Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-11


ruins of an abandoned Japanese
pie of the swelling industry tina
area Of Manchuria into an i'm
mense manufacturing belt.
The automotive factory is the
initial step toward large-scale in
naturalization of the city 700
miles north Of Peiping.
ndustrialization Of the prov
ince and the establishment of a
huge governmental organization
here have transformed Chang
chun into bustling semimodern
city Of 100000. New. Western
designed construction is going
up on every block. One can walk
the streets for half an hour with
out seeing a building more than
five years old.
Plant Brings Prosperity
With the expansion and the
motor plant has come prosperity
local peasants in their padded
cotton coats and towering fur
hats seem bewildered by the
changes around them. They look
out of place. wandering through
the five newly erected depart
ment stores owned by the state,
or strolling wonderingly along
wide, American-looking boule-
wards flanked with half-com-
pleted buildings.
Three years to the day after
construction of the motor works
was begun, the first liberation
trucks" that are the pride of
China's five-year plan rolled off
the assembly line on July Is this
year.
Before the end of the year,
1000 of the six-wheeled trucks
will be on Chinese highways.
Eventual production. by official
prediction will be 10000 We
hicles a year.
The end product is a four-ton
open body truck similar in de-
sign to a low-priced American
model. Power is provided by a
six-cylinder 90-horsepower en-
CINE of Soviet design. 1t is all
Chinese with 400 parts such as
glass, tires and gauges coming
from factories all over China.
Set Up by Russians
The plant was designed and
set UP from blueprint to produc-
ton stages under Russian aid.
Eighty Soviet specialists are still
working in the plant. Installa-
ton of the machines and train
ing of Chinese apprentices were
supervised by a crew of 1870 So
Wet technicians.
I'VE owe a great deal to the
Russians" said Ii Tai-sun, as
sistant director. Never having
produced automotive machinery
before in China. we had to start
from the beginning"
All heavy machinery in the
13 sheds Of the hastily built
plant was made in the Soviet
Union. But many Of the lighter
lathes and gear-cutters are
clearly stamped made in the
U. S. A. The machines, with in
struction plates in Russian bolt
ed TO the frames. are obviously
brand-new. There is also some
light British equipment.
"All our machinery is sup
piled by the government" said
Ii. I'VE have no idea where 1t
comes from or how it gets here. "
A high-ranking delegation Of
Soviet engineers was on hand
when the motor plant was for
mally dedicated October Is. after
500 experimental trucks had
been built.
No Passenger Vehicles
Buses and small trucks are
on the plants drawing boards.
The government has not an
nounced when manufacture Of
these vehicles will start.
No passenger automobiles will
be built in Changchun. Another
vehicle plant is scheduled for
construction under the second
five-year plan Q957-62). but its
location has not been disclosed.
Surrounding the No. plant is
q community Of ii3 barracks
like dormitories which house a
large percentage Of the 10, 900
employees and their families. A
self-sufncient suburb. the project
includes stores, a hospital and a
movie.
Stafi for the factory has been
drawn from factories and schools
across the country. The 1000
women workers leave their chill
dren In q company-run nursery
They tend machines in every de-
partment except the heavy foun-
dry. Chief assets OF the tech
nologieal and administrative stan