As a young man with an adventurous spirit and not much else, I had the opportunity to start a business in Swatow, on the south China coast. That bustling city is not on the map anymore; the name has been changed to Shantou. The late 1930s was not exactly the perfect time to start this enterprise. The Japanese were moving down along the China coast after their Manchurian takeover, and war was looming in Europe. Obviously, there was a notable lack of recreational opportunities for a lonesome Westerner. Having little else to do with my spare time, one day I wandered into an antique shop and browsed. My eye was caught by a blue-and-white porcelain plate and bowl. The owner identified them as 16th century "Swatow" ware. These were not Imperial porcelains by any means, but I liked them and bought them. That was the way it so innocently started.--S. Herzman