Evening star., 1954-11-30


Red promise Of no censorship.
----~------------>-~----->--
Malenkov has never replaced
him. Here, for the first time in
my experience Of Communist
states, Russians make merry
without the frowning portraits Of
their leaders.
Merry Is perhaps too strong q
word. They had taken over the
once-famous French club with
their East-European and Chinese
girl friends the night ] wandered.
into it's lofty precincts. Long
mirrors still glistened, the floors
still shone. the chandeliers still
sparkled, because Shanghai's few
remaining Europeans only va
Gated this last stronghold a few
days earlier.
Where beautiful women in
splendid robes had once held
court. young girls now sat around
the vacant dance floor looking
intently into tumblers of hot tea.
The band hammered out a waltz,
but lured only a few couples on
the floor. You spotted the Rus
SLAMS by their broad-bottomed
trousers.
East Europeans Better Dressed.
The East Europeans were bet
ter dressed, their women a little
less lumpy. The Chinese girls,
always completely feminine even
in trousers. sat for the most part
around the walls and one in
every three was occupied with
peeling a banana.
felt sorry for those girls. and
then suddenly impressed. They
and their menfolk had done
something which happened only
once before anywhere in the
Communist world and that was
in Yugoslavia. They had ban
ished all living Russian person.
alities from their propaganda
and they were reasserting them
selves as an individual nation.
It struck me then that I had
not heard Soviet Premier NAL
enkov's name mentioned once
during nearly two months in
China.
I had certainly suffered my
share of the toasts and tributes
to "our great Russian allies" and
I do not suggest another Tito
may be found in Peiping. What
I had seen. though, was in mark
ed contrast to the eyewitness re-
ports of Canadian missionaries
leaving this country only two
years ago.
Men Prefer Vodka.
These girls were not dancing,
1t was true. but this seemed
largely the fault of the ungal-
liant giants from the steppes who
seem to emerge from gloomy
meditations only when vodka ap-
pears. And in the French club
(spare a shudder for its ghosts)
there was no vodka nor anything
but tea.
These Chinese maids were
pretty, though, and in other
places, gay. This is something
which the Russian matron ir
China most definitely is no. Tt
their credit, neither are the Rus
sian women loud or patronizing
But they scuttle. They seem tt
flee from place to place. Per.
haps they only mean to be un-
obtrusive. They give the impres.
sion, though, of being lost with.
out the comforting presence o1
Comrade Malenkov's portrai
and this, so far as could see, i.
confined here to Soviet quarter!
to which the lassies from Lenin.
grad are eternally dashing fol
cover.
A soviet red star dominate!
this city, but heard some tar
remarks from those who saw il
brilliantly Illuminated on top o.
the new Russian exhibition
throughout a raid by Formosar
planes. There are Russian auto
here and there. the transpor
system functions largely with
Czech Skoda buses. and vel
fairly new British and Unites
States cars have been conjuret
up from somewhere. The radi,
shops still carry advertisement
for United States equipment ant
after a twilight period when JAZZ
was banned, old recordings O
Western dance music are sneak
ing back on to dusty counters
81 Hours on Train.
There were a few Russians OF
the No. Is express which rattle
between Shanghai and Peiping il
a smooth 81 hours. They scenes
to be technicians with thei
wives, and several left the trail
at Nanking holding bouquets o
flowers from the Chimes
admirers.
A capricious young girl II
sweater and ski pants made tn
journey intolerable by reading
from Chinese newspapers owe
the train loudspeakers. I spen
an entire morning walking
casually past the loudspeaker il
our coach and, when I though
nobody watched. yanking out tn
plug. BY the time I resumed m,
seat. one Of four Chinese Com