The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-27
BY ALAN CALMER

CHINESE DESTINIES. Sketches OF
Present-Day China. BY Agnes Sned-
ley. The Vanguard Press. $500.
This book is important as history
and ss literature. AS a chronicle
Of life in China today, it is perhaps
the only bookful Of realistic sketches
in English depicting the white terror
Of the Kuomintang reaction and the
revolutionary struggle of the Chinese
Soviets. Unlike other American wo-
men who have written books on
China, Agnes Smedley does not stand
within the walls Of the white settle
mentS, peering down at the inferior
race through lorgnette. She goes
where foreigners fear to tread.
Guided by the outlook of Lsninism,
she sees events from the point of
view Of the Chinese masses.
The difference between Chinese
Destinies" and typical studies of
China like those by Mrs. Alice Hobart
(the wife Of an American merchant
operating in that country is i'm
.mediately apparent. Agnes Smedley
presents an illuminating picture Of
such people in her sketch, 1.-THE
Foreigner In China" THE chief
complaint heard everywhere from
foreigners" she writes, "is that the
Chinese fail TO recognize that the
most important thing in China is
the life, property and welfare of the
foreigners. The life, property and
welfare Of Chinese is never men
toned"
Welfare Of Foreigners
In another sketch included in
Chinese Destinies" she illustrates
this by a description of an English
officer who runs amuck in the streets
Of Shanghai. Nobody was threat
ening him in any way, yet he dashed
like a mad animal, constantly blow
ing a shrill police whistle which he
held between his teeth. He struck
everything Chinese-boys, girls, men
and women" A Chinese child hides
behind Smedley to escape the long
club Of the law ARE you in need
of help?" the armed foreigners shout
to her. Don't you know you are
in danger? These Chinese are beat
ing up foreigners"
There is something quotable in al
most every paragraph Of Chinese
Destinies," something on every page
which reveals the livid character of
the class struggle in China. In the
book are snapshots Of everyday life
in imperialist sections of the country
like "a Moving Picture Of Shanghai"
and Marking; stories of oppression
like LESS Than the dust" and "Scorn
Money and Fear Not Death" There
is a breezy sketch, Mosquitoes
Turned Guerilla Warriors" dealing
with the Illegal Chinese press; and
note on an ancient Song of Suf-
fering" that has been transformed
into "a revolutionary song, a song
retaining part of the original words
But the rest of it is a story OF
the revolution which the people built
but which was betrayed by the
Kuomintsng.
Some Of the sketches in this vol.
ume, like The Revolt of the Human
Miners" and ''The Fall of Shangpo"
are epics Of the struggle of the revo-
lutionary Chinese masses. Social
studies Of the rebellious peasantry
like Peasants and Lords in China
and Among the Peasants of Kwang-
tung;;" character sketches Of noble
women revolutionists like "Shan-Fei.
Communist" and THE Dedicated; :"
stirring stories Of the Chinese Com
munist movement like "a Red Army"
and "The Five Years"-au of these
belong to the imperishable literature
Of the international working class.
They are written in simple yet
distinguished style that makes the
biblical poeSy of Pearl Buck (whose