The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-20
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC }. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D.. @.
MATCHING CHINA CHANGE.

landing?
This seems to be indicated by her
new policies. Walls of old cities are
torn down; congested districts are be-
ing transformed into broad streets and
parks; education is changing to suit
the demand for a new culture in
which what is best in western thought
is to be freely adopted Ancient
superstitions and the gods of yesterday
are rapidly being discarded under
broadening educational influences
chiefly American. China within the
walls was stepped in mystery, buried
in orientalism. The "Flowery Re
public today stands on the rem
nants of its walls and looks back at
old China dE the ancient customs
change and progressive China energies.
From city to city the wall destroy
ing move has travelled until it has at
last rachel Canton. Nowhere are
changes more strikingly apparent than
in this, the ancient metropolis OF
South China, the second largest non
Christian city in the world Known
as Yang Chin-the City of Rams
Canton is from a commercial stand
point the New York of China. One
| of the chief manufacturing cities of
! the country, hundreds of articles OF
merchandise are turned OUT silks,
embroideries, jade, blackwoodi furnl-
ture, carved ivory, cloissonne. lacquer
ware, idols. incense and fans Pottery
manufa in Canton is exported
| to nearly every country in the world.
| Exquisite small ornaments are made
! from the brilliant feathers of the king
| fisher bird; rich brocades are woven
I into oriental patterns by the hand
loom. The majority of the industries
are carried on by trade guilds some of
which have whole districts devoted to
| the production of their respective
wares. One most interesting section
| for visitors is the factory district
/ oh, &c
| located. Here are fashioned for occi-
dental eyes, tables and chairs of teak
wood carved in beautiful and strange
designs. The carver is proud of the
! fact that his ancestors worked in the
same shop, with the same tools, long
| coming to China. Near the chair
carver will sometimes sit an idol
! carver putting the finishing touches
on his image, preparing it for its coat
| ing of gilt. Yet, side by side with
this ancient handiwork may now be
seen some of the modern machinery
of the twentieth century Thus Can
ton becomes a sample of Chinas sharp
contrasts; constant forging ahead of
the new over the old, the first step in
the march of progress being the de-
struction of the restricting walls
Influencing Public Spirit.
AS the great mass of Cinnamon are
totally lacking in what Americans
know as public spirit, and are closely
bound together by family ties and ira
diuons, the progressive modern Off
Gals had to prepare public sentiment
for the physical changes such as the
destruction of these ancient walls and
the Strengthening of streets. The lat
ter was tremendous undertaking.
Old Canton is made up of hundreds
of small twisted streets or alleyWays
each darker than the other, allowing
OUI w n iYler kof oh
and crooked they were made at this
time in order that evil spirits in pur-
suit could not travel in a straight but
must Zigzag around corners. High
above these six-foot streets, mere
strip of sky shows between overlap
ping balconies and signs. and thru the
narrow passageway a babeling human
ity flows. Thru it floats the odor of
burning fish and sewerage, shoulder
ing joss sticks, the bouquet of ancient
remains of skinned dogs and rats Of
fered for sale. The visitor notes the
fatuous titles of the streets thru which
he has passed: the Street of Refresh
ing Breezes, and the Street of Nine
Fold Brightness. The Street of Ten
Thousand Grandsons is more aptly
named.
Against this ingrowing spirit of de-
votion to old methods, ways and
places, the more progressive of the
controlling powers have at last made
appreciate Roadway. Public spirit is
to a large degree adjusted and Canton
now boasts of several broad highways,
graded and macadamized, over six
miles OF paved avenues and one large
park beautiful in occidental manner.
Thus has occidental push" arrived
and the wealth of Canton, at the pres
emit time, may even discard the calm
of a sedan chair and revel in the speed
of a modern flivver.
Other improvements are under
way. The famous City of the Dead
with all its weird rituals and cere-
monies will soon be transformed. For
years the Cantonese have buried their
dead in the land surrounding the city.
"A recent authority places the graves
within the present city limits at 49,,
900, 900. The Chinese have the great
est reverence and worship for the
buried it is a sacrilege to .distrub
them. The far reaching effect of the ]
new forward movement can best be
appreciated when it is known the de-
cree has gone forth by the youthful
city fathers that the necessities of the
living outweigh the claim of the dead. !
The collins are being dug up on an
average of 20, 900 a month, and soon
Canton will add more miles to her
broad macadam streets.
Young China and the New Culture.
The young officials whose orders |
are magicaky transforming China are
said in some quarters to have modelled |
the Young China" party after MAJ
zini's Italy party-that their cry is |
save, transform, rejuvenate China. On |
the other>hand the charge is brought |
against them that they are returned |
students, men who have come in con- |
tact with the obstructive" influences
of western civilization. In this fluid |
mass known as "Y Dung China" largely |
composed of returned students there /
are two elements of western influence. |
One is composed of those who have /
had the benefit OF education at Amer |
lean universities and are therefore in |
cnlcated With American principles; |
the other, of those who al Ter the |
Russo-Japanese war flocked to Japan /
to study, or who, living there as refu- |
gees imbibed its influence and culture |
beyond that of any absorbed in the |
west. The new culture movement is /
made up to a large extent of Amerf- |
canized Chinese and Japanese Chinese |
with VARYING aspirations for western /