Evening star., 1949-04-09
Many formosans Find
Chinese Rule Harder
Than That Under Japs
By Albert aovsnhols
Foreign css+s.ss~s~as 81 re seef ere
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TAIPEH. Formosa. April e.
Japan got the atomic bomb and
a United States Army Of Oceupa-
tion, FormoSa got the Chinese
''Liberators ForrnoSans nov
would like 10 trade places with
Japan.
That popular saying expresses
the bitter disappointment Of the
Foyrnosans ga years after Chi
nese troops first arrived in Amert-
can ships and planes 10 dtSaym
the japanese.
Formosan contempt and hatred
for their new rulers has become
especially intense durine the last
five months as the number Of
Chinese tiocking over from the
mainland increased 10 roughly
half million 1t has now reached
q point where the Formosans say
they don't care much what comes.
but they must have change
Chinese Were Popular.
After the war the Chinese
started OF here with enormous
good will among the Formosan
people. During their so years OF
Japanese occupation the Formo-
sans had come to look TO China
as their only hope. But the Chi
nese government made the mis-
take OF sending here a group OF
administrators whom the Formo-
sans describe as "Carpetbaggers AZ
Under the Japanese the For-
mosans had been accustomed 10
a police rule. FormoSanS were
segregated into their own schools
Many professions were barred to
them. japanese held ell important
posts in the government and ruth
lessly put down all attempts at
cultural and political expression
The result was a Formosan SEN
Grafton which lacked political and
administrative experience,
But the japanese while ex-
plotting the island also provided
Formosans with economic security
and a standard Of living much
higher than that OF the common
people in China. japanese In
dustrial development OF the islend
opened limited careers In techr!-
cal fields to young Formosans
japanese scientists helped For
mosan farmers raise production OF
rice. sugar and other key crops TO
levels never achieved In China
the surplus food was needed 10
feed Japan's growing industrial
and war machine.
Changes Soon Noted.
Chinese administrators who ar
rived here with Gov. Chen VI in
l945 organized the former Jap
anese syndicates into island wide
monopolies. In many cases they
absorbed or squeezed out Formosa
firms. Frequently friends and re-
latives of Chinese officials were
given Jobs with little regard for
their qualifications. Formosai.s
say the worst of the lot were the
men from their own island who
years before had gone TO the
mainland and become Kuomintans
Party officials and now returned
with the Chinese.
A small number OF Chinese. par
ticularly the engineers and some
Of the educators. tried to work for
the welfare of Formosa. They
reorganized the Formosan school
system and began teaching Man
darian instead Of japanese. They
abolished the Jap-established ia
boos. Like the engineers. the edu-
Gators tried TO rebuild the wreck
age left by American bombers.
But they were hampered by lack
of funds and support from q
Chinese Nationalist government
more concerned with fighting q
civil war on the mainland.
In an effort 70 gather In all
possible foreign exchange the
Chinese government exported
Formosa's salable commodities
But they failed TO provide for the
import of cloth and other essen
tiaI consumer goods formerly sup
piled by Japan. The result was
that Formosans had steadily fewer
Jobs. less 70 eat and less 10
wear. Meanwhile. the Formosans
watched Chinese officials enrich
ing themselves by grabbing former
japanese goods sand property.
Formosans Critical.
Formosans say the Chinese ad-
ministration has brought q gen.
erai breakdown in morals among
their people. with increasing petty
theft and robbery. AS one Of
them explained. certainly. some
Of the Japanese officials enriched
themselves. But they were q mi
nority and 1t was done quietly
without public sanction. Nov
bribery and graft are taken for
granted In dealing with officials
and 1t has affected our whole
society
As the ForTnosans see IL. many
Of the Ills that broke the back OF
Nationalist China have come TO
roost on their island. They have
no ready-u1ade cures for them
selves and their future. But an
ts,rrezsfr1c number Of the 500 600