The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-27
The Struggles of the Chinese
Soviets Told in Outstanding
Book on Present-Da China
Agnes Smedley's Chinese Destinies" Surpasses
All Other Recent Volumes Written
by Americans on China

SugdICOdLeQ novels OF Sl4Ild are
gohbled up in hundreds of thousands
of copies in this country appear
forced and affected. 1t Is TO be re-
GREETED that these sketches, gathered
together in what is today an expen-
sive volume, are inaccessible to most
workers in this country.
A Story of Soviet China
Perhaps some small idea Of the
power and beauty Of this book can
be obtained by means Of a bald sum-
mary Of one Of these sketches. We
select THE Fall Of Shangpo," q story
Of Soviet China. TO a million
peasants Of south KiangSi the very
name of Shangpo was a thing Of
evil. There were other walled cities
just like 1t in Kiangsi and other
provinces, to be sure, but this know
ledge gave no comfort. For within
these city walls lived the great land
lords, the eighteen powerful families
who owned the hundreds Of thou
sands Of mau Of land around the
hundreds of decaying villages" "As
the homes Of the great landlords
were magnificent, 50 was it but
natural that the villages were piles
Of mud and stone held together by
rotten tinbers, sides Of rusty tins.
and old dirty rags. The village
streets were open sewers in which
pigs and naked children with scabby
heads played. Debt weighted upon
the peasant families like the corpse
Of dead centuries"
In the spring Of 1929, the Red Army
Of China marched toward the strong
hold of Shangpo. When the land
lords learned Of it, they Immediately
lowered the rents of the peasants
and warned them against the coming
bandits" The peasants soon learned
that it was not bandit army; yet
they were fearful Of joining it. Sup
pose the White troops we're sent
against them? Contented by the
lowering OF their rents, the peasants
would not rise against their land
lords, ard at last the Red Army
marched away.
No sooner had they departed, then
the landlords brought back the old
land rents. The peasants pleaded
with the landowners, but when the
time c9rae, the armed forces OF the
lords took their old shares of the
harvest. 2evolts were quickly wiped
cut
The Red Army Comes Again
In tee autumn Of 1881, the Red
Arnv again stood before the walls
of Shsngpo.' No longer were they
ragged. but wore uniforms land caps
with q red star in front" "And
instead OF fleeing within the walls
Of ShGngpo, the peasants now hocked
to the rcd standard in such num-
bers that it seemed the earth had
erupted and thrown up myriads of
desperate ragged men and women"
Finally Shangpo fell, and the peas
lords. When the Red Army tried
to take the prisoners into their own
hands, the peasants refused, claim
ing them as their own. AS they
have slaughtered our brothers, so viii
we slaughter them' they cried"
six weeks after the fall Of
Shangpo, delegates were elected to
go to the first All-China Soviet Con-
greSS in Shuikin The bread
shouldered men stuck the little red
banners deeper into the bundles.
laughing, then lifted them at the
ends of bamboo carrying poles over
their shoulders, and with enthusi-
astic cries of farewell began their
long, slow rhythmic run that would
take them over the ranges OF the
hills and mountains and through the
valleys to PARKWAY Sl1utkin.
I'm such manner, by such means.
in such strange times. did the peas
ants and workers of Shangpo become
masters OF their own lives"