Evening star., 1954-10-27

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Third Of q series written under o Red
promise Of no censorship.
10 cents the fair ground Gus
toner took his choice Of 10
weapons. Night life in any Chi
nese city Is not exactly riotous,
but Canton has the longest his
tory OF Western influence and
right I'D until midnight the neon
lights flashed and crowds
tramped through broad streets
almost empty Of traffic.
From Canton in recent years
have come many Canadians and
Americans who were victims of
the revolution. Their stories
have been told and I mention
them now only to point out the
impossibility Of giving q complete
picture Of any country where q
reporter depends upon official
interpreters and guides.
Yet. in fact. no effort was
made to prevent me roaming
through the streets. When I in
quired about the Cantonese
Orphanage Of the Immaculate
Conception. from which French
Canadian nuns were driven with
accusations Of immortality and
murder. 7 was told only that it
was now administered by the
state.
Western Influence Strong.
Repetition Of Communist
charges seemed to have led to
a form of self-deception so that
had the impression officials
really did believe our mission
aries worked as spies and sab
oteurs.
Use of this sort of jargon is
more common perhaps in any
city like Canton. Here Western
influences were still specifically
strong. Thousands Of small shop
keepers were doing business and
there seemed no shortage Of
goods. The atmosphere was still
similar to Hong Kong, with
bright window displays and ra-
dios blaring. Along the Pearl
River were motorized junks that
still ferried passengers and
freight down to Portuguese
Macao.
United States and British
made cars continued to thread
their ways through bicycles and
rickshaws. Photo studios, a
Western introduction eagerly
snapped up years ago by the
Chinese, dotted the main streets.
All this meant a possible
challenge to the regime. Some
Of the widest and most brutal
charges levelled against Roman
Catholic missionaries were heard
here and, just as in that other
Westernized city Of Shanghai.
every effort was made to dis
credit the foreigner.
Changes Taking Place.
Some change appeared now to
be taking place. Only a short
time ago 1t seemed a Westerner
had merely to show his face
around Canton and II he had
no Communist official to explain
away his presence, he was likely
to finish up surrounded by
peering crowds. This artificial1y
stimulated hatred for foreigners
was invaluable to the new lead
ers Of China and the Korean
war developed it.
A wave Of intense nationalism
spread through the country. The
peasant armies of China had
fought the combined might of
the Western world to a stand
still. The resultant pride was
a powerful factor in unifying
China for the first time in her
long history. Two thousand
years of feudalism were climaxed
by a revolution and a war which
to the Chinese way of thinking
had ended in victory for their
simply-equipped soldiers.
Since then there seems to
have developed q tremendous
self-confldence, much more the
result Of nationalism than Of
communism. It was evident to
me that first night in China
when I slipped out from the
seven-story Oikwan hotel.
Hundreds Of junks were tied
to wharves and jetties along
the river where long ago the
first British traders and opium
runners had opened China to
Western commerce. Some junks
generated their own electricity
and naked lamps threw a de-
pressingly erratic light on their
crowded decks.
Women Dressed Lumpily.
The streets were filled with
Chinese who were mostly young
and wore the standard blue
clothing. For women this uni
formity was not f1attering. Thick
trousers were worn short enough
to expose ankles often inclosod
IN brightly colored socks made
in the weaving sheds Of a Peip-
ing jail. Long jackets of coarse
cloth turned most girls into
shapeless Jumps. Their shoes
were fat-heeled and their hair
either short and unbobbed or
braided. Yet, as was pointed out
to me, everyone did have some
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