A view of Manchuria from Pu-yi's imperial quarters

Media

Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: A view of Manchuria from Pu-yi's imperial quarters
Language: English
Source: The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XIII (No. 7) July 1933
Year: 1933
Rights
Fulltext: 14 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL July, 1933 A View of Manchuria from Pu-yi’s Imperial Quarters Nora Wain: In the May Atlantic In February 1933, when I was in France, I received the following letter from a Manchu princess in residence in Manchukuo: ‘If thou couldst come to us now, thou wouldst find us different yet the same. Pu-yi sits at the opposite end of the table on which I am writing. He wears his horn-rimmed spectacles and the American trousers. He is in this hour occupied with various reports concerning matters politic, from which he is preparing what he will say tomorrow morning at the State Executive Council; but in all possible leisure now he studies Japanese and Russian, to make himself easy in these tongues as he did in English and French. Pu-yi and I thrive in this which is our natural climate. The Empress, who was in such frail health when we traveled, suffers much from the bitter weather. There is sun this afternoon and she is sleeping in a long chair set where the golden warmth comes by the western window. ‘I would tell thee of this Manchukuo wherein we are established. Our geography is all north of the Great Wall (built in fear by the Chinese two thousand years ago) which divides Manchuria from China. Our land is land which belonged to our Banners when we conquered China. ‘During our dominion over China, which endured from 1644 to 1912, we protected the purity of our race by an edict which forbade a Manchu clan member, male or female, to mate with a Chinese. We protected Manchuria, our clan homeland, from assimilation by the prolific Chinese people with another edict. No Chinese person was permitted to pass over the Great Wall, or to enter by any route, for any excuse whatsoever, except he possessed a permit. Such a permit was a highly privileged possession. It was “by leave of the Imperial Manchu Household,” “by permission of the Council of Hereditary Manchu Princes,” “by member ship in the Chinese Banner Corps.” Member ship in the Chinese Banner Corps was the privilege only of sons of those families which were regularly domiciled in Manchuria before the sixteenth century and which had persons in our ranks when we sallied south. We vigorously enforced these restrictions safeguarding the place of our origin until 1906. Then, alas, we did not! ‘We have not completed a census of our present population. In round figures, from available statistics, we know that we are 16,000,000 Manchu clan members, 750,000 registered Koreans, 250,000 domiciled Japanese, and 100,000 royalistic Russians who have sought sanc tuary here from republicanism in their birthland. The Chinese population is difficult to estimate. ‘The Chinese Professor of Economics, to whom thou and I listened together at Nankai, counted 27,000,000 of his race as migrated here since 1906. By observation I surmise 14,000,000 as more correct. But if we continue to permit Chinese entry, his total will soon be full. The migration ceased for some months following the Japanese seizure of the Chinese Govern ment offices. It is a voluminous flow now. My intellect tells me that it must be stopped. My heart tells me to blanket my intellect with pity for these bewildered Chinese farm families, who tell of the continued cruelties of civil war in Shantung, and of unmerciful treatment from the unpaid and undisciplined soldiers quartered on Hopei. ‘While on this subject of Chinese migration, I must thank thee for the lantern light thou hast thrown on world affairs for me by sending me The Pacific Area—An I liternational Survey, by George H. Blakeslee, World Peace Founda tion. In the chapter, “Manchuria,” 1 observe: ■“It was stated by some experts at the Institute of Politics at Williamstown in 1928 that Man churia could support a Chinese population of 100,000,000”. ‘I am eager to be informed as to how many of these war-weary Chinese citizenry, who are migrating from China to every foreign land that will permit them entry, the United States of America is giving sanctuary to. I have been informed, incorrectly I now presume, that thy country has an edict shutting the gate in the Chinese face. ‘It has been interesting to observe the be havior of our self-invited guests. On pilgrim ages to temples and our ancestral tombs, I have traversed a considerable part of Manchuria during the last ten months. When I first journeyed I found the Chinese sullen. Twice during my first pilgrimage 1 was called “Japanese Toad,” and once my senior bearer was spat upon. Later, after Japanese and Manchukuo troops had begun the anti-bandit raids we are conducting, I found these squatters on our countryside so apprehensive that they ran and hid in their miserable baked-mud hovels as I approached. Some weeks later I discovered that they ventured shyly to return my smile. On my last tour abroad, farmers, wives, and Background Facts When the emperor Kwang-su mounted his death couch in No vember 1908, Pu-yi was chosen Emperor -of the Banners in his stead. This made him ruler of China too, a Manchu conquest of 1644, which with the expression “we have exhausted the mandate of Heaven” he relinquished in 1912 for specified imperial quarters, courtyards, in Peking, the for bidden city, and an annuity of 4 million dollars in silver—an agree ment with the Chinese broken by Feng Yu-hsiang in his capture of Peking and a pursuit of Pu-yi and his family which caused them to throw themselves- upon the proffer ed mercy of the Japanese legation and eventually to reside in Tientsin under the security of the Japanese garrison in the Japanese conces sion. Pu-yi then asked the president of China and the emperor of Japan to help secure him the return of Manchuria, held under the autonomous government of a Chinese, Chang Tso-lin. He then got no help from either quarter, but got help from Japan last year, and his new government of Man chukuo set up by aid of alliance with Japan was recognized by Japan on the eve of the advent at Geneva of the Lytton report ad verse to Japan’s contentions con cerning Manchuria.—Ed. children cheered me with “Good! Good! Good!” ‘But there is much to be done before we can honestly accept congratulation. Our territory is more than three times the size of France and has been badly conducted for twenty-one years. To set it in order is a tremendous task. Man churia has seemingly been the favorite hunting ground of the scum of the Russian and Chinese revolutions. Our land is overrun with bandits of both races, who have organization threads running up every river channel and over every mountain. We hope, now that we have made an example of those arch-villains Su Ping-wen and Ma Chan-shan, we shall have no further disgrace in the northwest. ‘The Harbin land is an ulcer on our coun tenance. No woman of any race is safe there. Murder and kidnapping happen with the same frequency as in China. An Englishwoman was recently killed, in broad daylight, attempting to protect her three little girls. She was taking them the short distance from her home to their morning school. We need a competent force to send there, but we do not yet have men to spare, as all our strength is called to protect our China border. ‘We have sufficient to occupy us within our own land, and no desire to be entangled in the affairs of our civil-war-ridden neighbor. But we have had to occupy the Chui Gate eight miles north of Shanhaikwan and send armed men into Jehol. We shall, if necessary to protect the integrity of our birthland, occupy’all the Great Wall from where it runs into the sea to the farthest reach of our southern boundary. Quarreling is an extravagance neither we nor China can afford in this era. We each need all our resources to put our own place in respectable condition. ‘The rounding of the year brings' us the following balances. We have control of the Salt, the Customs, and the Postal Services. Those employees in these organizations, of whatever nation, who refused to obey our edicts have been deposited below the Wall. ‘The Salt, in which the workers were prin cipally Japanese and Chinese, was comfortably arranged. The Japanese are our allies. The Chinese were found to be of sound common sense and glad to have salaried positions. ‘The Customs Service gave trouble. These officials were for the most part American and English—a race I find peculiar. But these affairs have smoothed. They should soon be correct. We remembered Mr. Edwardes. He was Director-General of the Chinese Customs Service (which was established for our Aunt Yehonala by Sir Robert Hart) until he was dismissed by the “little dragons” at Nanking when they came into possession of the republic an seal in 1928. We had Mr. Edwardes’s London address. We used the telegraph to speak with him. He answered “yes.” He is here. ‘For the Postal Service we have made what I think are lovely stamps. Thou canst judge for thyself, as I will enclose a set. One hundred and four main post offices and ninety-seven branches offices are staffed. Letters and par cels are traveling by train, by air, by motor, by cart, by boat, by camel, and by man-foot. The outer world is waking to consciousness that we have a Postal Service. Japan and Russia send us bags of mail; also France, Norway, Italy, Holland, and Sweden. The Post Office of Canada has sent us a Verification Certificate regarding postal matters. We have signed and returned it. More recently we have received a questionnaire from the General Post Office in New York, which we have gladly answered. The Southampton, England, Postmaster sends us letters ana parcels with commendable reg ularity. China does not see our stamps. We have the same blindness for China’s stamps. Communication is by hand-passage. ‘As we have already written to thee, we want thee to visit us when the ice goes out of our rivers. Thou art of simple taste, so we feel we can invite thee, but 1 must warn thee that our life is more frugal than thou canst perhaps imagine. Even the luxuries our Tientsin residence pos sessed are done without. Our court draws no salary and spends nothing beyond what is necessary for food and shelter. We have not had a foot of silk since we came up; our gar ments of state are the clothes we had when tnou last sawest us. Thou knowest well, and sharest, my delight in Chinese theatricals. We do not spend a cash in the hire of actors. But the flowers of our land are exquisite in their brief season. The rippling waterfalls and our many birds make sweet music. ‘This year we have taken tiny taxes from the farmers and shopkeepers. In cases beyond count we have had to forgive default of pay ment. This must be our policy for a generation. We want our land to be again a land of pros perous people. The race bred here must be virile and strong to survive the stern climate and to maintain our three-cornered position between Japan, Russia, and China. Our children must be well fed and properly clad. The standard of their living must be high. Dur(Continued on page 17) THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 17 July, 1933 A View of Manchuria... (Continued from page H) ing the regime of Chang-Tso-lin and his son, in which both “government” and bandit taxes were recognized as a part of the cost of living, our people had a starvation diet and poor shelter. They must be nourished. ‘Our foreign trade is flourishing. IVe now have a trade balance of more than SI,000,000,000—all in less than a year. We have also a great «many Western visitors bidding extra vagantly against each other for purchase of our minerals and our forests. This may make us appear rich. But there is no money for pleasure. Our receipts must be spent in equipping a police and a defense force. ‘We have no expense along our thousands of miles of seacoast. This is assured by our friendly relation with our cousin-racc, the From Judge. Youthful One (Standing):—I just called up home and junior answered the ’phone—imagine! four years old and his voice is changing! GORDON DRY r',c heart, T KT °f a g°°d (jlJXI cocktail BLACK & WHITE Scotch Whisky Popular Because Pleasant Kuenzle & Streiff IMPORTERS 343 T. Pinpin Tel. 2-39-36 Manila, P. I. Japanese. It would be fatuous to pretend that Manchukuo has been established and is main tained by our own volition. We could not have returned to our rightful place without Japanese consent. Manchu men, women, and children were massacred in every province in China in 1911 and 1912. Our homes were leveled, our wealth taken. We were thus shattered in numbers and in strength. But twenty-one years have passed. A new generation has sprung from “us who survived.” I myself have given life to nine healthy sons. ‘liven so, as long as Japan was content with a Chinese Governor north of the Wall, we could not take our rightful place. Japan was content with Chang Tso-lin, the daring Chinese ex bandit, who seized control and made himself Dictator of the autonomous state of Manchuria. He was a man who kept his word. But when his heir failed to respect Japanese treaties, causing Japan to make a military occupation to protect her investments, the Emperor of Japan was willing to confer with us. ‘We have made a treaty of mutual benefit. This treaty is public paper for all who wish to read. It does.not give any concession or right which Japan did not already possess by pre existing treaties and agreements, but it assures Japan that the government in Manchuria recognizes these treaties. In return for our signature, Japan agreed to give us military assistance in the establishment and main tenance of national security. ‘Thou knowest the persuasion by which I’u-yi and his Empress arrived here. But perhaps thou dost not know that, while the carrier was a Japanese gunboat, his transport had the sanction of Princes and Princesses of each of our eight Banners. Pu-yi had been bitten by the flea of republicanism. Drastic treatment was necessary to remind him that he is Emperor of Banners. ‘Now that he has come to his rightful place as leader of his own people in the land of Manchu origin, he understands much that bewildered him a year ago. He is content with circum stance. I think that thou wouldst immediately notice that, although he has retained his natural simplicity, he has developed amazingly.’ Applications received by the San Francisco Branch of the Regional Agricultural Credit Corporation as of June 7, 1933, total over S14,362,295, according to E. W. Wilson, Manager of the Corporation. More than 2,160 applications out of a total of 3,600 received by that office have been ap proved, amounting to over S7,000,000. Over $3,000,000 of this amount has been advanced to growers and livestock owners and the balance is being disbursed on a budget basis, as needed. Loans made by the Credit Corporation cover every kind of fruit and field crop grown in Cali fornia, as well as vegetables and livestock. “The material strengthening of prices to growers on many California crops is encouraging to growers and will help toward rehabilitating California agriculture,” says Mr. Wilson. “Prices for dried fruits have been strengthening mate rially. Growers are being offered prices for their dried apricots substantially above last year’s. The successful drive of the California prune industry to maintain the California Prune Pool keeps this important stabilizing factor in the prune industry. Our prune borrowers report considerable interest by packers in contracting their unsold lots. The low stocks of canned fruits, of which there is a total of less than one and a quarter million unsold at this time in the hands of all canncrs, including cherries, pears and peaches, has brightened the canning fruit situation. “Canning peach borrowers report to us a decided activity and interest on the part of canners to contract their 1933 requirements at substantially firm prices. Activities of various cannery groups toward the formulation of an industry program taking advantage of the new Federal Industry control legislation to embrace peaches and probably all canned fruits, will undoubtedly lend strength to the canning fruit situation in California, especially as the pear growers in many districts are working toward some control of the shipments and elimination of low quality pears, and any surplus of canning peaches would be small compared with the surplus of previous years. In line with general present governmental policy applied to crop and farm activities, this Corporation is lending its aid in a reasonable way to all constructive marketing movements. "Prices of beans, rice, barley, wheat and hops have all improved. Wool has nearly doubled in price the last sixty days, and many other farm products are taking strength from the general improvement that all business is feeling. The year 1933 promises improvement to the California farmer.” IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL