From San Francisco, the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations present... The Pacific Story. The Pacific Story In observance of United Nations Week, the Pacific Story tonight comes to you from the city where the United Nations organization was born. San Francisco, with this honor, became the symbol of new hope. In keeping with this, tonight we present a story of another city far across the Pacific, which is a symbol of another kind, and which one day may be affected by the far-reaching decisions of the United Nations. San Francisco, the symbol of new hope. Cancun, the symbol of new China. San Francisco, the symbol of new China. All aboard! All aboard! Wait! Wait for me please! Don't close the gates, let me through, I must catch this train. I don't know if you can catch it or not. Here's my ticket. Mm-hmm. Kowloon to Canton. Yes. Hurry, please. I hope you know you're headed for trouble up there in Canton. Yes. The Japanese have been fostering a place with bombs. Yes, yes, sir. Well, here's your ticket. Look handsome now. Thank you. As the train pulled out of the station in Kowloon and headed up the peninsula the last hundred miles to Canton, I looked back across the mile-wide straits of the islands of Hong Kong. There was the barren, picturesque rock with the City of Victoria perched on it, the beautiful harbor below. It called back the last time I had seen it when I left for the United States to go to school. And it called back the first time I had seen it, when I came down the Pearl River from Canton in a junk with my grandfather. That is Hong Kong, she'd say. You see, the islands of Hong Kong are at the mouth of this river that brought us down from Canton. And, Chidao, one-third of all the goods that come into China comes through Hong Kong here. That is important, because Hong Kong is no longer in the hands of us Chinese. Hong Kong is British. I did not quite understand then what Hong Kong at the mouth of the Pearl River meant to Canton, 100 miles up the river. I remember the talk about it all the years of my childhood. Hong Kong is the counter over which most of China must buy. Yes, and the storekeeper is a foreigner. Canton can never be more than a distribution center for the goods that come in over the British counter. Why cannot Canton be a counter? The water in Hong Kong harbor is deep. There are no facilities for great ships here in Canton. Only the smaller boats can come up here. Then why is not the river dredged here, and facilities put in so we can accommodate the deep sea trade? They are talking of dredging the river 12 miles down the stream at Wombo. They've been talking of that for years. Now it was 1938, and the dredging of the Wombo was at last underway. But now it was late. My country had been at war for more than a year, and the Japanese had occupied all the ports down to Amoy. I looked out of the window and wondered how soon the Japanese would drive to take Canton. Ningjie Tao! An old friend stopped at my seat. Ningjie Tao, I have not seen you in five years. It was Wang Li. Did you finish your education in America? No. You have come back at a desperate time. The Japanese have been bombing Canton. I know. And all the approaches to Canton. They have bombed this Kowloon-Canton railroad out several times. I had to come back. Are you a doctor now? Not quite. But I can help. You will be badly needed. Yes. I wondered why he was not in uniform. We are expecting the Japanese any time. Wang Li told me what had happened on the other coastal in River City when the Japanese moved in. There will be plenty for you to do, Ningjie Tao. I wondered if I would have time to organize any kind of medical facilities before the enemy came. They will certainly use all the railways and waterways leading into Canton. The railways and waterways. We are blessed with many waterways, Ningjie Tao. My grandfather used to talk as he scalded up the rivers. Nearly all of our rivers are brothers. The Pearl River here wanders inland and joins the Xi'an, the river of the West. We could follow these rivers a thousand miles. And below us here, the Beijing from the north joins the Pearl River. And we could follow this up to the great central basin of Hangzhou. So with all the rivers that join us here, Canton is the meeting point of the river trade of China with the sea trade of the world. I had gone up and down these waterways with my grandfather. They can be used for war as well as trade, Ningjie Tao. I know, Wang Li, the same thing with the railways. Yes. Canton was a railway center. The Japanese could come southward over the Hangzhou-Canton railway. They could come in over the network of other railroads in Guangdong province around Canton. And they might use the Gaolun-Canton railway on which we were riding. Japanese bombers! Japanese bombers! Get down between the seats! Get down between the seats, Ningjie Tao! Japanese bombers attacking the train! Japanese bombers attacking! Get down! Get down! Hang on! If only the train does not jump the tracks. Beeders are only hope to make them miss. What if they hit the tracks in front of us? They are getting closer. A whole squadron must be after us. Yes, and they must be using dive bombers. Stay down! They blasted the ditches beside us, smashed the right-of-way behind us. But sides of some of the cars were shattered. I did all I could to be entered. We rolled into Canton, and they were all dead. They were all dead. I knew it was only a foretaste. All the old feelings of my childhood came back. The waterfront where I had gone so many times with my grandfather. Quotes, twenty deeps tied up at the dock. The murky stream of the Pearl River with small craft, holes, roads, skulls propelled, sailed in all directions. Plunging, the waves were so deep that they were almost unbearable. The city, the streets still narrow and dirty as they have been a thousand years. The shops jumbled together along them. The smells and the color, the babbling. The The The The The The The The The The The The The The The The The The The Me Me Me My Me Be You Be Your ancestors, Shidao, and my ancestors, met these people and talked with them, and it was them. And that is one reason, Shidao, that Canton has become a center of enlightenment. And that is why they say everything new originates in Canton. The streets still narrow, but rising out of them wide streets, like breathing spaces cutting through the congested areas, the spacious booms along the waterfront, public parks, modern concrete buildings downtown, and factories on the outskirts. Airy! Airy! Airy! I looked up into the sky. Shidao, run for shelter! Yes. We cannot permit you to be killed. We need you. Hurry now! Come this way! Many still stood and looked up at the approaching bombers, shading their eyes with their hands. Down! Throw yourself down, Shidao! Throw yourself down into the gutter! Where shall we put this one? We'll have to clear a space to get him between those others. This one is very bad. I'll be there in a minute as soon as I finish with this one. Yes. Over this way. Easy now. Easy when you put him down. Just a minute, Chen. We will be over here to help you. Is my foot still there? Yes, Chen. It's still there. My hand... Oh, here he is now. Have a look at you now. That's it. Get this man into surgery room as fast as you can. Yes, sir. Is it bad? Yes, it's bad. All right up there. This! They carried him into a store room in the basement that suddenly had become a hospital. You were lucky, Chen. What are you going to do? This is anesthetic, but it is very little. Are you going to operate on me? I'm going to remove your hand, Chen. Your foot we can save. From that day on, I worked there in that basement. Dressing wounds, setting bones, operating, amputating. There you are, Chen. How do you feel? Fine. Dr. Ming, will you come over here, please? They called me, doctor. Can you take care of this one now, Dr. Ming? Dr. Ming. Dr. Ming. Dr. Ming. Dr. Ming. The bombers came back again and again. The Japanese will start their drive on the city any time now. Yes. Are you going to stay, Chi Tao? Are you? I do not know. I wondered why you would hesitate. I do not think we can hold Canton. Our troops will need you in the field. Can I go and leave all these people here? Which is more important, Dr. Ming? You are needed over here. Yes. When there was a moment to reflect, I looked over the people in that basement. The women, the children, the old people, the men. These were my people, the Cantonese. There is no people in the world like us Cantonese, Chi Tao. That is what my grandfather used to say. You see, we are short, and our complexions are darker than those of the people of the North. We are quick to take up new ideas and to accept changes. But you must always be on guard against yourself, Chi Tao, for we are excitable and adventurous, and those who do not like us call us quick-tempered and strong-willed. I looked over the people on their cots and straw matting there in the basement. They were so quiet. But we Cantonese are enlightened, Chi Tao, and that is a great virtue. Enlightened. Here, some yet send, spawned the revolution against the Manchu dynasty. When he was a young doctor, he smuggled in arms to capture the provincial capital here, and when he was discovered, escaped in the last moment. He returned and again made a lucky escape. And here, many years later, in 1921, he returned as the head of the government. I saw him then, and I remember what he said. To elevate China to a position of freedom and equality among nations, we must bring about an awakening of our own people. We must allow ourselves in a common struggle with those peoples of the world who treat us as equals. Most of the Chinese that immigrated to America, to Europe, and to all the other places of the world came from Canton. The Chinese that were brought to California at the time of the Gold Rush, and then the years after to build the railroads came from Canton. They went abroad to work and to live, to earn money and to send some of it back, perhaps to come back themselves. And when they came back, they brought ideas with them. These ideas made Canton the most modern Chinese city. Ideas blossomed out for a new China, and the new China followed Sun Yat-sen. I remember that year that Sun Yat-sen came back. The old city burned down. I stood there and looked at it with my grandfather. The old part of the city is keyed out. Perhaps heaven is favoring us. And as the burned out parts were rebuilt, the talk about Hong Kong went on. Canton can never be great until Hong Kong is Chinese. It stands at our gateway and collects on goods moving in and goods moving out. If Canton is to compete with Hong Kong, we must stretch the river and make Canton a deep people. Instead, why do we not make Hong Kong Chinese? If we make, Canton may be deep water. Perhaps it would not be necessary for Hong Kong to be Chinese. They are talking about dredging a swamp. Yes, talking. I remember when the talk crystallized into action in 1923. Do not trade with Hong Kong! Boycott Hong Kong! Boycott Hong Kong! Do not buy goods that came through Hong Kong! Boycott it! Yes, great Chinese! Boycott Hong Kong! These were the same people, many of them, who now lay on their cots in the straw mattings on the floor of the basement. Hot tempered, strong willed, purposeful. But now wounded and fighting for their lives. When do you think the Japanese will come, Dr. Ness? I do not know, Chen. Only there is time to get well enough. Just lie down there, Chen. I am doing no good here. You are not yet well enough to be out. Is that the air raid system again? You are safer here in this basement than anywhere else, Chen. They missed us this time, Dr. Ming. Yes. Lie down on your mat now, Chen. Jidao, Jidao, can I speak with you? What is it, Wang Li? Intelligence has just informed us. The Japanese have started their drive on the city. When will they be here? In a matter of days. Jidao, you must leave. Leave all these people? They are helpless. Your skill is needed by our troops. Are you going to leave, Wang Li? I am to stay. Oh, I will stay too. The fury of the Japanese bombings increased. Great buildings were smashed. The wide roads were blasted. Still, Canton did not appear as city besieged. The bridges still stood. The government offices, the factories, the public buildings still stood. The bombers came back again and again. The Japanese think by taking Canton they can stop our imports of munitions. At midnight on October 21, 1938, Wang slipped through the shadows down into the basement. Orders have been received from the high command to blow up the bridges, the government offices, the factories, everything that could be of value to the enemy. The Japanese must be very close. They will occupy the city tomorrow. And the city is to be evacuated. Yes. And if you do not go, heaven knows what they will do to you and your patients. This is your last chance, Jidao. They started the dynamite. All through the night explosion shook the city. The beautiful bridges tumbled and ruined. The modern buildings shattered into rubble. By dawn the blasting was done. The buildings still standing were in flames. Whole sections of the city were ablaze. Nothing was left for the enemy. The armed forces had moved out during the night. And as light broke the few roads still open were crowded with refugees streaming out of the city. I stood at the side of the road and watched them. People in carts, on trucks, and thousands on foot. Old women, old men, young women, children, cripples, half-grown girls and boys. A doleful mass of humanity moving out of the city. When I got back to the basement, Chen was gone. He must have got up in the dark and slipped out. But how could he walk in only one foot and with his right hand amputated? I did not see him go. At two o'clock in the afternoon the Japanese entered Shantung. They found it in flaming ruins. Your name? Ming Zitao. You are in charge of this place? I'm helping these patients. Are you a doctor? Not yet. I've not completed my work. Who is the owner of this property? I do not know. You will inform the owner that Chinese property whose owners are not on the spot to lay claim to it will be confiscated. Whoever the owner of the building was, he was gone. If they confiscated the building, what would happen to the injured people I had been helping? My patients. Japanese guards patrolled the streets. Japanese squads combed the city for those they considered dangerous. Who could that be? The Japanese would not knock like that. Who is it? It is one of them. Open quickly. The Japanese are looking for him. What do you mean? They have found out that I am in the intelligence. You must hide me here for a few days, Zitao. The Japanese will be back at any time, Wang Li. They've demanded the owner of this building or they will confiscate it. If they come here, they will find you. I cannot go out now. I must wait until dark. Go back to the storeroom, Wang Li. Get up on the table. You can crawl out the low window. Give me a minute before you open the door. Hurry. Tell Wang Li to leave. Chen, what are you doing? The Japanese squad is coming. They know he is here. They know he is a spy. Chen, how do they know you? I know. Tell him. He is already gone. Oh, come Chen. You should be in bed here. You should be lying down. Come over here now and I'll... Open up. Open up. The Japanese. I'll fly down over there and pop that blanket over you. Where is Wang Li? Wang Li? Dr. Third Sergeant. Yes, sir. Check every room and every corner. An armed guard stood over me as they searched every inch of the basement, every side room. Suddenly the Japanese captain came back. Wang Li was here, was he not? There are so many coming and going here that I don't know... Open the open window in that storeroom. You are under arrest. But that window was already open. Captain, look. You know this one. Ah, the lame one with one hand. The informer. Yes. He was on the floor with a blanket over him like a patient. Oh, no. I am only one of the... Take him along, Sergeant. We will go. They took us both to a prison camp. What they did to Chen in the next few days to pry information out of him I do not know. I did not see him again until I saw him tied to a post with a firing squad before him. The next two years I spent there in that prison camp. Then they released me to work among the people of Canton. Have you seen Wang Li since that last day? No. We have word that he went up to Ku Kong. Ku Kong was the wartime capital of the province of Guangdong. If he came back, maybe he could tell us how we could get some rice. He said he would come back. Hunger had turned to starvation. The puppet bureaus made rules against hoarding, but there was no rice to hoard. Rice was selling $4,000 in puppet money for a peak pool of rice, 110 pounds. And even those who somehow could pay this price could not get rice without paying bribes called activity fees. The months stretched into years. Death brought relief to the suffering of many. Then by the early part of 1944, hope came on the wings of more destruction. Those are American planes. American planes. We kept track of the raids as they blasted Canton. They averaged 10 a month. Ha! They have forced the high-ranking Japanese and puppet officials to leave Canton every morning and not return until dark. Good. By the spring of 1945, we knew that the war was going against the Japanese. Dr. Ming, I think I saw Wang Li. Here? I think so. He must have slipped back into the city. I kept watch for him. Then one day he was brought in. The last thing I saw was him kneeling with a sergeant standing over him with a raised samurai sword. I looked away. The tension grew in those last days of the war. We knew the end was near. The war is over. The war is over. No one said anything. I looked at the wreckage around me. The blasted, burned Blackham City. The buildings, the bridges and ruins. I recalled what Canton had looked like. I never thought of in all my lifetime that it would ever look like that again. This had been the cradle of China's revolution. The Japanese were not segregated into the seven concentration camps. They were put to work cleaning up the streets. By the end of 1945, some of the communications were back in service. The repair work will be done in stages. First, we must resume construction on the southwest steel bridge. Build up the lower harbor facilities. Clear and build up the roads so we can get around. Dredge and widen the rivers. And undertake construction of residential areas. So the war scourged my city of Canton. Slowly, one stone upon another, Canton is rising out of the blackness of her destruction. Now the ships are again coming up the Pearl River from the sea. And again the Cantonese are looking down the river to Hong Kong. I can hear my grandfather saying, Canton is China's gateway to the world. Shidao, someday when the question of Hong Kong is settled, Canton will prosper to its fullest. And all the world will know that Canton is the symbol of new China. You have been listening to the Pacific Story, presented this evening from San Francisco, the birthplace of the United Nations in observance of United Nations Week. This has been one of a series of programs by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations dedicated to the United Nations objective of lasting peace built on justice and understanding among nations. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send ten cents in stamps or coins to the University of California Press, Berkeley, California. To repeat, for a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send ten cents in stamps or coins to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and produced by Arnold Marklis. The music was under the direction of Carl Kalisch. The principal voice was that of Paul Ware Avery. Programs in this series of particular interest to servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This program came to you from San Francisco and is heard in Canada over the facilities of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.
