Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Li Wei-ch'ing
Mr. Lee Tsung-ching
李維度字正癌
(Li Wei-ch'ing)
Mr. Lee Tsung-ching was born at Ningpo, Chekiang province, in 1878. He was graduated from the Anglo-Chinese College, Shanghai, specializing in a commerical line. In 1892 he began his business career as a shipping clerk in a native business firm at Shanghai. In 1895, when the commerical navigation between Soochow and Hangchow had just been started, he was employed as customs clerk of the Soochow-Hangchow Inland Navigation Company. A year later he joined the Shanghai office of Carlowitz & Co. as cashier. In 1897 Mr. Lee went to Tientsin and joined the firm of Gipperich & Co. His position being a general clerk. In 1903 he started his first independent business as compradore of the Siemessen & Co., Tientsin. This position he held until 1905 when he was invited to join the Shanghai office of Gipperich & Co., becoming the principal assistant of E. Gipperich, the general manager of that firm. Mr. Lee returned to Tientsin in 1908, and accepted the compradoreship of Rousseau & Co., then a leading French firm. In 1910 in partnership with L. O. McGowan promoted the China American Trading Co., with head office at Tientsin. Mr. Lee was the Chinese-manager of that newly established firm. At the same time he accepted the compradoreship of the Fearon, Daniel & Co., holding this concurrent post for three years. In 1918, during the time of repatriation of enemy subjects in China, Mr. Lee was entrusted with the work of establishing the Tientsin office of the San Peh Steam Navigation Co., by Yu Ya-ching, the founder of this company, who has been for many years one of the commerical leaders in Shanghai. Very soon the branch office was founded at Tientsin, occupying the wharves formerly belonging to Hambury Steamship Co. Ever since its establishment, this company under the managership of Mr. Lee, has been playing an important part in the China sea coast navigation service. In the spring of 1921, Mr. Lee accepted another concurrent post as manager of the Tientsin office of the Industrial Development Bank of China. In 1923, owing to the pressure of work in the San Peh Steam Navigation Co., he resigned from both the China-American Trading Co., and the Industrial Development Bank. In September 1924 he rejoined the China-American Trading Co. Mr. Lee is one of the pioneer southern merchants at Tientsin, and has served for ten years as a director of the Chekiang Provincial Guild, Tientsin. He is also one of the founders of the Chekiang School of Tients in. Mr. Lee's present address is No. 153 Parkes Road, Tientsin.
