Politics part of daily life in China

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32705, 7 September 1971, Page 6

Politics part of daily life in China

Politics are firmly ! part of day-to-day life in ! China, according to a 20- ’ year-old Canterbury Universify fine arts student, Miss Cora Davis, who has' just returned from China iwith the New Zealand 1 I university students’ dele. 1 gation. 1 The delegation, which 're- 1 . turned on Friday, spent a 1 I month there examining the 1 ■ political set-up and daily life. 1 t Although she was not im- 1 pelled by any strong political motive and only sent her 1 i application in on the last day, 1 Miss Davis was nonetheless! very pleased to have been' ‘chosen. I Her studies of painting had 1 led to an interest in Chinese ' ■ painting, which she found. ■ “fulfilled the wants of the {people but will take at least. another 10 years tb develop , Ito its fullest extent.” I However, she was very, • very impressed by most of, what she saw., 1 “There is a tremendous < spirit of unity amongst the I people and a simplicity of 1 I life. Whereas we in New 1

Zealand work to fulfil a personal ambition, the Chinese are working together for the good of the country as a whole.” One surprising fact which emerged from investigations, was the one problem that confronts the Chinese—a labour shortage. There is no shortage of food or opportunity. Children start school at the age of seven and progress through five grades. Politics, Chinese literature, mathematics, physics,, and Chinese language are compulsory subjects. No qualifying examination is sat and students are selected for university by the people in their community on the basis of ■ political ideology. After completing the university course, they are sent back into the community for re-education by the peasants. “When we. were in Nanking i we attended a theatre performance which was put on by very young children. They were all dressed in military uniforms, which really quite shocked me, seeing children so young prepared for war. I had to try and get hold of the fact that they might not understand its full

implications. It was hard to : imagine New Zealand i children of the same age in > that situation,” said Miss Davis. In a commune near Nan- ■ king, she found a similarity : between her own Maori background in Northland, ■ ■ and commune life. “Later when we were inquiring about minority groups : in China, we were asked how 1 the Maori got on as a min- , ority group in New Zealand. ■We found that minority 1 groups were allowed to de- ■ velop but didn’t get an oppor- • tunity to meet any.” As well as the New Zea--1 land delegation, there were 1 groups from Japan, SwitzerI land, Holland and Britain in ; China at the same time. ’ Accommodation for the New ■ Zealand group was free and ’ very clean, and travel well arranged. They were able to liplan their own itinerary and ■ had guides supplied. 1 “Before we went there . was a lot written about how ■ we would come back singing ’ the praises of Mao Tse Tung. ; The only praises I am singI ing are those of the Chinese ; people themselves. After all ' it is they who are building I the nation.”