ORIENTAL GEM

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 255, 25 September 1940, Page 6

ORIENTAL GEM

. 'j.i; ■ : [ —V ! ' ; : .,k '■' FRENCH INDO-CHINA

rich and romantic

Primitive, yet ainazpigly Picturesque alter alluring, exotic Last and J fate than Jndo-Chma deserves a b ®“er to be yet another theatre ot vm rival interests. Yet undei P . guc h cumstauces it can scaicely “ P these a l ate simply because it > - flf the things—and more, lor it . in most strategically important btates m the Near East. , l no f Doubtless long before theJ awa ° g history the fertfieriowlands and of Tong-king and Cochin-China. a bodia, which had been created >y two rivers, were peopled by hu:man mgs. For Nature had giy _ j r soil-the sediment mostly slle ? ea , aS ndscarried down from the \ar S j. which was eminently suitable for agi culture. More than that, it that could never be exhausted, i was constantly being rene\'ve .. deepened by recurring floods. But the primitive settlers found not only a rich soil, but a climate conducive d.O rich vegetation. To those unac cd to hot, moist tropical regions—m tong-king the temperature ianges from 50 to 100 degrees h ahr-.—e o^ 1 - tions arc apt to be very tr '' J they encourage production, . rice. In all, 8,000,000 acres are devoted to raising this staple ClO P> , . which an immense quantity is exporteu to China and Hong. Kong. Cotton, silk, pepper, sugar, cinnamon, rubber, teak, tobacco, coffee, and tea flourish with amazing catholicity. MINERAL WEALTH.

As might be expected the country under French direction has developed old and increased new industries. 1 11st among these are. the fisheries which are on an exceptionally big scale. But it is rich in minerals such as hard ana soft coal, antimony, tin; iron, zme, copper, wolfram,' gold, and sait. alining is a growing industry, most or the work being done by the natives. Prom the limestone quarries of longking immense quantities of 1 ortland cement are manufactured, mostly for export. Other notable industrial developments are the operation of nee, cotton, and silk mills. In former days the avenues of trade were the sea, the rivers, and a few caravan routes near the coast, ov from the coast into parts of the interior, hut the new factor which the est brought to thtf East In furtherance of commerce and industry, namely, railways, is now influential on the destinies of the country. From Tong-king the railways enter China at two points, and one of the 11 goes many miles into Yunnan. From Tong-lung : too, a line runs alqng the coast .to connect Hanoi and Haiphong with Hue and Tourane, in Annam. ’ The oldest line is between Saigon and Mytho, traversing the middle of Cochin-China. In all there are nearly 1700 miles of railways as well as over 6000 miles, of good roads. PRINCIPAL TOWNS. The whole country is normally administered by a Governor-General, assisted by a Secretary-General, and there is a Superior Council vyith a permanent commission always in session. In the background, however, there has always stood tlio French Colonial Office in Paris, to say nothing of the Foreign Office. The seat of government is at Hanoi, some 60 miles inland from Haiphong, 011 the Gulf of Tong-king. Formerly it was situated at Saigon, some 40 miles up the river of the same name. With its fine public and other buildings and its wide boulevards, Saigon remains one of the most attractive citjcs of the East. If much of its political importance has gone to Hanoi, it'is still the capital of Cochin-China and a great port. A powerful wireless station there keeps in touch with France. Neither Hanoi nor Saigon is the largest city of Indo-China. It is Cholon, in Cochin-China. Its population is over a quarter of a million, about a half being Chinese. Hanoi and Haiphong have about 130,000 inhabitants each. The greater part of the former city consists of an agglomeration of native villages, but there are also splendid modern edifices, including the University of Indo-China. With railways into China and along the coast as well as to Haiphong, Hanoi is a brisk trade centre.

Haiphong, with about 75;000 people, is a growing port and the French portion is well laid out with spacious streets. The chief city of Cainhodia is Pnom Pcnli, on the Mekong, 130 miles north-west of Saigon, - with a population of 85,000. Hero, too, the French have erected fine buildings and laid out many beautiful streets.

No doubt the most interesting part of Jndo-China is Angkor, the ancient capital of Cambodia, situated near the Great Lake. It is now a mass of magnificent ruins covering an area of two square miles, and consists of what once were royal palaces and majestic temples enclosed by walls 30ft in height and pierced by five wrought gates. To the south, standing in a moated park, is the temple of Angkor Vat, a wonderful building of multi-coloured sandstone dedicated to Buddha, and tho finest surviving example of the ancient art of the Khmers, or people of Cambodia.

STRATEGIC VALUE. The alacrity with which the Japanese have sought to establish themselves in Indo-China is not difficult to appreciate when the strategic importance of the country is gauged. Looked at broadly, it is not a unit climatically, though it is so politically, it has been the military strength of France, first exercised on the peninsula as long ago as 1787, and tlu. genius of her administrators,, that has given her this magnificent addition to her empire—now, alas, very much endangered. Of an area" of upwards of 280,000 square miles, it is about a fifth as large again at France herself, and its population is over 20,000,000. When the French first set. eyes on it, it was highly civilised on the Oriental pattern, moulded bv the influences of both China and India. Today it stands as a symbol of the wonder and veneration of the East and the enterprise of the West, another stake in the eternal struggle for supremacy among the Powers.