Evening star., 1954-11-01

lecture center outside Peiping
which dominates a bare land
scape with its towering Russian
architecture. Though hard
pressed for transport, the Pei
ping municipality runs special
buses there with workers and
school children who may discard
the tasteleSs Russian art exhibi-
tion but certainly admire Soviet
machinery on view there. A
touring exhibition OF Russian in
duStrial machinery was q roar
ing success here and has moved
On to Shanghai and Canton.
Peiping's most modern and
biggest hospital is run by the
Soviet Red Cross and contains
latest Russian equipment from
modern surgery to natural
cure" installations. Here the
teachings of Paylov, foundations
Of Soviet medicine, are taught
and 200 beds are divided into
private or serniprivate rooms.
English Language Returning.
The English language is re-
turning into use after Russian
enjoyed an unchallenged ascend
ancy. For years Chinese govern
ment officials would not speak
English. Some still maintain this
attitude and one who for days I
had to address through an inter-
prefer suddenly revealed his ia
miliarity with English when he
corrected the translator on an
obscure and technical phrase.
During Nehru's visit Premier
Chou En-lai spoke English and
even translated 4. ID
But at the state banquet
Chou's speech was translated
into four languages including
Russian. Nehru, on the other
hand. spoke first In Hindu. then
in English which he reportedly
speaks better, but did not have
his words rendered in Russian.
Peiping's streets, like those Of
other cities. rumble to the pas
sage Of large and very well con-
structed East European buses
and Russian cars. I watched
children identifying different
makes Of cars at an auto exhibi-
ton and for them the most popu-
lar makes were the Russian zis,
the Polish Warsawa and Czech
Skodas and Terraplanes.
Comics Mostly Chinese.
Children's comics, on the other
hand, are almost purely Chinese
in the tales they tell. Most seen
are picture stories of the Chinese
guerrilla armies fight against
japanese invaders. Newspapers
and magazines emphasize Chi
llese affairs with a dash of Soviet
news, apart from the usual long
columns reporting greetings and
the exchange of delegations be-
tween the peoples democracies.
I got my most forcible impress
sion Of Russian influence in
Manchuria travelling on the Port
Arthur railroad where all station
names are written in Russian.
In q short journey between Muk-
den and Anshan, two huge steel
centers, I saw huge numbers of
freight trains hustling over new
steel lines with loads Of heavy
industrial goods. But Port
Arthur is q Russian naval base
to be evacuated under the new
Sino-Russian agreement next
May and when it reverts to Chi
nese ownership this traffic may
have less Of 9 Russian flavor.
Heavy ON Communist News.
The editor Of the party organ
Peoples Daily" said he devoted
one Of his papers four pages to
foreign news. But this Is entirely
filled with turgid reports on
Communist activities unless an
opportunity arises for quoting
some Western story which boil
sters anger with foreign Inn
perialisln. "
A fun page was recently given
over to long lists Of shipping
interrupted along China's coasts
by Chang Kai-shek's blockading
warships. The astonishing thing
Is that such pages pinned on
public notice boards or repro
duced In chalk on wall black
boards, seem to hold the alb
sorbed interests Of passersby.
What may be the biggest CEN
ter Of Russian activity Is sealed
on from all foreigners except
Russians. This Is the frontier
province Of Sinkiang. whose rich
resources are Just being tapped
and where numerous Sino-Soviet
enterprises are underway. Out
siders know nothing OF the ma
t1re Of work there.
But with al that Is said, I can
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