Research is being undertaken by members of the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia and the Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong Branch, into the life of Samuel Cornell Plant (1866-1921).
Born in Norfolk, England, he went to sea, served in Mesopotamia and, in 1900, went to China where he researched and charted the Yangtze Rapids. Eventually he became senior inspector of the Upper Yangtze with the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs.
Little is known of Captain A C Plant's (newspaper accounts sometimes give these initials) early life and nothing of his two adopted, Chinese daughters. Nor is it known whether the nine-metre pink granite obelisk, erected in his memory at Xintan, still stands, whether it will disappear under the flood waters of the Yangtze Gorges Project or whether, if the former is true, there is any way of moving or preserving the memorial.
Samuel and Alice Plant both died en route from Shanghai to England, in 1921. They are buried in Happy Valley.
Additional information or suggested leads for further research would be appreciated. They can be sent to me at 15C Venice Court, Realty Gardens, 41 Conduit Road, Hong Kong. Fax - 2576-6472.
Dr DAN WATERS President Royal Asiatic Society
