Page 133 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

Akow & Company was actually a successful entrepreneurial comprador from Canton who set up in Hong Kong
in the very early days of the colony after the signing of the Treaty of Nanking. The close interaction with ships
and shipping merchants that Avow had obviously caused the somewhat short-lived foray into high quality silver
making - the main money, however, came from opium and was known to have worked in conjunction with
Jardine Matheson & Company in supplying its ships and a lucrative sideline in opium to the burgeoning market
in California.

Akow & Company was also known to have run a hotel in Canton for foreigners which was patronised by Jardine
Matheson & Company and Dent and Company. Compradors had already achieved almost god-like status with
Western merchants such as Matheson and the Alericans at Dent. A good comprador was a treasure for life.

Although not in the same league or class as the Cantonese hong merchant Chinam [Chienam] who made a big
initial presence in Hong Kong, Akow & Company had premises above shops at the corner of Queen’s Road and
Pottinger Street and was run by one Cheung Kam-cheong who was resident in Hong Kong and one of the five
partners in the firm. Cheung Kam-cheong tried his hand unsuccessfully at speculative real estate transacting
and was forced to sell the Queen’s Road premises in 1850. The last recorded activity of Avow was in 1855.

There is no current evidence that as a retail silversmith, AKOW operated after 1855.

Akow eventually was sent to Yokohama as Jardine Matheson’s comprador to help set up their business there,
going with one shroff, one cook and two ‘coolies’. He became one of the most important comprador link-men in
Japan and remained there until 1865 when he fell ill and recommended a fellow Cantonese merchant, Sow-no,
as his successor. We do know, however, from numerous correspondences between Avow & Co and Jardine
Matheson. that Akow was a dynastic line of Chinese compradors that were well-trusted by Jardines.

In 1866, Akow returned to Canton after his illness, he was instrumental in advising Jardine to ship Swatow sugar
and Neuchang peas to Japan as well as bring Japanese silk and tea into China. Two-way trade was quite
innovative at this early stage of the China Trade.

Images courtesy of Bonhams, Los Angeles;

http://chinese-export-silver.com Image Library Archive