Background
Mr. Yu Lu-chiang was born at Huichow, Anhui province in 1847. Up to his 13th year he was a refugee at eleven different places on account of the Taiping Rebellion.
Mr. Yu Lu-chiang was born at Huichow, Anhui province in 1847. Up to his 13th year he was a refugee at eleven different places on account of the Taiping Rebellion.
When 13 years old Mr. Yu went to Jiangxi to be an apprentice in a piece goods shop. The following year he came to Shanghai to join an oil factory in Pootung, which calling did not, however, prove to be attractive enough for him and he came to the Settlement to serve as accountant for a piece goods shop and later for a pawn shop.
In 1871 Mr. Yu became manager of the Fan An Pawn Ship on Nanking and Chihli Roads of which he remained the active head. Besides this he controls three other big pawn shops in Shanghai: The Fan Kong, Jen Dah and Chi Chang.
In spite of his age, Mr. Yu was very active. Although limited in his educational qualifications during childhood, he had an ardent desire for culture, being intensively interested in art and calligraphy. Some of his drawings and writings were much prized by his friends. In 1920, upon the request of his friends, Mr. Yu compiled a book on his life.
He took a great interest among other things in the conservancy of the Hwai River which has such vital effect upon the prosperity of Anhui. For this reason he sent his youngest son, M. T. Yu, a graduate from the Tangshan Engineering College, to Europe and America in 1923 to make a special study of waterway conservancy in foreign countries. Besides scholarly discussions on the necessity of the Hwai River Conservancy, Mr. Yu’s book discussed Morality and Militarism as well as the need of Self Determination in China.
Mr. Yu was chairman of the Chinese Pawn Brokers’ Guild, Shanghai and director of the Anhui Provincial Guild, Shanghai.