CANTON
907
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bined with atrocities against the defeated Yunnanese actually witnessed by Europeans from the Shameen side of the Defence Creek, caused the greatest alarm among all foreign residents. Following on the incident of the 30th May, at Shanghai where the Municipal Police fired on a crowd mainly com- posed of students and many were killed and wounded, a mass demonstration was organised in Canton against the 'Imperialistic Policy' of England, America and Japan and a general strike proclaimed, all Chinese leaving Shameen. On the 23rd June a monster procession moved slowly past the barricaded bridges of Shameen, shouting threats and defiance, at the sailors and marines who had been landed from British and French gunboats to prevent a threatened entry on to the two Concessions. At the end of the procession several hundred of Chiang Kai-shek's victorious Whampoa Cadets appeared and, to the horror of eyewitnesses, shots suddenly rang out. Instantly pandemonium reigned." Thousands of shots were exchanged. A French merchant, M. Pasquier, was killed and several foreigners, among them the Commissioner, of Customs, wounded. On the Chinese side of the Creek the casualties under the fire of the French and British sailors were more severe. Fifty eight were killed and a hundred wounded. All intercourse between the settlement and city now ceased. The local Government. lodged bitter protests with, the British and French Consulates-General and set forth five demands which included the rendition to the Kwangtung Government of the Foreign Concessions on Shameen, the. punishment of the naval officers concerned and the dismissal of the British Consul-General. The threats of sections on the Chinese side appeared to war- rant the island assuming an attitude of defence, and, with sandbags and barbed wire and with volunteers and Indian troops landed from Hongkong, Shameen became, and for some four months remained, a fortified camp dependent en- tirely on itself for all essential services and on Hongkong by means of naval craft for all supplies. On July 1st a new Government, the Nationalist Gov- ernment formed on the Bolshevist system of Committees, entered office. The Political Council consisted of 16 leading members of the Kuomintang with Wang Ching-wei as Chairman. On August 20th Liao Chung-kai, Minister. of Finance, was assassinated at the entrance of the Kuomintang Headquarters. Various suspects were arrested including Liang Hung-kai, an important Can- tonese Commander and substantial rewards offered for the capture of Ngai Bong-ping, ex-Commissioner of Police and others. General Chen Chiung- ming again rose and capturing Swatow and Waichow, which were lightly defended, commenced as advance towards Canton down the East River. He was, however, again crushed by General Chiang Kai-shek's superiority in foreign-trained troops early in November. During this month the sorely-- tried residents of Shameen, after a twently weeks' 'siege' began to find some relief in the gradual return of a few of their servants and a general im- provement in feeling generally. No further incident had occured and the: bridges were partially opened and defence precautions somewhat relaxed. Negotiations were tentatively open between Hongkong and Canton merchants* aiming at an end of the strike-boycott and of a situation in which both sides were suffering but they proved abortive. The boycott was maintained, with the help of labour pickets until October 1926 when it was declared ter- minated by the Kuomintang Government. Although the suppression of the pickets gave greater freedom to trade, business generally suffered throughout the year owing to constant labour disputes and the heavy burden of taxation imposed in order to provide financial support for the expedition which Gen-` eral Chiang Kai-shek led against the North. With the establishment of the Kuomintang headquarters at Wuhan the Yangtsze became the centre of political and military activity of the nationalists. Compared with 1925 and 1926 the year 1927 was comparatively peaceful and except for political tension and increasing taxation trade continued unhampered. General Li Tsai-hsin, whọ was in charge of affairs, was driven from office by General Chang Fat-fui n' November, but the coup was effected in a day with comparatively little fighting and the change did not adversely influence the ordinary business routine In December there was a rising' of the Red elements. They captured the city
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