SPIRIT OF CHINA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 08, Issue 88, 10 July 1945, Page 6

SPIRIT OF CHINA

A NATION AT WAR STERLING QUALITIES SHOWN MISS HALL'S IMPRESSIONS « ______ Witli a background oC twenty years service in the missionary field in China ? Miss Kathleen Hall who recently visited Edgecumbe in the course of a lecturing tour gave a very interesting talk on conditions and work and that part of the world. During the 20 years in whicli she was actively engaged in lier work Miss Hall had occasion to travel about a good deal. She was one of the few Europeans to get thrmigh to the Communist controlled guerilla areas in the north-west. Unfortunately she was forced to leave China through her contraction of caused thrtmgh lack of proper food. We have been fortunate enough to obtain some of her impressions concerning the Japanese invasion and China generally. In these ? she states: — "Japanese aggression in China came to a climax in July 4 1937 when China took up the challenge as a united nation to resist to the end with all the means at her disposal. What means had China at her disposal? Precious little according to our military standards. But she had a great asset on which the Japanese had not reckoned—the qualities inherent in the character of the Chinese people. I • . The" Great Challenge Never will I forget that day in July 1937 when Chiang Kai Shek put the great 'challenge to. the Chinese people. In his broadcast transmitted J throughout- the whole country s and published in all the newspapers in villages and cities, Chiang Kai Shek hid nothing from the people. They were told of Japanese strength* They were warned that after what they 1 had seen following the"Manchurian incident" in 1931 f of the utter faili ure of the League of Nations and of the to # stem aggression. China would quite probably receive no assistance. She might have to stand alone. They Avere told also of their own weakenesses the Chinese being a peace-loving never glorifying Avar and their utter unpreparedness. Chiang Kai Shek did not hide from them what resistance Avould mean to them in suffering nor did he fail to tell them what it Avould mean if they did not resist. So it avus in no spirit of bravado; no unthinking enthusiasm that the people took rp the challenge. We their great qualities of courage and fortitude; their resourcefulness and ingenuity; their patient perservance and innate goodnessj which have been brought out to the full during these past terrible eight years. j Some would say that it has taken this Avar to bring out these qualities? and perhaps in one sense that is so. But some of us had seen the great strides in progress that China had made in the 20 years prior to the Avar. And then Ave saw great, institutions, and Avork that had taken years to biukl up dashed to the ground and trampled under by the Japanese. I believe .any other people might well have been discouraged and crushed. Yet the Chinese refused to be crushed, or discouraged and Avith determination they began to build up again in an amazing Avay. I shall never forget the atmosphere the sense of earnest dedication of all they had to the defence of their country and their ideals. And if the sample good people among the millions of illiterate had failed to grasp all the ilnplications at their experience of Japanese methods soon brought them home to them. By the end of 1937 the whole vast country realised that in the Japanese they had to light a ruthless enemy which sought not only to exploit them and make them subject but also sought to crush them spiritually and make 9 them a .subject race. Their Indomitable Spirit Then Ave saw the Chinese people raised to marvellous heights of seifsacrifice and service. We must not forget the background of the. Chinese people and what they owe to their teachers of the past f avlio were really contemporaries of our Old Testament

prophets, and their long heritage of religious experience and and the wisdom and foresight which has come to the best of the Chinese. Chinese Communists, and all deep thinkers in China will acknowledge this. It is well to know something of what is behind the wonderful .spirit of resistance of self-sacrifice and service. The Chinese knew they had something very precious to defend— not only their land, their rightful heritage and their rightful freed m but also precious tilings in, thei. old civilisation. Even illiterate people sensed this spirit though the/ might not lfave been able to put it into words. Years of War For the first three j T ears of the war, while. American oil interests were continuingx to provide Japan with all the oil she. needed and to lay up reserves and Britain rind America were .still allowing their firms to supply Japan with other war materials Russia alone had supported China in the League of Nations and afterwards. Mr Jordan had made New Zealand known'by speaking for China in the League. During those years I saw the Chinese soldiers making a magnilicant retreating fight Avith no big guns, no tanks or atmoured cars, no aeroplanes— very often only hand grenades made out of scrap iron—against {he full might of the Japs. And also the wonderful co-operation of the Chinese people and their armies with their guerilla tactics which have constantly hampered the Japanese. After three years of that courageous fight Chiang Kai Shek wrote: "Fox* three years the Chinese people have seen the professed defenders of international law and order failing to come to the aid of our outraged and victimised country in any practical way or even support our cause openly. We know the excuse that no one was ready to* fight, nor were Ave. But Ave fought. Think Avhat would have been the situation in the Avorld today had Ave refrained from defending oursel\ T es; had Ave surrendered." ' > (New Zealanders and Australians do not appreciate to the full what they oAve to the Chinese people. They might Avell ask themselves if all China's resources had gfcne.'to Japan in 1937 ? Avhere Avould they be today?) It Avas amazing to see British people appeasing and almost defending Japan e.g. Churchill and Amery speaking! of Japan in Manchuria in 1931. Hoav greatly disillusioned Avere those British business interests before long! "Education Musi Go On" I have seen great areas of China scorched or destroyed by the Japanese and over again. Yet the Japanese. Avould be forced to retreat and the Chinese who had had to flee before a Japanese rush, Avould return as the Japanese retreated and begin to plant and sow and' build again. I seen schools school books and all the equipment burned by the Japanese, 3 r et the teachers and pupils return. Local people make their OAvn paper and oavh school books— crude but better than none and though there may be only the shell of a building school Arill go on again—and many of them orphans will be cared for and disciplined. We must haA'e leaders for the future, AA r e must haA'e an educated people—education must go on " is their attitude. I liaA'e seen the courageous university students trekking thousands of miles under appalling difficulties and building up their universities Again. Military Standards In closing I must .say" that nowhere in China did I see better management and organisation under such difficulties, greater integritA r or higher moral standards a better 7 * spirit of leadership Avith co-opera-tion of leaders and peoele—l'elloAvship and right discipline in the armies that came from following loyally self-sacrificing and Avise officers, than I saw in the Chinese Comguerilla areas. In Central Government- areas I saw some parts sadly the reA'erse — where the plight of conscript soldiers Avas most pitiable Avhile their officers were sometimes lining their own pockets. In other Central Government areas I saAV the integrity and fine, qualities of individual lead-

ers.—military and civil. Conclusion The Chinese re-education of Japanese prisoners ("You are our brothers. ; Why are you lighting us.?") especially in the Communist areashas had considerable success. Reeducated Japanese have now become ready to Avork underground and arc already working with a small but growing underground movement in Japan. The Chinese have absorbed all previous "conquerors" in their~past history. They are still a peace-loving people—a reasonable people—a very lovable people with a keen sense of humour-. I believe that gi-eat coui> try with its population will be a great influence for good in the future. These people well deserve our help in their recovery from the setbacks and cruel sufferings' of the past eight years } and we would be well repaid by their friendship in the opportunities that will come in the future for' us to know them better."