WAR IN CHINA

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 179, 27 April 1938, Page 11

WAR IN CHINA

Japan May Soon Be On

Defensive

MISSIONARY’S VIEW

Description Of Life In Szechwan

“So far Japan has penetrated only 130 miles of the 1200 miles to the gorges of the Yangtse-Kiang. That is not very far, and I would not be surprised to see her definitely on the defensive before long,” said the Rev. C. J. Patchett, of the China Inland Mission, when speaking at the Wellington Rotary Club luncheon yesterday. Mr. Patchett has been in New Zealand on furlough, having been prevented by the war from returning to the scene of his labours. He is stationed at the city of Pengshan, in the province of Szechwan, which lies in the extreme west of China against the mountains of Tibet.

• The China Inland Mission was initiated by Dr. Hudson Taylor 7b years ago with a capital of £lO. Today there were 1400 missionaries. During the period of its existence it had absorbed £7,000,000 of entirely unsolicited capital, and yet it had no vested reserves. There were no fixed salaries, and missionaries could own no property in China, nor could they possess any firearms. Even during.the depression, when some of the missions in China had to curtail their activities and reduce salaries, the China Inland Mission had added another 200 workers in the field and the salaries were better then than they had been before or since. Its financial needs could not be satisfied with under £6OO a day, yet funds could never be solicited. The mission’s headquarters in Shanghai consisted of two three-story buildings, which had been mercifully preserved, though three shells had landed on the property. The best English school in the East was the mission school at Chefoo, where, like Eton and Harrow, children had to be registered at birth for admission at school age. The Province of Szechwan. Szechwan was the largest and most densely populated province of China. It had 70,000,000 people, equal to the population of Germany and Austria, could boast mountains 25,000 ft. high, and made contact with the outer world by the mighty Yang-tse-Kiang River, which flowed 4200 miles through China. Szechwan really meant four streams, which in this case meant the Yang-tse and tributaries. These rivers, together with the 2000-year-old irrigation system, made the province the most ferti.e in China. It also abounded in mineral wealth of all kinds —coal, iron, silver, copper and gold. In history it had been known as the “Outlaw” province, as, up till four years ago, it had defied all the rulers of China. Now it was one of .the staunchest supporters of the Government. Szechwan was easily defended. There were 130 miles of gorges along the Yang-tse-Kiang, 500 yards wide at the narrowest points and a mile in breadth at the widest parts. There the river ran between high cliffs. It rose about 500 feet, so that steamers traversed it slowly. It took Mr. Patchett six weeks to travel from the coast to his home in Pengshan. Running the gorges was a dangerous business, as steamers'were often peppered with bullets from the cliffs by bandits hoping to disable the vessel, so all on board had to shelter behind steel plates until the danger zones were passed.' When he last passed through the gorges the funnel of the ship in which he travelled was made to look like a colander because of the numerous bullet holes and he had actually found a bullet in his pillow when he went to retire. Szechwan was now the military centre of China, and there the generalissimo, Chiang Kai-shek, had established aerodromes, military schools, and wireless stations, while he still continued to fight the Japanese on the coastal lands. “I believe that Japan 7 is now right up against it, and it will not be long before she is definitely on the defensive,” said Mr. Patchett. “In Szechwan the generalissimo has found a wonderful retreat and stronghold in which he will be able to hold out indefinitely.” New Life Movement. Mr. Patchett told the Rotarians something of the moving force behind the “new life” movement in China, a movement that was proving to be the rebirth of a nation. It was based on four pillar—dignity, integrity, honesty and -humility—which after all were not so far removed from those of Rotary. These were governed by eight virtues, which were being instilled into the hearts and minds of the people, particularly the young people, of China. Many English people may have imagined that the virtues were something to be regarded only in the abstract, but Mr. Patchett gave the assurance that they were a reality in practice. Chiang Kai-shek was conscious that he had helped to give new life to his people, but had called on the missions to give it a spiritual impetus. He considered that it was only something spiritual that would make the movement “stay put,” and that could come only from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The “new life” movement interested Itself in sanitation and hygiene. When he first went to Pengshan the streets were only two yards wide and the drain ran down the middle of the street. The “new life” rule ordered the houses to be pushed back, so wider streets were made and covered with concrete. They had a novel way of keeping the streets clean. Each householder was held responsible for the cleanliness of the strip of street in front of his home or place of business. At 6 a.m. the inspector went round, bearing with him sets of cards reading “Clean,” “Dirty,” and “Very Dirty.” If he found a dirty part of the street he placed a “Dirty” card on the door opposite, and no one w r as allowed to touch it If on his return the next day the place had not been cleaned, a “Very Dirty” card was hung. If then no notice was taken of the warning, the head of the house was taken into the public street and punished with a switch. There were 2,000,000 radio sets in China, and most of the telegraphic work was now done by radio, as it was quicker and more reliable. The Government was also very busy building fine motor roads and initiating air services all over the country. They could not borrow money to build roads, as was done in so many countries, so after the engineers had planned the road and estimated the materials needed for it the populace of the country was divided into small groups under a responsible head, each section being called upon to build its section of the road. While so engaged they had to supply their own food and bedding, and received no wages of any kind, yet worked hard.

Chiang Kai-shek had waged war upon the opium producers. Only one warn-

ing was given to those growing opium poppies for market. On the next offence they were executed. League of Nations figures showed that under Chiang Kai-shek the production of opium in China had been reduced by 50 per cent. In places un’der Japanese control production had increased by 50 per cent, and Japan now produced 90 per cent, of the world’s narcotics. Mr. Patchett considered that Chiang Kai-shek was putting a new face on the country, and had stirred it out of the stagnation of centuries. He had prove l ! himself to be a builder up, while Japan was pulling down. The speaker gave the credit for the genesis of the “new life” movement to the remarkable Soong family, a Christian family educated in America, who were imbued with the highest ideals. Mr. T. V. Soong was until lately financial head of the Government and was now the head of the nation’s air forces. Of the three Soong sisters, one was the widow of the late Dr. Sun Yat-sen, one the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, and the third was the wife of Dr. Kung, the Premier of China. The speaker considered Madame Chiang Kai-shek one of the most remarkable women in the world.

CHINESE ATTACK HEAVILY

Japanese Outnumbered

Hong-Kong, April 25.

The Chinese, profiting by the denudation of the Japanese lines, have attacked heavily in Hopei, Honan, and Shansi Provinces, gaining ground in central and south Hopei, recapturing AA’enhsien, occupying several towns in Shansi and outnumbering the Japanese everywhere in these sectors.

DETAINED IN JAPAN

American Who Was In China Air Force London, April 25. The Yokohama correspondent of “The Times” says the police detained an American airman named Gibbon, formerly of the China Air Force, with which lie admits having participated against the Japanese at Pengpu.

SHANGHAI CUSTOMS

Appointment Of Supervisor Tokio, April 25. The “Nicbi Nichi Shimbun” discloses that the new Chinese Central Government is appointing a Supervisor of Maritime Customs at Shanghai with a higher rank than Sir Frederick Maze, Inspector-General of Chinese Maritime Customs. The revenue is security for Chinese loans and the Boxer indemnity. Japanese goods are to pay duty after May 1.