1872 Paddle Steamers on the Yangtze

Corporate
Marine Services
CNCo postcard showing Yangtze steamer, Kinling, launched in 1904
Painting of Tunsin
Yangtze Gorge travel poster in 1930s
CNCo steamship schedule in 1937

John Swire & Sons established The China Navigation Company ("CNCo"), initially operating Mississippi-style paddle steamers on China's Yangtze River - a vital link with the country's interior at a time when there were few roads. CNCo's vessel, Tunsin, was the first of many to sail under the CNCo flag. Within a few years, the company was also operating ships on the China coast, before spreading its network of services further afield to Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia.

1870 1868 1867 1866 1861 1854 1847 1816 1882 1882 1898 1907 1910-40 1941-45 1946 1946 1947 1948 1948 1950 1952-58 1959 1959 1965 1965 1966 1972 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1985-86 1986 1987 1989 1990 1993 1994 1994 1996 1996 1998 1999 2002 2002 2005 2006 2008 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012-15 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2017 2017 2018 2019 2020