CO129-500-4 Canton situation- governor's despatches 15-9-1927 - 24-11-1927 — Page 80

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1 take this opportunity of urging once again

that the policy of regional recognition is the only

practicable method of solving the Chinese problem now

confronting us. It must always be borne in mind that

China is, not a nation, but a civilization. The vast area

labelled "China" on a map of the world is not comparable with areas labelled "France" "Spain" or "Italy", but rather with the continent of Europe. As in Europe the alphabetic script has been universally adopted, while the

spoken languages differ; so in China the ideographic

script has been universally adopted, but the spoken

languages differ. As certain social customs, for example

monogamy, are common to Europe; so are certain social

customs, such as polygamy, common to China. As the

Christian ethical system permeates Europe, so does the

Confucian ethical system permeate China. But it is no

less misleading to think of China as a nation than it

would be to think of Europe as a nation. There have been,

in the past, periods during which the Eighteen Provinces

were ruled by a single Emperor, just as in Europe there have been the ancient Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire and the Napoleonic Empire. But these periods of domination by a central Government have no more made China into a nation than they have made Europe into a nation: and the most that can be hoped for in China by

way of unification, and that not in the near future,

is some form of loose federation or entente between war

Lords of various Chinese provinces or groups of provinces. At present the slogans acclaimed in Southern China are

"Canton