THROUGH CHINA SEAS

Evening Star, Issue 23553, 17 April 1940, Page 6

THROUGH CHINA SEAS

ADDRESS TO TRAVEL CLUB COLOUR AM LIFE IN THE EAST China, with its squalor and its teeming millions, but, above all, with its colour and life, was the basis of an interesting address covering her own impressions and experiences in that country delivered by Miss Beatrice Hamer to the Dunedin Travel Club this morning. Born in Shanghai, a city which she left when still an infant, Miss Hamer said she had always had a very keen desire to visit China. Her tour through some of the principal ports of that romantic country was a fulfilment of that desire. She also visited Japan, and saw something of the life in that vividly picturesque country. Her tour was undertaken before the outbreak of the Chinese-Japanese war, and, haying friends in some of the places visited, Miss Hamer was fortunate to get off the beaten track and see some things which the average tourist misses. . Miss Hamer, shortly returning to Sydney, where she intends to reside, commenced her trip to the East from the New South Wales capital, travelling by Queensland and Rabaul, a town at which the ship’s passengers were not at that time allowed to land owing to the then disastrous earthquake. From Rabaul she journeyed to Manila, in the Philippines, one of the most fascinating places imaginable, and where one of her chief impressions was the striking beauty of the womenfolk. Here she visited a huge cabaret, the largest she had ever sen. Her next stop was at Hongkong, the British-owned port in the East, and among her pleasurable recollections of this place was a never-to-be-forgotten trip to the top of the “ peak ” in the cable car, from which_ point a magnificent view of the city is obtained. There was plenty of colour a'nd life in Hongkong, she said. Shanghai, with its teeming population, was also in her itinerary. Here visits were paid to the famous willow-pattern tea house, and to the clubs and cabarets. From China Miss Hamer then visited Japan, where an interesting 'sight was that of women coaling the boats with baskets, and possibly working harder than the men. She visited Kobe and Tokio, experienced the joys of the marvellous swimming pools at; the hotels, and attended an opera played exclusively by girls. The speaker brought a ripple of amusements to her listeners when she related how, oh a journey round Tokio, she appeared to be the centre of interest to a great number of Japanese men. She had _ this particularly when purchasing a ticket to go to the picture theatre. Upon inquiry she learned that to the Japanese red hair was a symbol of luck! A call was also made at Yokohama, where friends took her for a day’s excursion into the country. She had gone sailing and shooting rapids ip a canoe. It was all very thrilling and exciting. Miss Hamer spoke well of the train services in Japan, which she said' were fast and comfortable, being air conditioned. The return journey was made via Hongkong, where she experienced the terrors of a typhoon, and thence to Manila, Rabaul, and Sydney. At the conclusion of her address Miss Hamer was accorded a' vote of thanks for her interesting talk. Visitors for morning tea were Mrs Clifford 1 (Levin), Mrs J. Ward (Wellington), Mrs Lendruw (Hawera), Mrs S. Taylor (Timaru), and Mrs Edgar Thompson (Christchurch). The hostesses were the mayoress (Mrs A. H. Allen) and Miss V. Reynolds, the chairman being Mr J. Sutherland Ross,