CHINESE AFFAIRS

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 42, 18 February 1921, Page 3

CHINESE AFFAIRS

POSITION IN THE SOUTH-WEST

Mr. 6. A. Jamieson, recently returned from the East writes : —

The brief but important message in your last Wednesday's edition stating that General Tang Chi-yao (not Hsiyao) had relinquished his position, owing, to the defection of "two generals," widely affects the position in China, and will have far-reaching effecU -upon the general condition of the country. Tang Chiyao, Governor-General of the two provinces of Yunnan and Kweiehow, ' has had a remarkable and meteoric career in Chinese politics, and has proved himself one of the "strong men of the South," and his has been a name to conjure with in the South-west of China, and among Chinese in this country. He was born in the Prefectural City of Chaotung, in the Province of Yunnan,, and part of his early education was imparted at the Mission School of the United Methodist Mission,, in Chaotung, under the direction of Mr. S. Pollard, the inventor of a. script for the natives of that province. Here the Governor-General learned some English, and, more important, a knowledge of European manners, which was subsequently augmented by intercourse with Europeans in Yunnan and Kweiyang, the capital of Kweiehow. This stood him in good stead in many ways, and was the root of his unfailing courtesy to those Europeans. with whom ho | came in contact. During the 1911-1912 upheaval he marched on Kweiyang, being then only something over thirty ycar3 of age, and his steady influence was the means of protecting and calming the whole province, which suffered very little disorder, while fighting raged so fiercely in Central China. The people were so gn>teful to him that they erected a temple to his memory, where he has ever since been worshipped as a Jiving god. This temple is in the public gardens at Kweiyang, and has been visited by the writer. The people of Kweiehow'agreed that he had performed what the Hindus' wise men told Alexander was essential to become a god, that is, "by doing something no mortal could have performed." AN OUTSTANDING EVENT. But the outstanding event in the life oPTang Chi-yao was the stand he took to save the Revolution when the counsellors of Yuan Shih-kai, the President, would have pressed him to accept the throne, a., step which was by no means uncongenial, to, himself. Without hesitation Tang took his stand in 1915 with, thoSA who opposed the movement, and soon became one of the Southern leaders, against the anarchical aspirations of the Yua.ii Party. (As soon as Tang's attitude became known the utmost confidence was felt in the neighbouring provinces, and a sense of safety came over the South-west, sheltered behind the aegis of the strong mall of Yunnan. Tang immediately collected his forces, and, in conjunction with Tsai Ao, the Hunanese General, marched on Szechuan Province, which they conquered, and effectually* barred the progress of the Government- troops from the north. Szechuan is the next province north of j Yiinnan, to which it is contiguous along its southern borders, as far as Thibet, j The' whole of this province was soon within the grasp of the. Yunnanese, and Tang settled down at the large city of Chungking, on the banks of the Yangtse. This is an open Treaty port, and the residence of foreign consuls, including our own. Here he has stayed for four yeais, and the. North has not been able to dislodge him. From all sides the testimony has come of the good behaviour of the Yunnanese, and Kweiehow troops. I have been in the fighting ajrea, and come in contact with these troops, and can add my testimony that they are among the best troops in China. The reason for this is largely, I think, owing to the fact that the two provinces of Kweiehow. and Yunnan, and a large part of the province of Kwangsi, on the south, are not no handicapped 'with the curse of paper currency, as the other piwinces in China, TANG'S COINAGE. The staple coin is the silver dollar, and is used in larger proportion than in most provinces. Tang continued to produce silver dollars • in the mint in Yunnan, and it was not long before they were being produced (in the form of half-dol-lars, as full dollars are not so much used there) with his own "image and superscription" on them. This is a rare distinction, and the only other image I have seen on coins in China is that of Yuan Shih-kai himself, except perhaps for Sarawah cents, with the image of the immortal Brookes upon them, which have strayed into the country, and pass enrrent with, the native cents. Tang's coins would all stand the trial of the Pyx, and were in good favour among the people. This could not be said about the multifarious notes issued mainly by private firms in other provinces. SWEEPING CHANGES. Only a few days ago the writer received particulars from China which showed that sweeping changes were in progress. The Yunnanese have been defeated in' Szechuan, and enemies of Tang in the I«rovinc6 of Kwai>gsi wired to the Military Governor of Kweiehow, Liv Hsienshih, to join with them in an attack on Yunnan. The, Yunnanese had to pans, through Kweiehow to return from Czechuan, and if the Kweiehow foices refused to co-operate with Yunnan, they were open to attack from the retreating Yunnanese before the Kwangsi troops could assist them. On the other hand, if they refused to assist Kwaixgsi, they were open to attack from the* south, as all their available foroes are in the j north, or in Szechuan. This is an unenviable position. They are also open to attack from Szechuan, for the road will be open into their province when the Yunnanese withdraw from Szeohuan, .■# they have doubtless done by this time. The "two generals" cabled may be the redoubtable brothers Liv Hsien-shih, and Liv Hsien-chien, Military and Civil Governor of Kweiehow, and Commander-in-chief of the Kweiehow forces respectively, who may have yielded •to the pressure of the Kwangsi Party, their traditional enemies, under fear of invasion from the south; or, what is more probable, it will be two Yunnanese generals, of whom General Han will probably be one. What is most important, however, is the fact that the south-west combination has lamentably broken up, and on the whole it made for order in our part of China. This party was the strongest adjunct of the South as a whole; and now the whole of the southwest is open to the invasion of the North, or Government troops. It remains to be seen whether the North will take advantage of the situation. For the time being it means chaos in the soSith-west. It Ls also the key to the southern, situation if the Government can take advantage of it. "SUCCESSIVE GLORY." Tang Chi-yao (his name is taken from the Great Founder of the Empire, and means Successive Glory), will probably have passed into French China, the only place 'which can afford him a refuge now; but I think we shall hear more' of him. It remains to be aeon what will happen in the cultivation of opium, which wm carried nn unintcn-uplcdiy in- tttwe provinces during the last few years. II

the North succeed in entering the provinces they may make a change in thie respect.

When the writer was recently passing through the Kweiyang a good story was current in that provincial capital at the time. A powerful Kweiohow General, Wang Diew-lin, was openly preparing to contest the Governorship with Liv Hsien-shih, who immediately Communicated with Tang. The latter quelled the situation with a brief epistle, which |ran : '.'lf bandits become troublesome in your district I shall lend you a few thousand men to suppress them."