LEAVING DOMINION

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 92, 12 January 1935, Page 16

LEAVING DOMINION

Wife of Chinese Consul Madame Pao, wife of the Chinese Consul for New Zealand who has recently been appointed Consul-General for China at Johannesburg, has made many friends during her stay in Wellington. Much regret is expressed at her departure, which will take place in a few weeks’ time. Madame Pao has become genuinely attached to Wellington ; she likes the climate and cannot say too much for the friendliness of the people. “1 am delighted at having had the opportunity of coming to this beautiful country,” she told a “Dominion” reporter yesterday. “It is full of kind and most hospitable people. Ever since I arrived, two years ago, I have felt at home. I have been encouraged to make many acquaintances, to foster the spirit of goodwill between New Zealand and China, and thus bring about • a better understanding between the women of our respective countries. Although my husband has been transferred to Johannesburg, South Africa, which is a promotion for him, I, nevertheless, regret having to leave New Zealand.” She is very grateful for the courtesy which the women of Wellington have extended to her during ner stay in Wellington. “I sincerely hope,” she added, “that the women’s associations in New Zea-

land will co-operate with the women’s associations in China, and work together for their mutual benefit.” Speaking of the women of the pre-sent-day China, Madame Pao said: “Chinese history records the. achievements of many women leaders. In the earliest days, for example, the discovery of the art of rearing silkworms was attributed to the Queen of Huangti by an ancient historian. The Book of Odes informs us that women made garments and shoes and practised the art of dyeing. “The influence of woman in the home, particularly on the sons, is mentioned again and again in our literature. The wisdom of the mother of Mencius is a favourite theme for poets, painters and the stage. China also had its Joans of Are, women who made fame on the field of battle. A bright example, is. Fall Mou-Lan, whose deeds have been praised throughout the centuries.

“To-day, women assume leadership in China in every field of human endeavour. They are vital in shaping the destiny of the nation. They have made big strides in education, entered the professions, taken part in business and asserted their individuality in their family and social relations. Women doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses, clerks, secretaries, and typists are to be seen all over the larger cities of China.

“One of China’s; most famous women, Dr. P. S. Tseng, president of the Girls’ College in Hunan, said: ‘For the modern Chinese woman, let her freedom be restricted by self-control, her selfrealisation be coupled with self-sacri-fice, and her individualism be circumscribed with family duties. Such is the ideal of womanhood’.”