Chinese cigarette case

[Ubaranda]

Hello!
I'm interesting what the hieroglyphs on the lid of this Chinese cigarette case and on the stamp mean.
Thanks in advance.

[shikiamondo]

The characters on the front is a phonetically translated name, which sounds like "Mary Jane Nicoli / Niccoli"
maker's mark Lain Chang (active in Shanghai c. 1900)
artisan mark 廣記 GuangJi

Hope that helps,
Connor

[Ubaranda]

Hello Connor!
Many thanks for your reply but I have a new question.
I found on the Internet that maker Guang Ji worked in Hong Kong and Lain Chang was known in Shanghai. Could this really happen?
Regards/ Alex.

[shikiamondo]

Hello Connor!
Many thanks for your reply but I have a new question.
I found on the Internet that maker Guang Ji worked in Hong Kong and Lain Chang was known in Shanghai. Could this really happen?
Regards/ Alex.

Hello Alex,

My apologies, Lain Chang shouldn't be put as "maker's mark", it should be "Retailer's mark" and Guangji as artisan mark, not sure if that makes more sense.

Connor

[Ubaranda]

The distance between Hong Kong and Shanghai is about 1500 km. Was Lain Chang really buying products for sale that far away?

[dognose]

The distance between Hong Kong and Shanghai is about 1500 km. Was Lain Chang really buying products for sale that far away?

Why not? They are both seaports so easy transportation between the two locations. Chinese Export Silver was being imported into the UK by this time and that's half the world away.

Trev.

[Adrien von Ferscht]

Of the 18 recorded artisan workshops collaborating with LAIN CHANG, 11 workshops based in either Canton or Hong Kong were regularly supplying.
LAIN CHANG & COMPANY [aka LC & CO] 璉璋 [pinyin LIAN ZHANG][jyutping LIN ZOENG][hakka LIEN ZONG][hokkien LIAN CHIONG][shanghaihua LI TSAON] SHANGHAI

[Ubaranda]

Hello Adrien von Ferscht!
Many thanks for your interesting and useful information!
Regards. Alex.