Posted by AC-B on November 17, 2008 at 21:52:01 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: Well, I'm not at all surprised... posted by Peter H on November 17, 2008 at 17:27:58:
That would have been Shanghai - Tianjin and then by train to Tianjin.
The CNCo coastal passenger service between Shanghai and Tianjin would have been operated by the 1,765 tons Shenking, Shuntien, Fengtien and Tungchow in the late 20's - each carried 23 First Class, 64 Second Class and 160 Third Class passengers (the latter were "deck" passengers) at the dizzy speed of 12 knots. In 1931 these were replaced by two turbine engined ice class 3,000 tonners, also called Shenking and Shuntien. The service was seasonal as Tianjin froze in the winter - well, it still does, but the vast modern port is kept open with icebreakers. I have not seen the book you refer to but if AR was travelling near the Spring Festival holiday, as his reference to the dragon skin suggests, everything would be fully booked, then as now.