John Jientsu Yuan was a native of Shangyu, Shaoshing, though born at Shanghai in the year 1884. His father, Yuan Chung-chow, a scholar, was the first manager of the SinWan Pao. His grandfather, the well-known Juan Kiu-ling, was a very prominent merchant during the latter half of the 19th century.
Mr. Yuan was educated in Tung Wen college.
After graduation Mr. Yuan acted as an assistant of his teacher, Charles Budd, for half a year and then at the age of twenty he joined the insurance department of Jardins, Matheson & Company Ltd. as a clerk. The following winter he went to Hankow as managing proprietor of Cent Kee Cotton Company and at the same time took charge of the transportation business of Jardine, Matheson & Co., along the Yangtze River.
In 1911 Mr. Yuan went to Chungking and took up the position of Chinese shipping superintendent of Jardine, Matheson & Co. in Sichuan. Having no foreign staff then at Sichuan, he acted as their sole representative. That same year revolution broke out in China and Mr. Yuan was entrusted by he British Consul, Mr. Brown, to arrange for vessels to send all foreign residents at Chungking and Chengtu down to Ichang. In 1912 he returned to Hankow.
In 1913, Mr. Yuan’s father died so he had to come back to Shanghai. The following year he was elected to serve on the committee of the Transportation Companies Guild. In 1916 he promoted the Tuh Yu Steamship Company, Ltd. with a capital of $170,000. In 1918 he was elected to the committee of the Shaoshing Guild.
In 1920 Mr. Yuan went to Hankow on business and during a short stay there he completed the organization of the Hankow Branch of the Shaoshing Guild. In June of the same year, with Dr. T. Wang and Sung Han-chang organized the Chinese Ratepayers’ Association. He was elected as one of the directors.
In the winter he organized the Yangtze Gorge Steam Navigation Company (capital $150,000), of which he was elected a director. In the spring of 1921 he promoted and organized the Central Trust Company (capital three million dollars) tand was appointed vice-president.
In order to concentrate all his attention on the development and welfare of the latter company, Mr. Yuan given up all his other positions and devoted all his time to the Central Trust Co. It was through his and the president of the company, Mr. Yen’s, energetic management, that the Central Trust Company gained its wide and deserved fame and credit.
That same year he was also elected director of the Kofa Aereated Water Company (capital $150,000). In 1922 he was appointed chairman of the business committee of the Chinese and Foreign Famine Relief Society for the Chekkiang Famine Relief fund. He obtained for the society a total subscription of $1,009,252 with an expense of only $4,896.28. That same year he was also elected business director of the Chinese Ratepayers’ Association and a member of the Arbitration Board of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.
