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faith:ful workers to carry out their plans. It has outside support. This is the strong force against Christianity in Cantoù.
One can see from all this that the degree of opposition towards Christianity varies a great deal among the forces at work in Canton. For example, in the last an Christian campaign all these forces participated, but from different motives and with different methods.
Some employed silent resistance and some used aggressive
measures.
Forces working against each other.
Furthermore, on many questions these groups are working against each other. In regard to class war, for example, the Communist party stands almost alone against the rest. The Young China Society attacks Communism more bitterly than it does Christianity. The Communist party is meeting opposition everywhere in China especially among the intellectuals. The Communist party is by no means having an easy time in Canton, although Canton gives the Communist party great freedom of action. It finds opposition everywhere. Recently one of the important Kuomintang leaders, Dr. Tai Kwa To, in his pamphlet "People's Revolution and the Kuomintang denounced the Communists in many respects, and he has had the support of many Kuomintang members. The New Student Society is now a Communist organisation It used to control the Student Union in Canton, but was defeated in the election last year. The People's Right Society has been a force working against Communism. The Communist party has found strong opposition among the merchants, and even within the labour organisations ton, When Dr. Ward and the writer met some of the strong labour leadere last April, they were told by them very frankly that China had no place for Communism. One of the largest labour unions forbade its members to participate in the last May-day demonstration with the Communists. In a demonstration "last June the students refused to walk side by side with the Communists. However, the Communists have worked hard day by day to win the people. They have disorganised," reorganised" and " organised," and they are advancing every day.
We Christian workers should know now who are against us and who are not. Of all the forces working against us, we should recognise the different principles and methods. On certain questions we should know further that we are not standing alon Many are sympathetic and working with us.
C
Patriotic Movement.
After knowing the forces at work and how they differ from each other, we sha!! understand the background of the patriotic movement in Canton. The unsettled condition of the country, together with the unjust attitude of the foreign Powers, have aroused the patriotic alarm of the Chinese people, especially the students throughout the country and the workmen in Canton particularly. Since the student movement of the 4th May, 1919, and the renaissance movement we have witnessed many patriotic nation-wide movements. Even the movement for Chinese control of mission education and the anti-Christian movement itself may be looked upon as a further expression of this patriotic spirit. One movement followed another until the Shanghai, Hankow and Canton sad incid nts, when the patriotic spirit blazed over the whole country, reaching every class of people. As one missionary puts it, to-day in China "It is war-war for national honour; war for national rights; war for the preservation of the race and of the nation; war against brutality and injustice." Many Chinese Christians showed a proper spirit of patriotism-even the Communists gave them credit for it.
Before 1900 the Chinese people resented the aggressive and oppressive foreigners:| after that Chinese were afraid of foreignere. It was not until the beginning of the student movement on the 4th May, 1919, called forth by the disappointment at the results of the Peace Conference at Paris, that the patriotic spirit rose up again. It is felt everywhere in China to-day. The political parties have done a good deal in rousing this spirit, but foreign oppression, together with the success of Russia and Turkey in their dealing with foreign Powers, have also inspired the Chinese patriots very much.
This spirit of patriotism is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese. If one does not make a clear distinction between this patriotic movement and the progress of Conmuniam, it is a great mistake. If one classifies all the recent patriotic movements as "Red campaigus," or if one were to declare that the "Reds" have engineered all the patriotic movements, this would be attributing too much to them It might even drive non-Communists to become Communists; it would at least make the Communists laugh at our ignorance.
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What should Chinese Christians do under this Spirit of l'atriotism?
It seems to the writer that nothing can stand against this great patriotic. oppose it. movement in China to-day. If Christian work is to continue, it should not try to Under these conditions, what should the position of Chinese Christiane be? It has been observed that throughout China practically all the Chinese Christian leaders stood by the patriotic movement. Some may not have approved of all its methods or procedures, but we were all in sympathy with its spirit. Christians from now on should go one step further.
We should be enquired of ourselves whether or not we are doing our part for the country, for the Chinese people. We should rely no more on the protection of the unequal treaties through our foreign missionaries. We must do our best to help to get rid of the unequal treaties, for they are against Christian principles.
Other forces are labouring for the good of the working-class and the youth of the country as Christian organisations have done in the past. We should emphasise these forms of works or we shall lose our hold upon these classes.
institutions that they are merely employees of foreigners. This conception should be There is a feeling among many Chinese workers in foreign-controlled Christian
changed. The first responsibility to work for the Chinese should be laid upon us Chinese. Foreign missionaries should be helpers only. Unless this idea is well established in our minds, advocating Chinese control of mission education is useless,
Last of all, we should stand firm against materialism and class-war: we must Bound forth our belief in co-operation and brotherhood in industry. We should stand firm against the narrow idea of strict nationalism, although it is very popular these days, and do our best to lead our country to be strong in the family of nations. Nationalism has led the Western countries into war after war. We must stand for world brotherhood, equal treatment and world peace.
Now, what should the foreign missionaries do? This is a difficult question for them to solve. It is not for the writer to make any suggestions on this head.
The foregoing paper deals chiefly with conditions in Canton. Canton is very different from the rest of China. People are aggressive here, and Christian workers must also be the future of Christian work in Canton.
Canton, November 9, 1925.
ANNEX XVI.
Two Despatches from the Governor of Hong Kong describing the Events leading up to and connected with the Visit of the Colonial Secretary, Hong Kong, to Canton in December 1925.
(1.)
Sir C. Clementi to Mr. Amery.
Government House,
(Secret.) Šir,
Hong Kong, December 23, 1925. WHEN I arrived here on the 1st November, I made it my chief duty to inform myself at once as to the political situation in China generally, and at Canton in particular. On the 6th November I exchanged visits of ceremony with Admiral Li Ching-hsi, who is in command of the Chinese cruiser squadron in these waters, and whose flagship is the Hai Yung. Since then I have met him informally un several occasions. He stated that he was under the orders of Admiral Yang, whom I have not yet seen and whose headquarters appear to be at Shanghai. I asked Admiral Li to tell me from whom Admiral Yang gets his orders, and he replied vaguely: "From the Minister of Marine, at Peking"; but he subsequently informed me that the Minister of Marine "had run away," and I infer that the Chinese navy is now a law unto itself. However, Admiral Li, upon whose instructions I do not know, regards the present de facto Government at Canton as a rebel Government, and he considers himself to be at war with it. He accordingly maintained until recently a cruiser patrol at the mouth of the West River with the object of preventing arms and ammunition from reaching the Canton Government, and he also made it his business to prevent the Cantonese Red army from crossing the Hainan Strait and occupying Hoihau, which is one of the sources of this colony's meat supply.
He has, however, now left for Shanghai, and has withdrawn all
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