China - Shipping houseflags

Last modified: 2005-03-19 by phil nelson
Keywords: china | shipping | houseflag |
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• Cho Yang (Hong Kong and China)
• China Merchant's Group
• China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO)

• China

China Merchant Steam Navigation Company

The China Merchants Group still exists. Nowadays it has its headquarters in Hong Kong, and it has a website (www.cmhk.com). Its history page (available only in Chinese) lists the important events throughout the company's 130-year history. Here I will quote only a few relevant ones.

• 1872 - Dec 26: China Merchant Steam Navigation Company established with the approval of the Imperial Government.
• 1873 - July: CMSNC changed its flag from the 'twin fish-dragon flag' to the red flag with 'the yellow moon'.
• 1884 - July 29: Sino-French War broke out. CMSNC 'sold' its fleet to an American sister company to allow the ships to sail under the neutral US Flag.
• 1885 - May 17: The 'sold' ships reverted to flying the CMSNC Flag.
• 1951 - Feb 1: CMSNC was 'communized' to become Chinese People's Shipping Company. [The website does not say this, but the house flag would thereafter be a white-red-white horizontal tricolour with a yellow star between yellow zig-zags (three layers of 'M's on each side) in the red.]
• Feb 14: The Hong Kong branch petitioned the head office to retain the name CMSNC.
• Mar 15: The head office approved the retaining of the name CMSNC in Hong Kong.
• 1980 - Jan 8: The shipping branch of CMSNC was renamed Hong Kong Ming Wah Shipping Company.
• 1985 - Nov 12: CMSNC renamed China Merchants Group.
• 1988 - Mar 25: China Merch