Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 448

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CHINA

ed in Canton and in 1926 an expedition to the North was organised in order "to unify' the Country and to bring it under Nationalist control. This expedition met with remarkable success. The forces of Wu Pei-fu were defeated and towards the close of the year the Wuhan cities were captured and Wuchang declared the new capital of the Nationalist Party. Threatened by a mob, urged to excesses by Bolshevist agita- tors, the British in order to avoid bloodshed withdrew from the Hankow concession and left it in control of a Nationalist committee of administration. During 1927 the Northern expedition intended "to unify" the country only succeeded in dividing the Kuomintang Party. Owing to the dissensions, rival governments were established at Nanking and Hankow, both claiming to represent the Nationalist cause. Following the decision of Nanking to oust Bolshevik influence the Hankow Government dis- appeared. The Nauking section extended its authority to Shanghai and continued intermittent warfare with the North, but no decision was reached for a long time a supreme effort was eventually made in the early part of 1928, and under leadership of Chiang Kai-shek the North was invaded. A clash occurred with Japanese troops at Tsinan. It proved only a temporary set-back, and very soon afterwards Chang Tso- lin retired to Manchuria. Just before reaching Mukden the Dictator's train was blown up by a mine on one of the bridges, and he himself died of wounds. The Nationalist troops entered Peiping without resistance and the, capital of China was transferred to Nanking. Meanwhile Chang Tso-lin's son established a separate gov- ernment for Manchuria, but opened negotiations with the Nationalists, hostilities being suspended. A movement to oust Chang Hsueh Liang, Chang Tso-lin's son from the Manchurian government, was nipped in the bud, its instigator Yang Yu-ting, "the brains of the North," being summarily executed. Meanwhile the Nanking government formulated an united policy in which treaty revision and abolition of extraterritoriality figured prominently. In the autumn of 1928, conditions had so far improved that Chiang Kai-shek was proclaimed President of the Republic, and early in 1929 the Nationalist flag was formally recognised by the Northerners the first deinonstration of National unity China has seen for many years.,

An important event at the end of 1928 was the signing of a Tariff Autonomy treaty between Great Britain and China in which "His Britannic Majesty agrees to the abrogation of all provisions of existing treaties which limit the right of China to impose tonnage dues at such rate as she may think fit." The political union painfully acquired in 1928 did not last long. Li Tsung-jen, the military Governor of Hankow, and a member of the powerful "Kwangsi clique," effected a coup d'etat against the civil Government, which he proclaimed to be Bolshevist. Marshal Li Tsai hsin, a member of the same party, and Governor of Kwangtung, who went to Nanking to attend the annual Koumintang Conference, was summarily seized and imprisoned by Chiang Kai-shek. This was a signal for a general conflagration and it was at one time suggested that all the Northern war lords were uniting against Nanking. Canton declared for the National Government, but a curious alliance of the Kwangsi militarists and Chang Fat-fui, leader of the semi-Red Ironsides, marched on the Southern city. Help was sent from Nanking and the attack was beaten off, largely thanks to a squadron of twenty aeroplanes. The Northern War Lords held aloof and Nanking triumphed. The main cause of the war was probably Nanking's proposals for general disbanding of troops, and the defeat of the resisting war lords was a big victory for the central Government. On June 1st, amid an amazing display of funeral pageantry, the state funeral of Dr. Sun Yat-sen took place at Nanking. The vast mausoleum of the Father of the Republic is designed on the lines of the national shrine.

The year was one of great distress in China, there being widespread drought in the spring and subsequent famines throughout the country, the province of Shansi suffering the greatest hardships. A certain amount of help was rendered from abroad but the depredations of War Lords and brigands made the task of relief almost impossible.

The year 1930 saw the open revolt of Yen Hsi-shan, the model tuchun of Shansi and Feng Yu-hsiang against Nanking. Chang Iseuh-liang, the young Governor of Manchuria decided, however, to support Nanking and again, Chiang Kai-shek won a decisive victory. Sporadic outbreaks by Communist hordes, who were little more than brigands, followed the nominal peace and inflicted inmense suffering especially in Hunan. A determined set was made upon foreign missions, two English women being beheaded in Fukien, and numbers of ministers of all creeds lost their lives, The object was probably to involve Nanking in diplomatic trouble with the Powers. This signal- ly failed in view of the steps taken by the Chinese authorities to help foreigners, The growing ascendency of Chiang Kai-shek (who, incidentally, became a convert to Christianity) was the most notable feature politically, of the year.

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