PEKING.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1921, Page 4

PEKING.

CHINA’S NOMINAL CAPITAL. (liv ('. Spurgeon Medhurst). Peking lots fallen mi evil bays. She is no longer ilie ancient city ol toe Kmporors, and ol’ the Chinese Republic, she is only the noniinal capital. but she retains much ol her former dignity, and cherishes nil her old-time aspirations. The voting .Manchu I'hnperor, an intelligent youth of some Id summers i l u » i, s being tutored by a member of the Hnglish Civil Service,loaned for ■ t>hi purpose), still resides in that portion ol the lm]K‘rial palaces which the Republic set a pari for tin' use of the J’nyn! family. Here he is sei ved with his dad.' meals in golden howls, and cats nit :i silver chop-sticks. Ilis court is smaller, and lie gives no audiences, hnt none of the pompous eti(|iiette which suirniiudcd his. ancestors is - abated. Ilis tutor reports that he is anxious to sec the world, hot lie has not yet seen Peking. Hor the Kmperors those spacious yellow roofs, nestling among the green trees, which add so much to I In' boawiy of the northern capital wore the only world. The buildings were sacrosanct. Now they arc public places, and the once forbidden City is Unbidden no more. Its dark red walls, v. bich com 'lied so many secrets, have been pierced, and the common man of clay may now go in and mil as he pleases. I In* beginning of modern history for most, ol us is August. 1011. for the Chinese it commences somewhat earlier. The Herniation. which ended the Manchu monarchiat regime, broke out in October, 1011 Ti e Hep.il.lic was established in the following year, and any ulfieinl or important, document prepared 10-flay would h. dated "In the ninth year ol the Republic of China.” As, however, the patricians have refused to become plehians, and no Parliament lias functioned for ■rears, while even the nominal President in Ids nominal capital, is subject to milium dictation, it is diilieult to say , v .|,at the Republic is, but China has always been the victim of literary slogans and lino-resounding names. TIIK ClllNl.'*w PA I! A DON.

Tlic Chilli's:- have survived lim>j simply lii'eriuse, whatever tin- colour of llie sm-ressive aiitiieriieii's which have Irani 11nil- t.o time lu-i-u sc-t up, tin- Chiu'se lint inn lin s always exemplified the- parailoN limt iln- loss tin- f iovi-i nmollt is in evidence tin- inoii- prosperous rind con-u-llti-il i lll- people me. All llie l hinesipensnnt risks for is liberty to pillow Iris ou 11 In w I'll I tleviei-s without iiitcrleroneo |,i mulioritv. nnil n hnmly low court to n'hjih he inn oeensiotinlly po nod |>hiy hi- favourite utimo of e-I',,- I lie lute of the "Oient Tsinti IV'"- ~ Itec-t eil him less thrill the liilow--1 ■ i lull heneelorth Chinn would ho : He,! The People's l.rnicl. The hie! ilm I since tlic-n there hus heeil more e::iddliiio thrill orch-rlv direciion does leu | I'oiihle him. lie hus n repilhlie, or ihiid-s he lens. ;,ml tlmt siid'icos. 11l this rind in e very other drreetien 1 ■ Chinos,- meiii: lity is u- dili'eient ,ioin niirs Us is their un-hit: eture. ■ ; i,■ 1 1 ■ ■ dist inetieii i> ohvi ii- and olit.u : i,e; ihe former is only reulised hv ile-c-s. Thus p.-hi.ie hi lor M-I'.v con- • iiiietion shuts lii-rsell aval rind apart I rum the eon lit ry. ml! c-1 l hull lot ms u pun 111 it. There is no oilier city like I’l'-I.iim,, not nll hsl nndrii:; lint nil V hides. eitio- l-.nve nails nod cates. IVkiuc.'s onlc.'s anil nulls nn- mote- «- xt<■ 11si-, r. unci exelusive. limn others. 11 rsoles, nn ordinnry c ity may he n< mooli

ul :i lnTmit:iii'* :t" il j)!i':i son. ! »>ll »!•» i;i I,i t;i I -Itnillt! ;i! Irnsi In l < oMprel.oii--i\ i-!y lio»pi * p**< *i: 1i I v t‘> ii> *>\v>i 11 ;; \ i vi* <:tv of Tientsin, in inuttition t i ;! i* i ivoilom irom < onfinomoiu «»f its prn>pomns t« »r«*i l»;ii >i*11 1:*tufitt ut tin* same n.imo r Ti *»111 -it: is i! .* »11 ■-•miff* port oi Xort : * fin •

.1 Wll iIS Willis. St »'.■ 11l till’ll.-ins ill.11.. W I ini 111. MI" their l ilt’'. Till- .i11. 1. i1l t:l ' I i| 1- 1 rill'. 1 1- 1 1 11 - I ill 111 r* I. mill slli.l t li.'ir ..111 1-ity .. lIS like II I, uly v. i.u ’ t,ii'."ii nil' her rich skins I’liii . 1 .in111• -' | >!: ii > i 1 1 niisi't s. Him ill; 1 lililsli lui sl•■ i: ■ t:n|.',l iiuny. mid Tl. iiisii Ims ii.i ilt'si r.* lo rt-1 ill ti hi 1 irr i.Minvr laiu,l;pj;p. I’>‘Uiii" still rejiMees in her licav.x skills. lI.'I I mill. I!.-.I Slilf.-, will: lli.il' massjv.l pili-s .M' s.ip.-iiiiip.i-.'.l iiiiisiMiiy. typify China's -l.ntt’-r. I .•.nisei vat ism. ( ai't.'ii :i n.I .it her cil i. s mi' turn wit limp v.nils. S!,: n tliiii, til.' • 'm.i.lf 1 set i Inn. ‘i ll." 1 1 n. I. up to ii levy years ; tlm ip"'' itiiP’"-ssiMp "I :11:i:.i-s-i! 11 1 Oriental . it ips 'i.l.‘ iiy -Mil ■ mi.! plippl. liy will,. I, leva !'. Is. Inn in 11-1:1-1 l t !:>■ mill.-,• i-itv , M Siianyl.ai stn-i • ■ n1 1 ••-<I t" 111" kill ills'll Ml', 111,1 wil 11 ill,- lli'lip- ;,|„ P, 11 1,,-I wall' Ii liltli went 11.. mi the minim In in". N.mip nl tiiesp •, liiiies. Ini', how ever. iiitlileiiccil IVkuie-. 'i'll,- lieiiiitil'til Inn nutiipiale.l palnees. uil.li t ii. ii- liltli lile palisailes ami stalely oininl approaches. which I'll up so inu.-li ,M the 'pace the city walls . ■ i!.-I. IS--. lire ssin I loli.-a 1 .M her islan.l ; 1 1 at i. a. M uni i pally. I’,-kill” is a well man :i .l city. Kveiylhiue. hie mul little. I- t ilet e mil tilled In the |»iliee. hill we lire not c. mi t elil tilli 1 - 1! -. ih ■I ll j aa sepn late unit, lull as ( liitia’s iunii inn 1 eapi nil.

r.N'DKH .W'TIIOIMTY. A'i'vitilieless, IVki.id is. nftci- nil. the i,':il hislorii- capita! ut the ('liinese 11.--|.iil>lh-. The lirsl I hilly. the i-inu s. eilt leavill*; 11 ir railway station i-. t l . Minlomat ie (Quarter. ami uUiiiai diplnI, i: 11.. pm-i.l.- only in I:iIlit ;i I-. It is, !. 1. • r. ..'.. Mil ■ lli.il I lll'.' cn:n. . ; , Pekiny iwi.-w .In- various i ■■ini.iis i,| t u- y. orlil. nl least so I'm- as j iin , niranies to t!:o l.cyntin]!'.- yo. each « iiii -i, mii inn:i l liny Ilyinmi ln|>. ~i 11 • in ,il Ik iny. As :i inn t~t nl I ii"i. Inis anomaly i nim-ides with ill:' real iuiic.iicss el lli,' silualieii. In: I ’*-Is i I i;t is n (; ;i|,il. iii ii, " , *r;t ii 1 l.iirily . IHlii is say i,i lu-i'. "nn I his” ami sin- does it ; It;' 1 ' n■ ii initiative ami pun it ii i a ipiiti-iii-.-.liniMi- miaul it i--s. Perhaps tin- ant limit irs have |-i':ti t tin- irony nl’ 1 In-[in-iii it ill if I In- I ,eya t ions vis-a-vis 'll lailnay, lor tlu-y an- tilioiit to Imiltl a ~|.ii;ial station elsewhere. Wlu-n that is ( . 11111iU- 1 1-iI tin- visitor on alinlitinn fi-oin his train will first neyoliatc some nl’ I Vision's main arteries ol traili-. The render has prohnlily nonih-ri-il as In- la.' mail how any city ran la- in P a political condition of I Vis i ny, ami ynt In- tin- head of anythin”'. It is not easy to eoinpress all inli-lliyihle inlerpretntion intiy a pnrnyrnph. Tin- axil ol tinliiniier Mn ii cl iii ruins ami tin- inenminy of tin- Cliiimsi- lit-pi t 111 it- war,- ilia result of a compromise. anil tha allaats have navar haan shaken oil'. I)r Sun Vat San started as tin- lirsl Provisional Presiili-ni in Nnnkiny, Ilia southern aapital of ilia prei-eiliny or .Mina, dynasty, lint Ilia saal of lUltlmrity was soon i ransfarrail to the historic IVlsinn, anil Vn;in Shih-lsai hai-ania Pra-.i--<lt'llt. linl a little mora than a yi-ai Inter | hare uas a si-aoml mol it I ion. Mans' ol tin l laaiiars in t In- earlier rasolution participated. Tin- new mm a UK-11l suppress -,| Yuan Slnh-kni. serihrd t l.i a political par!-, whirl' mused tin- tronhle, dissolved Ilia Parliann‘iit. anil sulisotpicnt ly rnlail ns virtual Kmperor. Many political nplirnvi,ls liava snacaaih-il, lint lasi October, tha present Pri-siilant, Mr Ijsti Sliihliana-, a scholarly ('onfili-ia ii isl. issnail an of!Ir-r for tha Imhliny of a yenernl ali-alion, hasril, not on tin- naw election laws, whose constitutionality is con-test,-il. ami which nrr the hnsis of his „wn title to the Presidency. Imt on the lilil alaation law, which is inanmpatililc witli hi' i htitll to til- President.

TDK LKCAJ, GOVEHN.MKNT. There is, in fa ct, no loyally rc: tuted (ioveniiiient in Peking. There me therefore, some grounds tor tile eslttblislinieiit of Clinton ns the t-n pi till, which l)r T. •). Henry in n recent “Herald!’ rightly described ns t hinn s revolutionary copitnl. Hot Pekinc is the hist uric capital, mid consequently its. (lovernment, noiniinil ilionyh it lie. has the rt'coonition of the Powers, (in May 5 last l)r Sun Vat Sen issued r“manifesto to fureiyn Powers’’ on Ihi subject. lie said, inter alia, “I appeal to the (oivernmenls of the friendly Powers to withdraw rceoy;niti(in from a soi-disnnt (loveninient, which is avowedly not de'juro, and which is prnyiiio itself not even de facto.’’ Addressing: the noininal President in Pekimt oil the same day. Dr Sun said: ”11 ;in Tui < lias said ‘a tripod is not to prop a vurriniio, nor a horse in keep watch a: the doin’. . You should this very day retire from iiflice in older to apologise to your fellow citizens, who wotdd certainly excuse you for your past; ami desire also to applaud your repentance. Imideqtiale as is the above as a pictuie of China’s present political position, it is accurate so lar as it eoes. It is suflieient to direct aitention to the presence of a serious embolism in China's circulation system. ’I lie HP-'ire of the Chinese Republic is one ol the verv important laeiors in the problems of the Pacific. This crave dancer spot requires close Hatching.