CONFIDENTIAL
British businessmen in Peking.
Provincial Tour
10. There are several good, but no one outstanding
options for the very limited time available (about 10
days).
11. Sir Percy Cradock considers, and I agree that the
most interesting and practicable option would be to visit
Shanghai, with a side trip to Suzhou (or Hangzhou).
Shanghai would not be an original choice, but it is China's premier industrial city, and a major political and cultural centre. A visit there would be particularly appropriate, if Lord Carrington's visit is marked by agreement to establish a Consulate there. It would also
be much appreciated if Lord Carrington were ready to meet
informally the small British (and other) community. A
side trip by train to Suzhou, a pleasant town of canals
and traditional Chinese gardens, could easily be managed
in a day (5 October). If Lord Carrington wished to go
somewhere a little more exotic, he could (either instead of
or although this would be pushing it as well as
Suzhou) stop off for a few hours on 6 October at Urumqi,
the rather hick capital of Xinjiang Province.
12. The principal alternatives would be visits to:
a) Xian, in central China, the capital of several China dynasties with a stopover in Urumqi or Kunming (in
South-West China) as an optional extra;
b)
-
Sichuan (Chengdu and/or Chungqing) economically an
extremely important province, but not touristically attractive with a stopover in Urumqi or Kunming as
an optional extra.
Lady Carrington
13.
It would be helpful to have some general advice on Lady Carrington's interests. In Hong Kong, she can
CONFIDENTIAL
/In Japan
nel hospices