Cathay1-28,1-29 covers a lot of territory. Including the three provinces comprising Manchuria, of course, it is about the same in area (and more than three times as populous) as the United States1-30. It would indeed be hard to generalize with any fairness regarding so vast a land, and this chapter will include only random shots here and there, as aside from remarks on my old home towns of Hong Kong and Shanghai, nearly 900 miles apart, (and my weekend home of Macao!).
Times have decidedly changed1-31 since those of some of the (very!) civil wars when now and then it might be there was a truce for eating, umbrellas were in vogue, silver bullets (cash) counted more than real ones, or almost unbelievable atrocities were perpetrated on the vanquished. Many Chinese armies of today farm when not soldiering to keep the countryside on a going basis. Conditions have undoubtedly changed greatly (and rapidly) in some of the localities mentioned since I have had the opportunity of seeing them. There has been a radical change in the legal status of foreigners, extraterritoriality rightly having been abolished1-32 and its excusable contraction ''extrality'' will no longer be called so much into play!
''Ningpo more far''1-33 used to be quite a common expression for going a good ways (especially when you weren't keen on disclosing your exact destination!). The proprietor of the Lao Hai Shing (we always called him Lao Hai, and am not sure whether we ever heard his real name) firm of tailors literally made that trip. His home was in Ningpo and when the Japs made one of their intermittent liftings of the blockade there, he scooted to see the scene of his boyhood. The lid was snapped on again about the time he got there and he had to go (considerably) ''more far'' before he could get back to Shanghai.
In retrospect some aspects of up-country China possibly take on undue prominence. The omnipresent oppressive poverty and squalor (and hard work) with the overshadowing (and oft overwhelming!) smell (which the ''honey'' carts with their human manure don't mitigate), the green slime and stagnant water, the primitiveness, the land where some do eat dogs (maybe from necessity rather than choice), and the art of puncturing a small hole in a watermelon and soaking it in river water to make it weigh more (and then cutting it open for display so the flies can buzz and feast - all to be as sure as possible of passing on cholera) are probably slowly but surely becoming things of the past - except the hard work! Fish nets hung out to dry in the sun and Old Sol evaporating salt in shallow wooden troughs along the seacoast is welcome relief.
The so-called rice bowl pidgin (scouting out, splitting up - or making! - jobs for relatives and friends) is due neither to laziness nor any caste system but is simply a question of mutual survival (''live and let live'' and make what there is go around). Chinese look at time for what it is - inexorable. You can't beat it no matter how much you hurry. When a Chinese of the servant class is asked what time it is, a very common reply, characteristically (and humorously!), is ''just now?''
The Kuomintang and Communist parties are much in the news1-34,1-35,1-36. The latter officially droppd communism and accepted Sun Yat Sen's ''Three Principles'' (''Nationalism, People's Rights1-37, and People's Livelihoods,'' i.e., a democratic nationalism with all individuals entitled to a decent living) in 19371-38 so their main announced aim is similar to the announced principles of the Kuomintang. Due to misunderstandings caused in some degree by past divergence in aim, the ''Communists'' are still holding out for their own army and territory. It is conceivable, and to be hoped, that eventually the broader issues will outweigh the minor points of friction and that a healthy two-party form of real, and workable, democracy will be forged on the anvil of bitter experience1-39,1-40.
There are two main aims to China's broad policy, Resistance and Reconstruction, and emphasis is laid on both concurrently. ''Indusco'' (Chinese Industrial Cooperatives whose motto ''gung ho''1-41 - ''pull together, one for all and all for one'' - is now so often quoted) was started by H.H. Kung in 1938 with the good wishes and encouragement of many, including foreigners, among these being Sir Archibald Clark-Kerr, the British Ambassador. This represents continuation of production along many lines by small units scattered safely throughout the land, largely manned by skilled artisans who have been driven by war from factories or other former places of employment. The total quantities of goods so far produced reach surprising figures.
The centuries' old and outmoded method of collecting land1-42 taxes (which, like methods formerly employed in many other countries, led to great abuses) has already been corrected. Another step that may be taken to unify and economically strengthen the country would be to wipe out the political subdivision of the province (the creator of the warlord and so much trouble of the past) and redistribute local authority among some 1500 or 2000 hsien1-43 (counties), thereby greatly lessening the chances of individuals stirring up any serious disorder. Sun Yat Sen envisioned industrialization and great strides will undoubtedly be made along these lines, which would initially include great extension of railway and highway systems and the harnessing of considerable water power. Many years of work and billions of dollars (even in terms of our currency) would be needed for such a program as is probably in mind, and some of this money would be available immediately from foreign loans already in hand. In any case there would seem the prospect of increasing business cooperation with the United States for many years to come. It would seem reasonable that emphasis would be laid on the development of the ''safe'' western parts of China1-44 unless better safeguards against aggression than are in sight at present are assured when the time comes. Even with war going on much development is taking place and China's important waterways are not being neglected. The governmental-backed Ming Sung Industrial Co. has built several steamers suited to the Yangste run. (An American company, the Yangste Rapids S.S. Co., went out of business some years ago partially owing to mismanagement1-45.) Many of the 15,000 junks have been modernized, and some converted to motor power. Some new junks have been built which are appreciably speedier than the older type. Thru it all the faithful and persevering Chinese Post Office mail carrier is patiently carrying the news of today and the hopes and plans of tomorrow. He gets there somehow and his grass green uniform is a familiar sight on trains, rivers, buses, wheelbarrows, camels, horses and, of course, on Shank's mare (and China isn't all flat and easy walking!)1-46.
Hard work, one ancient heritage that will surely continue, has been mentioned so let's try to get the business of the laborer's grunted chant (''the song of toiling China'') clarified - if we can! However its sound is Anglified, it is equivalent in purpose and result to the ''Hi ho, hi ho, and off to work we go'' of the ''Seven Dwarfs'' and the nautical ''Ho heave ho.'' Now and then it sounds (though far from a bray!) like ''hee haw,'' at times like ''ho hai, ho hoi, ho hai, ho hoi'' and again like ''hay ho'' or ''yee ho.'' Although ''hai yah'' or ''ai yah'' seems to express surprise, or ''Is that so?'' in all, the laborer's chant seems to vary with dialects1-47! Leland Stowe when entering through China's back door writes about it in They Shall Not Sleep as being ''hai toh, hai tah, hai toh, hai tah'' which lends support to the hypothesis! The manner of intoning seems to be standardized with sedan chair coolies, coolies having equalized swaying loads slung over their shoulders at each end of a bamboo pole, laborers doing heavy rhythmatic work such as pile driving, etc., and it gets work done - maybe more cheerfully and faster. If the character of the toil is such that a headman is employed, he will usually be found to be distinctly inventive in improvising and singing (between repetitions of the chorus) a staccato verse concerning what attracts his interest. If you loiter to watch and listen carefully (and can understand!) very unflattering descriptions of yourself (or your ancestors) are likely to come over the air. It shouldn't disturb you, as it's all in the days work.
It has been said that on the average the Chinese skull is slightly thicker than ours and the nervous system somewhat more phlegmatic which would explain a lot as to how many of the coolie class are able to stand up under the conditions that exist for them1-48,1-49. Life in China is not all work, however. The Chinese have taken to basketball, soccer and tennis1-50 (whereas the Japanese have seemed keener on baseball and golf - although golf balls were curtailed as a ''luxury'' long before Pearl Harbor)1-51.
According to the old-style Chinese calendar (which most still prefer to follow, and which is based on the lunar cycle) there are four main festivals. ''China New Year'' is usually the 1st, but sometimes the 15th, day of the ''first'' moon, and falls between January 21 and February 19 of our calendar1-52. The Ch'ing Ming (equivalent of Easter) is the festival of, for, the dead. The Dragon Boat festival is symbolic of searching for a legendary hero who drowned himself, and in larger places and where there is water is almost invariably honored by a race between long and heavy but somewhat canoe-shaped boats manned by so many, shouting and paddling wildly, that from the distance it looks like a centipede with the tic in his toes. The Moon festival is the harvest festival which, in one form or another, is common to so many lands. (I never did get to care for the flat tasting ''moon cakes'' which are a customary part of the celebration.) Great effort has always been made at festival time (and particularly at New Year) to settle outstanding debts, and there is also much feasting. Many ''good luck'' calls are made at New Year and the celebration generally lasts several days so that everything can be worked in, business being practically at a standstill.
Cooking in China is an art, as in France, and some of the cooks are artists. I have heard gourmets discussing the finer points of the cooking of both countries (which would not include chop suey!) and it seemed debatable as to which they considered the better. For the most part, Japanese like Chinese dishes but the converse is not true. It is sometimes said that kitchens are not clean, etc., and while this may be true to some extent (as elsewhere!), it is far from being wholly correct. You are welcomed at any time in the large and spotlessly clean kitchen of the Sun Ya (Shanghai) restaurant where an imposing array of dishes are being prepared effortlessly in, to all appearances, an impossibly small number of clean utensils1-53.
A mountain of ration points would be needed to corner the pig market. Pork on the hoof is wandering everywhere - and in and out of hovels and other places of abode1-54! Chickens fill in the few empty spaces.
There are more squeals (and squeaks) than those made by the swine. When I first went inland from Swatow hundreds of small water wheels (water ladders) dotted the landscape. (These are ceaselessly and patiently treaded to raise water to a higher level, in this case to irrigate paddy fields, and in some parts of China they are as large as 75 feet in size.) They were all squeaking and the whole atmosphere shrieked the millenium to one trying to increase sales of lubricants. We went so far as to develop a dandy special grease and design a pretty and suitable package (and one that was of utility when empty, important in China) only to find that unless the things made a noise they were not considered as pulling their weight, and that the louder they creaked, the more water was supposed to be forced uphill! A similar state of affairs existed regarding wheelbarrows and their wooden axles. They are widely used as a means of transportation, often carrying five or six at a time, but of course differ somewhat from the standard American wheelbarrow. They are usually longer and have no uprights in front or on the sides, a rather large wheel being covered somewhat as is the centerboard on a sailboat.
I also discovered on these upcountry trips that what they say is true. We simply don't sniff well to the dogs and carabaos (water buffaloes) of Far Cathay, and they can spot us in a multitude. My son and I were once chased by a carabao in the Philippines - so hard and fast that even Sunny was out of breath. As a rule the carabao is a weary looking plodder and, having no sweat glands, loves to blissfully bathe whenever he gets a chance, no matter how muddy, nor whether after or during business hours. However, the carabao is very powerful. We were slowly (the wise way) passing one in Manila when an insect possibly bothered him as he tossed his head and a horn ripped a fender clean off the motor car. It didn't faze him at all and he kept sedulously on his way. (A ''carabao typhoon'' is one that is particularly strong, and slow moving.)
Also evidently, in spite of what we may think, we are not ''white.'' We're pink. A lady entered a stationery store, inquired for some white paper, and was offered some of a pinkish hue. She repeated that she wanted white. The proprietor said, ''Missy, you talkee you b'long white. This paper alee same color you.'' (Her face was probably red!)
Trips to Canton from Hong Kong were made by boat or by railway, which was slightly longer in distance. Foreigners generally traveled on the vessels of the Hong Kong, Canton and Macao Steamboat Company (affiliated with the China firm of Butterfield and Swire and who, in turn, were connected with Alfred Holt and Co. of ''Blue Funnel'' fame) when going up by river. On a night trip Captain McKinnon was taking us up on the Kinshan one night, but one of his officers couldn't have been feeling so well as we sailed gaily out with running lights reversed. We didn't get into any trouble, but the officer did. Most foreigners other than missionaries and, since the last war, Germans (who had their own colony) lived on Shameen (''sand flat'' - and originally one). This was a lovely little place (it took only a few minutes to walk from one end to the other) largely covered with sward and shade trees. Only sedan chairs were allowed on the island, although buses and rickshaws were available at the two bridges connecting the island with the city proper. Shameen boasted a so-called hotel, the ''Victoria'' but luckily most visitors had friends to stay with. The Victoria always seemed to be kept, if you can put it that way, in a run down condition and had an atmosphere conducive to sleep (if you could avoid the mosquitoes and one or two other things). Many of the small buildings were combined offices and living quarters which made all very handy on a rainy, or a lazy, day. The grounds of one such place were filled to overflowing on a certain festive occasion. Local and upcountry agents had been in the habit (then quite customary) of presenting certain employees of firms with a memento at that time of year, such as silver, jade, etc. One firm decided that it was getting to be too much of a good thing, and a little embarrassing to say the least, so let it be known there was a new ruling that only something that could be ''consumed,'' such as cigarettes or food, could be received, believing this would cut down the value of the cumshaws to within reason and yet meet the needs of ''olo'' custom. The chickens were not counted before the plot was hatched. All the agents of the company must have had a single thought since the grounds of the manager's residence suddenly became so crowded with fowl waddling around that he could hardly get to the club. The club was the popular meeting place, and in one historic year the bar made 20,000 dollars when gins were only six cents apiece. (This could have been the time when Malini ''the great'' astounded a coterie who had already had a few. He had never seen any of them before. He borrowed a cane from one and a ring from another, and asked two others to hold the stick tightly. Malini took the ring in his hand, gave the middle of the stick a crack, and the ring encircled the cane. They all swear it happened thus, anyway.) Money was annoying (and costly) in those days of yore, as in other inland points. An effort was made to keep the dollar in Canton somewhere near the value of the Hong Kong dollar but it varied all the time and, in addition, there was the bugbear of ''small money.'' These copper and silver coins which were used for so many small transactions never seemed to bear much relation to the larger currency, and every time you changed from one kind of money to the other (which was frequently) you of course got stuck. (Things are naturally much better, and simpler, now with fa pi1-55 - legal tender containing 100 cents.)
It cost a friend of mine 20 cents (big money) to fire one of the shots from a cannon (which was already aimed - possibly not at much!) during the revolution1-56, and a dollar (or maybe it was five) to have a couple of pieces of artillery turned a little so the shells wouldn't be whizzing quite so close to a few oil tanks as had been the case1-57.
Pawnbroking is an old and respected business in China and the pawn shops frequently tower over other buildings and are the landmarks. (These shops are often used simply for the safe storage of goods such as furs and other clothes when not seasonable.) On one of my first visits to Canton I thought I'd take a stroll on my own through the streets of the city. They were then the flagged alleys handed down through the centuries and filled with jostling, shuffling streams of humanity. I had a good look at ''Jade Street,'' ''Ivory Street,'' and a few others (and didn't, couldn't, fail to notice the pressed duck hanging about everywhere, nor the dogs slouching along underfoot) when I promptly got lost. Climbing a nearby pawn shop bridged the gap of language and gave me the bearings. Not many years later some straight broad thoroughfares were cut across this city of passageways by the simple expedient of bulldozing straight ahead irrespective of what lay in the path, municipal bonds (for whatever they might be worth) were tendered in payment for damage done, and the prospect for higher value of the property because of the improvements effected was held out. The main trouble with the latter was that some didn't have any property left, or, maybe still more heartbreaking, only the eyesore of a single wall. In any event, Canton got some roads in a hurry to meet modern conditions and in the long run it may have been the best way to achieve the end. The Sun Company celebrated by erecting the rather large and pretentious ''Asia Hotel'' on the Canton Bund not far from the wharves of the Hong Kong steamers.