Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Wang En-p'u

Mr. Wong Soong-dong

王恩溥字松堂

(Wang En-p'u)

Mr. Wong Soong-dong was born at Ningpo, Chekiang province, in 1854. He came to Shanghai at an early age and received his education in that port. In 1871 he joined the staff at the American Consulate, Shanghai, as shroff and has served as compradore in the disbursing office of the Consulate under sixteen Consuls-General, being the oldest and only Chinese consular officer in the U. S. service in China. Mr. Wong has seen many changes in Shanghai and in the U. S. consular work since the time he joined the staff. At that time there were few foreign houses and the U. S. Consulate was located in the old Japanese Consular buildings, now a godown at 36 Whangpoo Road. Later the consulate removed to Kiukiang Road and then to its present location at 12 Whangpoo Road. Mr. Wong said there have been great changes from the time when they rented their buildings, which were only valued at Tls. 8,000 and now when the land is worth Tls. 60,000 and the buildings are government owned. Mr. Wong is the father of six sons, has eight grandsons, and two great-grandsons. He now resides with Mrs. Wong at 14 Morrison Road. One of Mr. Wong's sons, Homer Wong, who received his education at St. John's University, is Deputy Director General of Posts at Peking and another Yates Wong, former interpreter at the U. S. Consulate-General, is now with the Canton-Hankow Railway. It was during the year of 1879 when General Grant was on a tour of the world that Mr. Wong met General Grant in Shanghai and acted as his escort to the various nearby Chinese towns. When General Grant departed from Shanghai he gave to the young Chinese gentleman, who had escorted him a solid gold American eagle emblem, which Mr. Wong has worn as a watch charm these many years. Mr Wong is also the recipient of an engraved silver cup which was donated by the consular authcrities to him for his remarkable record of fifty years of service for the government of the United States. The cup was presented by M. F. Perkins, acting Consul-General in 1921. Since the time of Mr. Wong's connectior with the U. S. Consulate the following Consuls-General have served at the Shanghai post; G. F. Seward, 1871-1876; W. Willis, 1876-1877; L. H. Bailey, 1877-1880; T. Mylers, 1880-1883; J, Stohel; 1883-1886; J. D. Kennedy, 1886-1889; J. A. Leonard, 1889-1893; 0. N. Denning, 1893-1898; W. Smithers, 1895-1897; T. R. Jernigan, 1896-189; J. Goodnow, 1899-1904; C. Denby, 1904-1906; J. L. Rodgers, 1906-1909; A. P. Wilder, 1909-1914; T. Sammons, 1914-1919; and E. S. Cunningham 1919-to the present.