An exhibition featuring industrial trademarks from old factories along the Suzhou Creek opened yesterday at the cultural activity center of Changshou community in Putuo District, part of the 2007 Putuo Culture and Arts Festival.

More than 300 exhibits are on show, including the trademarks of 49 famous city industrial enterprises, all of them donated by 10 Shanghai collectors.

"Suzhou Creek in Putuo District is the origin of the brilliance of Shanghai industry. More than 700 factories have been established here, and especially between the end of the 19th century and 1930s, many factories were built by Chinese industrialists," said Huang Zhenbing, vice chairman of the Putuo District Collectors' Association, which co-organized the exhibition.

Most of the exhibits were contributed by 50-year-old Huang, who began collecting trademarks more than 30 years ago. All of the match boxes and match trademarks in the exhibition were provided by him.

"I began collecting match boxes when I was a middle school student," Huang said. He spends a good deal of his time traveling around the city looking for treasures in curio markets.

Huang is especially proud of one of his contributions - a bond receipt from the Dayouyu Oil Pressing Co Ltd which was established in 1889 and was the first national vegetable oil company in Shanghai.

Other items such as coins and paper money from more than 50 years ago are intriguing visitors.

The first set of paper money issued soon after the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 was provided by Xu Henggao, vice chairman of the Xuhui District Collectors' Association.

Xu is proud of his copy of a Washon electric fan. The Washon Electric Fan Manufacturing Company was founded in 1916 and was the first manufacturer of electric fans in China.

(Shanghai Daily October 18, 2007)