AN OBSERVANT TRAVELLER

Southland Times, Issue 23989, 2 December 1939, Page 11

AN OBSERVANT TRAVELLER

Journey in the Orient SKY-HIGH TO SHANGHAI. With Frank Clune. Angus and Robertson, Sydney. Price 12/6 net. Frank Clune writes in a breezy., unorthodox style and chooses original titles for his books, but in this case the name “Sky High to Shanghai” does not convey the truth. He intended to fly from Brisbane to Singapore and from there to Shanghai to begin a tour of the Orient, but, unfortunately, his seat in the Qantas aeroplane was taken by the Australian aviator, J. Broadbent, who had to salvage a derelict aeroplane somewhere in the Northern Territory, and he had to travel by ship to Japan. This, however, was fortunate for his readers, because he has written a highly diverting account of a European traveller’s trials in a Japanese ship. Later, in China, the author secured a seat in a military aeroplane ready to leave for Shanghai, but still he did not go “sky-high” because the Japanese Army authorities, thinking of anti-aircraft guns and hostile planes refused to take responsibility for him. This , journey was made by train. RUSSO-JAPANESE RIVALRY Mr Clune’s description of the geography, history and customs of China, Japan and Manchukuo could not have come at a better time. He writes about Japan’s rise from medievalism to the status of a leading Power with the keenest attention to detail and a lively regard for the picturesque. He devotes much space to the Russo-Japan-ese war of 1905 and discusses the causes of rivalry between the two Powers which exist at the present time and which have assumed such importance to British countries in the Pacific. During his tour of Manchukuo (the government of which he is inclined to treat kindly) he could not fail to feel the tension that exists along the 2000mile border of this Japanese-controlled State and Russia. After reading Clune’s comments it is hard to believe that any negotations in Moscow or Tokyo could soothe such frayed tempers or quieten such jumpy nerves in the space of a few days. At Hsinking, the Manchukuoan capital, the author came across an Italian goodwill mission, touring a friendly country to strengthen the bonds of the Anti-Cominterin Pact, now a memory.

The author developed the greatest respect for the people of China. Recounting their history, for the happenings of the past nearly always give an indication of the future, he tells how the patient, toiling Chinese have absorbed one conquering race after another until China has ranked as the oldest of the Empires, providing a lesson for modern statesmen. The book emphasizes the sufferings of the Chinese people in the war against Japan, but it is in no way written for propaganda purposes. It is a highly intelligent and entertaining survey of the East.

One of Mr Clune’s greatest gifts as an author is his flair for discovering the picturesque, the bizarre and the thrilling. He has filled his book with accounts of incidents that are unusual, descriptions that are novel in their style and thumbnail sketches of persons who'se lives have moved along adventurous paths. There is much information for the student in this entertaining book.