Evening star., 1948-09-06
China christian General Dies
In Fire Aboard Russian Ship
Feng Yu-hsione Was
On Way to Meeting
With Foes of Chang
By the As,oejotsd Press

BY the Assoeiotsd Press
MOSCOW, Sept. 6.-The death OF
Gen. Feng Yu-hsiang, ST, China S
Christian general" in fire aboard
a Russian ship, was announced in
the Moscow press yesterday.
The burly former war lord and a
daughter were among the victims of
a fire aboard the Russian motorship
Pobeda en- eroute from New York
to Odessa. The newspapers PraVda
and Izvestia said the fire resulted
from careless handling of motion
picture film.
Gn Hong Kong, Marshall Ii
Chi-sen, a leader of anti-Chiang
Kai-shek forces. said he was
shocked" at the news of Gen.
Feng's death. He said if the re-
port were true 1T was a great
loss to the democratic movement
in China. He told the ASSoci-
ated Press he would have no
public statement until he received
official confirmation of Gen.
Feng's death)
Gen. Feng was understood to be
on his way to North China to meet
with Communist and non-Com-
munist enemies of the Chang Kai-
shek government. He broke with
Gen. Chang while in the United
States last year.
The government ordered him back
from the United States after he had
criticized the administration bit
terly. He refused to go. When he
left New York, he said he planned
Ito help overthrow" the Chinese
government.
Gen. Feng, follower of DR.. Sun
Yat-Sen, entered the Koumintang
20 years ago. He held several i'm
portant posts, including that OF
war minister.
Played Picturesque Role.
During his career he played one
of China's most picturesque ano
ruggedly powerful roles on the
politico-military stage.
He was born of humble parents
in 1881 in the province of Anhui. He
received virtually no schooling anc
joined the mercenary troops of the
Manchu empire as a common sol.
dier at the age of 18.
Rising step by step, in 1913 he
was commander of a brigade which
was one of the most formidable units
of the Chinese Army. BY 1918 he
had become the right hand man o1
WI Pei-fy, the dominant member
of the northern military group, was
made successfully governor of the
provinces of Shensi and Honan anc
aided WI in the 1922 war between
the Chilli and Manchurian forces
Thereafter he became the bis
question mark. of almost every sit.
uation that arose in the civil war!
of the following decade. He turnee
on WI and espoused the Manchur,
ian cause of old Chang Tso-lin
broke with the latter and aidec
the nationalists under Chang tt
drive Chang out of Peiping tt
a tragic death on the outskirts o.
Mukden; fell out with the Nankine
administration and was defeated
after a bloody campaign against
his former chief; retired to a mon.
astery and emerged in 1882 as one
of the dominant figures in the
movement for an united China
which resulted from Japan's attack
on Shanghai in 1922.
Was Enigma to China.
Even to his own people Gen. Fene
always was an enigma and foreign
ers found it difficult to decide
whether he was hypocrite or, be.
cause of sheer force of character
head and shoulders above his fel.
lows.
One of the most controversial
points concerned his adoption o.
Christianity. After his baptism int
the Methodist faith in 1913 he con.
verted his soldiers and soon hi,
troops were marching to "Onwart
Christian Soldiers" Smoking, gamb
ling and all forms of loose livin,
were forbidden and daily attendanc,
at prayer meetings was part of hi
army's routine.
He became "the Christian general
and his troops achieved a reputation