1958-03-15 — Page 13

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1958.

THE LAST DAYS OF SHANGHAI

URING September 1949, Shanghai was feeling of comradeship, and that last of all examination trumpet of prophecy, a giant wind lifted about, the majority of the near, pressure on the com- ageless trees and hurled them into the streets and people. Sense of dignity and munity became woll nigh self-importance which can unendurable. The lot of those gardens, symbolic of all that was taking placé. and does mar such occasions who had fled before previous WAS really Torrential rain turned Shanghai into one had short shrift in Shang- persecutions huge lake, and for days the water ebbed and flowed hai. So it was on this, une pathetic, Jews who had fled of the first of the last of all from Hitler and the persecu along the highways of the town,

great occasions, the high and tlóns of, Europe, and had the low mingled in revellings established home in Shang- such as delighted the most hai wete in a pathetic plight. abandoned

and homesick With rapidly diminishing Scotsmen, and the pibroch resources they eked out a summoned all who could precarious living, and with make it, to the longest bar us, longed for the day whielt in the world.

should announce the arrival of a relief ship.

Dstruck by 1 grent typhoon, Like the there was nothing stuffy terms. As Christmas drew

The destruction was con- siderable, not least among Government was

in power those unfortunate people and We assumed such who built their homes of Government could make odds and ends they found some representation to scattered about the affluent Chinn on our behalf. But district of Hungjao. The such was not the case, and desperate plight of these gradually one began to en- poor people did not go un- tertain the horrible thought noticed, and a remarkable that we were expendable, letter appeared in the North and had been sacrificed China Daily News. Three the idea that we should hold wise men from Hungiao our ground while the Gov wrote to the paper pointing ernment of China changed out the lot of their poor hands. neighbours. They proposed

to

Gradually, as winter came, a subscription should be we began to look to that rained to rebuild the flimay hutses of those who had suffered damage from the typhoon, and they headed the subscription list with three substantial donations.

I read this letter

So we came to the lust St Andrew's Night to be held In the Shanghai Club.

Round and round and in

alteridect, to lifetime of dreadful poverty, one

und the lofty and out whirled the couplen Dreadful tales began

and plates, Illumined by a thousand through the fantastic pat- percolate through the com- And seeing no mercy, candles brought hope and ferns of the

in his Eightsome munity. The British com- giving no mercy

courage to many a discomsviato but affluent days, he is given no heart. For the last time in such Reel. Not the way it is done munity held together.

14 manner, did the ancient in Honglong by a number of such strugglers who were mercy.

Not one thousandth of thunder up into the shadowed

carols, Sassenachs stateless were in desperate solemn faced

so precisely English, mincing a dainty toe, baut circumstances. And some, нecond too soon,

Crevices of the Cathedral. “Ding with that carefree abandon unable to endure a remote voice, the mob pronounces Dong. Merrily on High" clant- the dance calls for, and cer- future of aimless wandering its sentence. "Death" Strip- ed the choir. "O Come All Yo Faithful" answered The con- gregation. "Our Lady sat with- in her bower," whispered the choir, at in such manner came Christmas

WINTER

more

OF DISCONTENT

by

i

one

Cut off, isolated, and seem- ingly forgotten enme Christmas

the

within community Shanghai.

to

Festive meals in grand style

were avaliable. The rounds of greetings were made, a great

deaf of chatter, and a certain amount of fun, but over every-

Government

Next Wook:

RECOGNITION

John Luff

with time when Britain

own hands ped of his wealth, tethered should tainly got that Wednesday took into their considerable interest, both officially recognise the night. The 30th of Novem- such desperate remedies like a cow, he is moved from for its contents and its senti. People's Democratic Repub ber, 1949. But it was not which at least afforded them his lofty perch and before ments. The three spoke of lie of China, as being our only in fun and games that the quiet they could not find the eyes of his victims, he world. Requiem is shot and left quivering their neighbours, they used only hope of escape, but us the Shanghailander excelled. in this that word; they revealed the days grew longer, so did Whatever duties he had as aeternam dona els, Domine. on the ground. their sentiments as three our faces. England seemed sumed with his profession, Also we heard, and on In such an atmosphere thing loomed the spectre of highly public spirited men. an awfully long way away. he performed as if conscious occasion saw, such members came Christmas, the Fes- despatr. They published their names But if this should seem a that it was to be 'never of the Chinese who had tival of Peace and Goodwill,

Were We for

forgotten? Were all Shanghai to Hee picture of gloom, such was again,'

offended the new author or God's Will as the old Eng- we to be left here without any them. It proclaimed for all not the case. Whatever de- So 11 Christmas drew ties. Such as 1, who try to lish has it. In a hundred oficial representation? Was this to see that whatever other pressing thoughts we enter near, we at the school faced retain a balanced outlook, different ways did our com- another experiment of the Bri- foreigners might be like, tained privately, we were the last examinations, know that these men who munity prepare to celebrate tih Government that had failed these men were friends of careful"

to come off? influences

Inst Christmas not to express External

and had ridden rough shod over this

So Christmas went, and the the people. The fact that publicly. As a community, worry about the future the poor deserved small Shanghui.

old year faded away. Early in they were emotionally un- we were aware that we were placed a heavy strain on the mercy. Greed and lust for Freed from examination January we heard rumours soon able to use the proletarian the lust few of a great host teaching staff, especially wenith had driven all mercy cares, I gave some time to lo be confirmed. The British "Comrade' and compromised that had swarmed from those who were responsible from their hearts, they had rehearsing a choir 1 formed

was getting ready 10 recognise the People's with the plebeion Neigh Europe over the last hun for the Upper Sixth and exacted year after year a among the elder students of Democratic Government ol bour in no wise detracted „dred years, and we were their coming examination. pitiful toll from the poor. the school. We became fair- China. from their sentiments.. Un- also aware that we might in For.

sensible than They had crushed those who ly popular and gave a num- they had ber of concerts all over fortunately, all this was lost our persons pay for such Hongkong in this kind of were crushed: on the Communists. One humillations that had been thing, our public examin- broken thousand rice Shanghai, BO it WES can only nasume that they inflicted upon the fore- tions were held in Decembar bowls, and had grown fat that on Thursday, Decem- considered that if it takes fathers of those who now in order that we escaped the upon the million meagre re- you twenty or thirty years held us captive. But, such grilling temperature of the sources they had plundered. to discover your neighbour, thoughts we kept to our Oriental June,

Giving no mercy, they you have left it too late. On selves, We entered into the Wo took the Cambridge received no mercy. Scized in the other hand, the thrice phase: "The last of every- Senior Examination, but the name of those they had Bubscribed subscription list thing as it was." Historical- Cambridge was a very useful indicator ly, that is not quite true. and no papers came through. they were handled with

was far away, driven to a pauper's death, as to the amounts the The last two Scotsmen left A cull to Hongkong initiat fury their years of plunder Communists could extract, alive when this planet is a ing a cable to Cambridge had invoked. acting on the assumption, cold and dying thing, will brought the reply that the thut a man can be forced to meet to celebrate Burns' examination papers had been

Their trial was swift, und give ten times as much as Night, and so, after we had sent long ago. We dare not their execution mercifully he willingly gives. And that left Shanghai, some sort of fail to hold the examination SU. Five minutes of such they did, and they muleted celebration was held to and Cambridge rallied to taught me more of the unger with such effect that in a mark the important days in our support. By a fantastic of the masses than my years sang community carols, matter of weeks the small

route which eventually of study in quiet academic while the choir from the commercial institutions were

brought a set of papers into surroundings. To live in such British school sang "The ruined, and the vast institu-

Tientsin, one set of papers an atmosphere was to live. Merry Holly", "I saw Thred tiom of a hundred years of

eventually arrived in Shang- in a sense, in the Paris of a Ships" and assisted the prosperous trading were

hat where copies were run century and a half ago. Cathedral double quartet in crippled.

off in my office, that is, all but the History papers, my swarmed from the gutters Ivy".

So must the mob have singing, "The Holy and the own subject. Another mem of Paris, unwashed, unfed, her of the staff ran them but satisfied to know that the choir is not without interest. off in case I should yield to their years of suffering are The members are scattered all temptation and take a peek. about to be avengel. Now over the world. Some of them Whether the Examiners in China performs from that are married, and on them at the Shanghai Club, and Cambridge were kind and

ancient script. There is gress in the professions they looking over the programme, sympathised with our lone- I recall that on that occu- ly lot, I don't know. I like mercy in the heart of have chosen. Read the names sien, there was no capitula to think not, for we obtain the judge who speaks in the and thus trace the task a school tion to cure or anxiety. In

name of the People. short, we really let ourselves go.

But still the Communists went on asking and demand ing, and such frantic cables which were sent demanding

our calendar. But in the sense that we were still u considerable community, we saw the last of everything staged in its old surround ings.

No Capitulation

Sterling and dollars from SO came the last St An- the outside world were drew's Night to be held granted priority.

ed

H record number of distinctions. The children

It was a fine game. While we stayed we paid, we had to. The only thing was to get away, but we could not. We were trapped like rats

There is no mercy in the in a trap, but we had to pay

who snt that year are now eyes of the mob who shall dearly for our board and The great difference be- young men and women, and with one terrible volco de lodging.

tween your Shanghailander as I hear from them from liver their verdict. In vain And all the time we were and your Hongkongite is the time to time, and some of does this man who has cut off from the outside sense in which he approaches the letters originate from plundered the pockets of the world. We had no notion such occasions. The com- great universities all over poor look for mercy. Only a whatever what was happen- munity in Shanghai mixed the world, I think the teach-sen of eyes, hard eyes, cruel ing. In Britain the Labour better, there was a better ing staff did a great job in eyes, eyes that have seen

MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN

|BEGINNING:LOTHAR'S PAY

THE NEXT DAY-

I'VE

NIGHT--AN EXPLOSION-.

JOHNNY HAZARD

COME FOR THE WEEKLY

PAYMENT.

'AS THE NORTH KOREAN SPY'S MIG 15 STARTS ITS

DIVE ON THE TWO SABREJETS BELOW....

{2a SITTING DUCKS! THIS

IS AS IT WAS IN THE WAR

...INSTEAD OF FOR MOVIE

CAMERAS!

-- CAN'T AFFORD "TO PAY FOR YOUR "PROTECTION' ANY MORE-IT'S RUINING US-

SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT TAILOR SHOP LAST NIGHT? YOU WOULDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO YOU--WOULP YOU?,

By Lee Faik and Phil Davis :

A SQUAD CAR-- PLAIN CLOTHES COPS!

KEEP YOUR MOUTH

SHUT?--HEART,

By Frank Robbins

ATP AS JOHNNY AND KOTTY LEVEL OFF AŤ OWE THOUSAND FEET.

JOHNNY LOOKI

TRROUSH THAT

CLOUD GAP

ber 22, 1940, we were in- vited to the last of the Rotary Club's Christmas Tiffina. This institution was well established, and on such ocensions, Mrs W.J. Hawk- ings, gave a seasonable add- ress. Looking through the programme, I see that we

The international character of

are making considerable pro-

can do, a task too large for such an Institution as UNO, Alice, Cerisen, Henrietta Diestel, Vera Barrie, Serene Billimoria, Elsie Eynstone, Irene Gingeroff, Josephine Henry, Ann Murray Jane Murray, Helene Papanuit, Till von Randow, Rable von Edith Randlow. (Chinese) Zerene Talnti

Stevenson

Candlelight Carol Service was At about the same time, a held at the Cathedral,

Every-

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