CO129-595-1 Anti-British feeling in China- memorandum by J V Braga 15-2-1946 - 15-8-1946 — Page 27

27

12

will remain occasions where mere pleasantries' are exchanged, the

good work of Sino-British cultural societies and similar organiza-

tions be greatly impaired, the efforts of zealous British mission-

aries, administrators and others, be hampered? What is more, sincere

appreciation from the Chinese people for the upectacular economic and

social benefits as well as the generosity they have received at the

hands of the British will remain lacking, and, above all, the Chinese

will continue disposed to lend a willing ear to the outside enemies

of Britain and the British people.

llow often have I not witnessed incidents of this kind

before the War -

lift.

(a) A mixed number of passengers reach the ground floor in a

Almost without exception, the British graciously wait for the

European ladies to leave and then one by one they themselves step out,

quite ignoring the Chinese lady passengeru, regardless of their

station in life.

(b) A Chinese lady enters a lift. X, an Englishman, ignores her

presence. On the next floor, a European lady enters and immediately,

out of respect to her, X takes off his hat.

I have seen an annoyed Englishzan knock off the hat of a

Chinese for not taking off his hat in a lift into which a European

lady had entered.

As a result of this lack of minor courtesies on the part

of many British, a type of retaliation, not actuated by personal

animosity, was sometimes met with in buses and trans, when & Chinese,

while refusing these small courtesies to European ladies, would

extend them to his own.