Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1920. CHINA'S UPHEAVAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15274, 23 July 1920, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1920. CHINA'S UPHEAVAL.

The average reader probably follows with very indifferent interest the new 3 .that there has been fighting m China.. It is only one more little civil war m a world that is filled with turmoil;' besides the Chinese have been lighting amongst themselves for a . good many years past, and as there are many millions of them what does , it matter ? Students of the East, however, tell us that, Chinese events are worth watching, and claim there arc many indications that that great nation is "waking 1 up." They, do not mean that the 400 millions are arousing, .but that there, has developed among tho younger generation of *%c treaty cities a Chinese' patriotism which never did exist before. iSomo great dramatic change, they predict, will- probably happen soon. It way, come as the result of the present fighting revolt against! the existing Bokiu, Qovernment, *>r it may be. a bloodless revolution that* will hardly be more than swift evolution — but something big is going to happen. China, they declare, is being re-bom. A new conscicmsness is suddenly developing, and public opinion, a brand new thing for China, is suddenly sweeping over the country like \a prairie fire. The old game, the old order, the things that were are crumbling to dust. China is preparing to save herself from herself. The Chinese Government, national and local, has always been a plivhderbundj flourishing as abundantly m the name of a republic as "ever it did m the name.of an Empire. The overthrow «of; the Tartan dynasty made no great change so far as the policy of exploiting the people was , concerned. But changes are coming about because of the growing number of youiig Chinese who have been educated m Occidental, countries, and learning the meaning of modern civilisation have become imbued, with a pataiotic fervor for the redemption of their country from the toils of the spoilers. Their influence is growing rapidly, and it is for the good of China., "The biggest thing, that one learns mi studying China," writes Mr. Frazier; Hunt, "is that China is her own worst enemy. That is to say that the China of the militarists and the coi'rupt politician and the Ta Ren — the Superior Men — bound with all the cruel traditions and outworn customs and inequalities of the past as ticrhf'v and brutal* ly as the Chinese women, bind their feet, is a greater enemy to New Ctiiria. than the Japanese are. It really is' the same game m both governing clfques attempting to check the .rising tide of the rights and futures, of common people. China to-day is even less of a republic than Japan island Japan to-day is merely an echo of the Germany of Bismarck. The Government of China., instead of being a responsible .democracy, is nothing short of a military .autocracy— or rather a. collection of military autocracies. It is uncontrollably decentrak ised to the extent that the real. power rests m, some ""20 Tn-clrune or military governors of provinces, each; of whom has his own amur and belongs to some .clique of fellow Tu-chuns that control? combinations of different provinces. The ordinary 400,000.000 of China do not count. They have no method of ex-; pressing their disapproval, except, by? strikes and boycotls, but most of these 400,0C0.000 being ignorant and ver# poor coolies and tiny landowners iavq no .disapproval to voice. They are primarily interested m keeping their rice bowls full "and so close is tho margin of life and death m China that this plain, struggle for mere existence keeps them busy 12 and 14. hours a day. They have had little to say, so far, 'because no owe of (lie Government has over bothered to have anything to say for, them. Official China now or never has had the least concern about the millions of China — they have worked and dream- 1 ed only of their own. personal" games and ambitions. What is needed to study China is a crimiriologist," one of -the best informed foreigners said recently. "And he was right. By and large; China, is governed by a- group of narroiv-visioned, self-seeking politicians who have no concern for China or for the Chinese people. ."Pekim officials who are loudly proclaimed as pro-Japanese are really not pro-anythin<r except prothemselves. They are. perfectly Mulling to sell every drop of natural wealth and the whole future .of China, foi; more personal power and more wealth. And what, is true of so many men of this Pekin National Government is. likewise true of most of the military governors and the humbler officials of the different provinces. For the. last five years the outside world has been fed with stories about the bloody civil war that has been going cm m China. The facts are that this civil war is merely ,a great military game of draughts' that is being played by different factions for power. Tr»-dav there are two great military cliques m the north— one s led by the Anfu Club and the other consisting of a union of eight military governors. Theso two groups are opposing each other- as to 'who shall really control -the Pekin Government. In the south two military cliques are likewise fighting each other — the Kuangsi military clique opposing the Yunnan- Canton combiuat;on. There is no real patriotism them. The real struggle' is not between northern military groups and southern military groups, but. between the po-iplfr, of China and tho military politicians of China. Until veiy recently these' 1 people of China have been mnrticulatu. i but they are beginning- to be taught to/ lisp of real, liberty and citizenship by their own chi}drSn — the' -students 'of China." It is this, fact that makes the' present struggle going oft"-' on A ho Pekin-Hankow hire rxeeedinely interesting. Sir John Jordan, who "has just! reared from the position of British Minister at Pekin after many years servme, says the Bolshevism 'has r,ot ni ? d W"or does he think it will make any Threat headway m China. TlieChine>e have treated Bolshevism, which iis capable of touchma; them on* 4000 j miles of exposed and.ilUprotected fron- • tier, with a good deal of tact, nicy have ' never attacked the Bolsheviks, but have = carefully kept them. a.t. arm's ienatlu A Bolshevik China ! .What, an, awful prois--iecfi amonc; those teeming millions ! ' But the thinjr is foreign to the Chineso • spirit. The Chinainan is a peaceable,-' hard-working, individualist. There is, >" " however. Sir J. Jordan says, much uh- ,' rest i«- China and the future is obscure. ' Th,e natriotic leaders look to England and the Unitea State?, for a guiding i hanrl." Tlipv are deeply^ suspicious an'ri ' resentful of Japan. ' Tlv-. l-.nycott of ] »T;i|>ane.'. ; L' y.i mk)?j )i;i.- .\;crn . wi- v rtlVi-.- -

t'.vely worked ntid is - costing . Jiipan millions. Thero is great press activity. . . Forty years ago 'there rras not . c»«g newspaper m. China ; now there are hu* dreds.. With tjic Japaiiese militaiMs(.4 controlling many o4 the Pekiu oflicial^ ' th mugh bribery', trouble between Chirim 'and Japan over the latterY incursions into Manchuria seems at first glancet impossible,, but if as. the result of the? present fighting 1 the Pekiiii ■Government' is deposed .theii it is' quite . likely -. tb^-v students may succeed m arousing a lievr hatred 1 against Japani and : . that popular: clamor may engulf the country m Waiv Most ■ thinking- CliineSe; j.are determined-to-break the sti;arigle-h r 6^d Japan has: \ on ' Giin.a's ; throat at any c,ost. Old China advocates a waiting game ;.. new ; China demands action. .Much may .depend upon the present . upheaval* Emancipation from the old regime may mean the beginning of vast commerce for China. Already her trade Js going ahead by leaps and bounds. TVo decades ago there were' less than 80,000 tons m the total* export clearance? ,of the country: i»i 1919 the' outward fcargoes aggregated 39/ million, . toiis. China during tjhe past fAvcr. years lias put fifteen, cottdh' mills into operation The Chinese are , wre seqond largest users of cotton .•. mi the woi'ld. Oneeighth of the human 'fjtinily lives on the banks of the Yarigste river aiid; ' H* tributaries. Tlie country is rich Jiv natural! x resources and prpdiictSi Oneprovince with 70 million*., inhabitants has oil wells that were drilled before tho Christian era, and. ...enormous, supplies of coal, iron, arjtimbny, 'awl other products. With such facts* a? . these [before us we should appreciate the &}g- ' iflficaiiee of the news that China is waking up. ■.;,,,. .■_..., .