ASIAWALKINGTOURS

Charles Gordon - This young British Army Engineering officer arrived in China in 1860. His first assignment was to supervise foreign troops as they looted the Summer Palace in Beijing. Then he travelled to Tianjin to design the new roads for the emerging British Concession. Finally, he was given command of Chinese troops against the Taiping rebel armies in central China. His soldiers were victorious and the British press dubbed him "Chinese Gordon."

Rev. John Innocent - This British missionary was another early arrival in Tianjin. In 1863 he arranged to take a long term lease on river-side property and built a simple hotel, called "The Mud House." Its hospitality business was successful and the building went through several renovations. Soon it was renamed the Astor House Hotel. The Astor Hotel still occupies that same historic location and is the oldest foreign managed hotel in China.

Herbert Hoover - This capable American mining engineer and his bride, Lou Hoover, arrived in Tianjin in 1899. His job was to develop coal mines for the British. In the chaos that was the Boxer Rebellion (1900) Hoover consolidated British coal properties and added large Chinese fields in Tangshan to create the British-owned Kailuan Coal Company. After leaving China he saw continuing success as a mining advisor in many countries. In 1928 he was elected President of the USA.