1861-1870 The China Trade

1861 Entering the China trade

John Samuel Swire began to trade with China after the outbreak of the American Civil War started to disrupt imports of raw cotton from the Southern States – a mainstay of his trade at this time.

1866 Formation of Butterfield & Swire

John Samuel Swire established Butterfield & Swire in Shanghai, in partnership with Richard Shackleton Butterfield. Initially trading in tea and silk and British imports of cotton and woollen “piece goods”, Butterfield & Swire also became an agent in China for a number of UK businesses, including leading insurance and shipping companies – most notably, the Blue Funnel Line, for which Swire was Far Eastern manager for over 120 years. In keeping with local tradition, John Samuel Swire chose a Chinese "hong" name for the company, and it is by the name Taikoo (太古) - meaning "Great and Ancient" – that Swire is most widely known in Asia today.

Inside Story

1867

Butterfield & Swire opens a branch office in Yokohama

1868 London headquarters

John Swire & Sons transferred its head office to London and John Samuel Swire dissolved his partnership with R.S. Butterfield. Nevertheless, Swire’s Asian offices kept the name Butterfield & Swire into the 1970s.

1870

Butterfield & Swire opens a branch office in Hong Kong