.00
Deerstalker $14.00
Embroidered
Suspenders $8.00
Evening
Pumps $22.00
Fancy
Silk Vest $18.00
Felt
Top Hat $28.00
Flannel
Night Shirt $7.00
French
Percale Shirt $28.00
Front-lacing
Wool Sweater $22.00
Homburg
Hat $22.00
Linen $1.50
Mackintosh Rain Coat $90.00
Manchu Cap $15.00
Moustache Wax $1.00
Needle-toe Dress Shoes $22.00
Plimsoles $15.00
Pomade $1.00
Puttees $5.00
Qipao $45.00
Satin
Smoking Jacket $175
Silk
Tie $4.00
Silk
Top Hat $35.00
Spats $6.00
Straw
‘Boater’ $6.00
Straw
Sandals $1.00
Striped
Blazer $50.00
Tailored
Prince Albert Suit $90.00
Tennis
‘Whites’ $70.00
Topee $28.00
Trilby $22.00
Tweed Suit $80.00
Women’s Clothing:
Bon Ton
Rose Foliage Hat $105.00
Bridal Trousseau $600.00
Chantilly
Lace Collar $35.00
Chelsea
Cloth Wrapper $5.00
China
Silk Parasol $10.00
Chinese
Slippers $1.00
Cloth-Top
Lace-up Shoes $22.00
Corset $10.00
Cycling
Tweeds $55.00
Drawers $1.50
Fan
& Fan Box $5.00
Fedora $22.00
French
Narrow-waist Corset $15.00
French
Silk Wrapper $330.00
Four-Button
Kid Gloves $29.00
Hat,
Rice Straw $2.00
Hat,
Blue Harebell Straw $4.00
Full
Sweep Satin Cape $60.00
Kid
Button Boots $75.00
Lawn Day
Dress $50.00
Muslin
Camisole $5.00
Petticoat $2.00
Qipao $60.00
Reticule $16.00
Reversible
Beaver Shawl $120.00
Silk
Shirt Waist $16.00
Silk Taffetta Moiré Skirt $75.00
Slip $1.50
Sturdy,
Button-up Boots $85.00
Tailored
Bolero Suit $188.00
Tulle
Hat Veil $5.00
Untrimmed
Neapolitan Hat $6.00
Laundry 15¢ /
bag
Communication
Telegram:
Per Chinese character 20¢
Per Foreign word 45¢
International, per word $15
Letter, local: 20¢ for 230 miles, per catty (1.33lbs/0.6kg) or part thereof
Letter,
international: 50¢ + 30¢ per ounce (28.34g)
Messenger: negotiable
Telegraph Outfit: $15
Long Distance Telephone: $105.00
Newspaper: 10¢
"Fashions
of the Day" ("Caifeng bao")
A Chinese-language chronicle focussing on the changing society of Shanghai; an
organ of the ‘mosquito press’ which also produced writings by Shanghai’s
courtesans in the form of pamphlet inserts
"Deutsche
Shanghai Zeitung"
The
voice of the German community in Shanghai; after 1936 it was re-packaged as the
Ostasiatischer Lloyd and became a Nazi rag.
"Dianshizhai
Illustrated Magazine" ("Dianshizhai huabao")
Chinese
language magazine which ran from 1884 to 1898; precursor of the ‘mosquito
press’ journals
"Entertainment"
("Youxi bao")
Chinese
language journal which focussed on the doings of Shanghai’s courtesans; one of
the ‘mosquito press’ organs
"Municipal
Gazette"
Produced
monthly by the Shanghai Municipal Council
"North
China Daily News"
Focuses
on British business interests and issues concerning the International
Settlement
"Shanghai
Mercury"
American-owned,
English language, respectable daily newspaper
"Shinbao"
British-owned,
Chinese-language daily broadsheet
"World
Vanity Fair" ("Shijie fanhua bao")
Chinese
language newspaper focussing on the activities of courtesans and Chinese opera
stars in Shanghai; one of the ‘mosquito press’
"Xinwen
bao"
American-owned,
Chinese-language daily ‘paper
Entertainment
Theatre
Tickets:
Standing $11.50
Seated $45
Box $112.50
Chinese
Opera Tickets: $25
Opium
Den Visit: $5
Spirits:
Cocktail $3
Champagne (bottle) $1.50
Fine Wine (bottle) $26
and up
Beer 75¢
Whiskey (glass) 90¢
Whiskey (bottle) $15
Whiskey
(Chinese) 30¢/glass
Music:
Piano, upright $3,750
Violin & case $900
Gramophone $750
Gramophone Records $7.50
Phonograph $500
Magic Lantern $25
Chinese
Musicians/event $1/player
Photographic
Equipment:
Hand Camera $450
Film (48 exposures) $86
View Camera with Tripod $895
12 Dry Photographic Plates $15
Complete Darkroom outfit $2,950
Lodging & Dining
Accommodation varies according to the
luxuriousness of the residence. Traditionally in Shanghai, rooms are offered on
the ‘American plan’; that is with all meals included. Some places offer the
European version which only includes a simple breakfast.
A
Little Known Fact:
Under International rule, the city of
Shanghai operated on the European principle in regard to numbering floors in
buildings: walking into a building straight off the street put you on the Ground Floor; from there, if you went up
one level, you found yourself on the First
Floor. Many Americans found this particularly confusing in the Nineteenth-
and early Twentieth Centuries.
High
Class Hotel:
Single room, per night $45
Double room, per night $90
Suites,
per night usually negotiated
with the Management (but averages $110)
Long-term stay a monthly or
weekly rent can be negotiated
Average
Hotel:
Single room, per night $15
Double room, per night $30
Long-term stay a
monthly or weekly rent can be negotiated
With Meals add
10%
With Service add 10%
Common
Lodging (per night):
Single bed 75¢
Double bed $1.50
House
(rent per year): $2500
Apartment
(rent per week): $52
Meal,
European, average:
Breakfast $7.50
Lunch $11.25
Dinner $15
Meal,
Chinese: $2.00/course
Medical Equipment
Medical Valise $16.00
Forceps $17.00
Hypodermic Syringes $82.00
Surgeon’s Instrument Set $600.00
Electro-medical Battery $34.50
Elastic Bandage $5.50
Crutches $20.00
Alum Salts, 1lb. (453.6g) $9.00
Nerve & Brain Pills $26.00
Laudanum, 4 oz. (118.3ml) $2.00
Opium, 1 dose 20¢
Paregoric, 4 oz. (118.3ml) $5.50
Liquor Habit Cure, 24
doses $22.50
Wine of Coca, 16 oz. (473.2ml)$14.50
Outdoor
& Travel Gear
Camp Cooking Kit $29.00
Hammock $4.00
Folding Canvas Boat $72.00
Wool Blanket $1.00
Folding Cot $18.00
Reflecting Lamp $8.00
Arctic Sleeping Bag $58.00
Kerosene Tent Heater $29.00
Camp Stool $2.00
Spy Glass $45.00
Hunting Knife $4.50
Two-Bladed Pocket Knife $2.00
Fishing Tackle & Lures $27.00
Steel Jaw Animal Trap $3.50
Dark Lantern $3.50
Safety Matches, per doz. $1.50
Jute Rope, per lb. 25¢
Tin Canteen 50¢
5-Gallon Steel Tank
(18.92L) $17.00
Barrel, 50 Gallons (189.27L) $9.00
Luggage:
Kit Bag (20” x 27”; 50.8 x
68.58cm) $3.50
Gladstone Bag (8lbs;
3.62kg) $7.50
Packing Trunk (40lbs;
18.14kg) $12.00
Full Size Trunk (85lbs; 38.55kg) $18.00
Tents:
7 x 7 foot A-frame Tent $11.00
(2.13m x 2.13m)
12 x 12 foot Miners’ Tent $18.00
(3.65m x 3.65m)
16 x 24 foot Wall Tent $68.00
(4.87m x 7.32m)
24 x 30 foot Tarpaulin $60.00
(7.32m
x 9.14m)
Tools
Handsaw $1.50
Bit Brace (plus bits) $6.00
Pliers $1.50
Carving Tools $2.50
Gasoline Blowtorch $18.00
Claw Hammer $2.00
Hatchet $1.50
Combination Vice $22.50
Sharpening Stone 50¢
Sickle 50¢
Wood Frame Grindstone $3.00
Transport
Jinricksha:
20¢
from anywhere to anywhere within either the International
Settlement or French Concession; +5¢ / mile outside of those
zones. Waiting times are strictly negotiable.
Sedan
Chair:
50¢
from anywhere to anywhere within either the International
Settlement or French Concession; +10¢ / mile outside of those
zones. Waiting times are strictly negotiable.
Poled Boat: 5¢
/ mile
Wheelbarrow: 5¢
/ mile
Bicycle: $129.00
Riverboat
Travel: Roughly, 19¢ / mile
Horses
& Horse-drawn Vehicles:
Riding Horse $150.00+
Draft Horse $60.00+
Saddle $46.00
Bridle $11.00
Top Buggy (2 seats) $390.00
Canopy Surrey (4 seats) $480.00
Canopy Carriage (4 seats) $1050.00
Farm Wagon (2 seats) $270.00
Stable Fee (per day) $1.50
Single Harness $99.00
Double Harness $134.00
Draft
Harness $108.00
Ammunition
(Boxes of 100 rounds)
.22 Long Rifle $1.50
.25 Winchester $4.50
.25-20 Marlin $6.50
.30 Short Round $2.50
.30-30 US Army $25.50
.32 Short $4.50
.32 Long Colt $5.50
.38 Short Round $5.50
.38 Extra Long $10.50
.41 Short Round $4.50
.44 Smokeless $14.00
.45 Colt Army $17.50
10-Gauge Shell $11.00
12-Gauge Shell $7.00
16-Gauge Shell $7.50
20-Gauge Shell $6.50
Miscellaneous
Weaponry
Arrows, each $2.00
Axe $45.00
Bayonet $45.00
Blackjack $1.50
Bow $30.00+
Cartridge Belt $4.50
Cavalry Lance $675.00
Cavalry Sabre $675.00
Chinese Lance $120.00
Chinese Sword $75.00
Fans (Combat) $45.00
Fencing Foil (pair) $4.50
Grappling Hook $30.00
Halberd $120.00
Handcuffs $22.50
Meat Cleaver 50¢
Shoulder Holster $20.00
Sickle, Farming 50¢
Sickle, War $30.00
Spear $15.00
Sword Cane $72.00
Tiger
Claws $30.00
Miscellaneous
Aneroid Barometer $49.50
Beard, False $5.50
Button Hook $1.00
Cheroot Cigars (250/box) $21.00
‘Cherry’ Tooth Paste $1.00
College Tuition per
semester $285.00+
Encyclopaedia, 30 vols $225.00
‘Erasmic’ Herb Soap 5¢/bar
Fireworks, per string $3.00
Fountain Pen $1.50
Ink 50¢/bottle
Paper Lantern 10¢
Professional Microscope $351.00
Pocket Compass $9.00
‘Rhine Violets’ Perfume $25.00/bottle
Sewing Kit $2.00
Sewing Machine $81.00
Shaving Razor $3.50
Stereoscope with Views $20.00
Toothbrush 25¢
Toupee/Wig $45.00+
Umbrella, Chinese paper $2.00
‘Vinolia’ Soap 10¢/bar
Typewriter $75.00
World Atlas $30.00
Writing
Tablet 10¢
