KOREA AND CHINA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16823, 23 August 1920, Page 10

KOREA AND CHINA.

JAPAN'S MODERNISING INFLUENCE,A GLIMPSE OF OLD PEKING, "From Nagasaki in Japan to Fnsau in Korea is only a night's trip,” said -Ur. T. Shuilor \Vostou, in continuation of liits narrative of his recent tout of the East. “The steamers only manage to steam about ten knots, but they arc quite comfortable, being run iu connection with the Japanese railway system. 'Die trip is historically interesting, as you pass turough the Korean Strait—the Krusenslcrn arm of it—past Tsushima island, off which the Japanese Navy accounted for the Russian fleet, and so helped to bring the Ruqso-Japaiieno war to a- condiioHiu. At Fnsan the Japanese are building up a great port—one that will be the great terminal port of Lie Korean and Manchurian railway system of the future. It is cju-ious- to see fine modern buildings, which would bo an ornament to any European city, springing up among the cld Korean huts, made of' stone and mud, with thatched roofs cr reeds and grass. "Apart from its prospective mineral wcaltu ami its lumber, Korea docs: not on the surface at all events, appear to oiler much of on outlook for Japanese enterprise, certainly not from an agricultural point of view. There arc eleven millions of Koreans, who manage to exist by the close cultivation of the comnarativciy small area of productive lauds in the valleys. ally speaking, however, tiie. hind seems to consist mostly of a cold, sour clay, lint the Japanese are looking far ahead. At Seoul they are spending immense sums of money oa railways, stations, roads, and public buildings. Prior to the Japanese occupation ‘the country had comparatively few modern works of any kind, save, perhaps, a tew which had been undertaken during the Russian regime, Japan has^ her eye on the mineral wealth of Korea, on her forests, and the market offered there for her cheaper _for the Koreans are extremely poor, filial, is, perhaps, more important is that Korea, is tbo main land avenue to Manchuria, which possesses the greatest agricultural region in the world, and has enormous deposits of coal and iron. ‘

"After leaving Seoul, a city also emerging from the primitive to tho modern, we went to Anliing, the largest city on tho great Yellow River, a noble waterway, that was crowded with junks and river craft of all dcseri'.ition. not forgetting fretful Japanese destroyers, wl;o keep the peace of the river. Antung is a large and prosperous city, nominally in Chinese territory, and subject to the Chinese Customs tariff , hut owing Ip the ownership of tho. South Manchurian railway having been taken over by the Japanese from the Russians after the war. Japan really has a sli-augle-hohl. not only of Antung, hut ou the whole of Manchuria. as far as Chang Chang, about 200 miles Mirth of Mukden, where tho railway joins tho Siberian system. That ownership gives the Jajiane.se many valuable concessions and all the advantages of trade within tlie territory. On tlie area conceded to the Japanese at Mukden, tho Japanese arc building a very fine city, and here again may bo seen two distinct civilisations nibbing shoulders, as it wore—uic big well-designed buildings cf the .Japanese alongside the mean huts r.f the Manchurians. Mukden is only 2‘ 1 miles from tho rich Manchurian plain, which is tho largest area in one block cultivated by man in tho world. Milo after mile is passed without seeing a single weed—nothing but vast fields of soya beans, kaoliang beans, millet, and wheat. The country suffers a little through a deficient rainfall, and as the season had been a very dry one when we were there, the crops were late in showing up, but given an equable rainfall the plains would be a wonderful si nrehouse for tlxi Orient. From Mui«len to the Yellow River is about a thousand miles, and the whole of stretch is cultivable. If iu tlie future the policy of tlie Chinese ernment favoured a system of afforestation, the rainfall might he _ bettered, and the output enormously increased. The seya bean is a most valuable roof! product, and. besides being a staple food for man and beast, produces, an oil from which oil cakes arc made. The kaoliang hpan is also a wonderful njiyigeucus product ill general use. . ;ie Japanese attribute the height of the Manchurians to the food value ol the kaoliang W an. The line from Mukden to Peking was built by the Chinese Governs ■sv'.r, with English capital, and the beads of the concern are all English, v.milst the stall is wholly Obine“; but, unlike the Japanese, the Chines.’ are starving their railway, and none of dm improvements arc being made that are noticeable iu the .Manchurian railways under Japanese control.

"Peking is the most interesting cityin the East. Although the whole of the ‘forbidden city’-is not yet open to tourists, one can now sec more than an Ambassador could in tho time of the lute all-powerful Dowager-Empress. Not being greatly concerned with toe past tho Chinese National Government is, unfortunately, allowing many of the great Imperial palaces and monuments of old dynasties to go to ruins, and on all skies can he noticed signs of decay which could be easily checked did there exist a spirit of respect for the past. Even the great Temple and Altar of Heaven, in Poking, is being allowed to fall into disrepair. Here and there in flic country yen sec the old palaee« going to pieces, sometimes with trees sprouting through fine old tiled roofs, showing that the old order is changing. Peking, ns you know, was always the official city, and the, Chinese in common were never allowed to reside within its gates, so they built a groat city outside the city walls, and even today it is in the outside city that the bulk of the business of the place _ is transacted. It is an interesting pastime to go for a walk along the city wall—it is oj feet high and about 30 feet wide—and have on one side of you tho state’y old gardens and residences of official 'Peking and on the other the busy, chattering, swarming marts of the outside city. Poking would be one of the most fascinating cities in the world to live in were it net for one thing. It is invariably enveloped in a line, hassv dust, which permeates everyth’ — and gives'flip very atmosphere a misty or foggy appearance. After rain, however the air is wonderfully clear by contrast, and then is the time to view

IM- big in all its varying nsnects. Ono of the most delightful pastime'-- jn Poking is tho jmnv racing, which takes rJ.ieo every evening between -’.30 and 0,30. To sen those sturdy little Manchurian ponies coming along at n tremendous rate, carrying a big fat Chinaman, is one of the eights of the t'aet.

The’- don't worry about ‘wasting* ‘n Lie East—these ponies seem to be able |n carry the weight without affecting their spend to any marked extent. Of

■•ourse. the Chinese arc great gamblers. *nd there is the liveliest bolting on very race. ‘•There are no trams in Poking. Tho uansit arrangements are in the. hands •1' 30,000 ‘rickshaw’ men,' who manage :hcir business wonderfully. The street : radio is controlled by the police, the same ns in London, and there are. troops who arc hired by tho big silk merchants and bankers to guard their ! premises from roving bands ol robbers : who may attempt a burglarious coup. - ’Vhilit in the district. 1. in company with a gentleman from Texas, walked ; a distance of 11 miles through, the fain- '■ ens Pass of Nankow—the ages-ohl Ingh- | way of Mongolia. This road lias served 1 tlie people ol” Ohinn for over 20-00 I years—how much longer than 2000 ; years no one knows—but daily it is i traversed by thousands of camels and ponies, bringing in the trade of Mongolia and returning with manufactured goods for people in the far interior. The day wo were in the Pass, which is n very rough road of hard stone, over a thousand canieb- passed up and the dust was awful. Half way through the Pass is an old archway, covered with queer inscriptions in many languages. One of these Inscriptions was written in a language which has been lost to tlie world. Arehaeologi-is of all tho world have tried to decipher the words and their meaning, and all failed until a few months ago, when tho key to theinseription was alighted on by one of the. learned. Truly, it is a case of ‘Art it long, and time is fleeting!’ ”