Maryland Independent

NANKING 'WORKSHOP' OF CHINA'S AFFAIRS

New Capital Is Attaining World-Wide Notice.

Washington.—"Nanking is making itself heard round the world as the new capital of China. Although Peiping, the old northern capital, may be the bay window of China's international relationships, Nanking is the workshop," says the National Geographic Society. "But because huge sums are expended by the nations in maintaining established embassy quarters at Peiping, it is unlikely that these will be moved to Nanking for some time.

"However, Russia's embassy is at Nanking, and it is represented by a consular office at Peiping; the British and French have diplomatic establishments in Nanking which are subsidiary, respectively, to embassy and legation at Peiping; the Japanese maintain consular offices at Nanking, branches of their legation at Peiping; and the office of the American consulate general at Nanking is a busy branch of the American legation at Peiping.

"Thus, because of its importance as China's capital city; its location, 210 miles inland on the south bank of the Yangtze river, backbone of Chinese commerce; its proximity to Shanghai's revenues; its comparative nearness to Canton; and its freedom from too intimate association with the Manchus, Nanking is becoming a more and more important factor in the story of new China.

Beautification Plans.

Blue prints of extensive beautification plans for Nanking are being studied by the national government. Development of the area near Sun-Yat-Sen's tomb, outside Nanking's 22-mile long wall, is progressing rapidly. Like pouring new wine into old bottles, an American builder is pouring cement into Chinese forms to achieve an occidental-oriental style of architecture for China's new capital. A New York architect has insisted that his employers, the national government, preserve China's characteristic form—hence many of the new buildings at Nanking are multiple-storied pagodas of cement. The government recently completed construction of the first of these new-style buildings, a seven-story cement pagoda.

They are signs of the times, these new buildings. Nanking is growing up, stirring again with power it once knew as China's capital under the Mings. After the Mings, Peking (now Peiping) became the Chinese capital and the world almost forgot Nanking. But with the infusion of new life into the republican form of government in 1927, China again chose more centrally located Nanking as the seat of government. Today some 650,000 residents—double the 1927 population—watch Nanking bravely seek a place beside London, Washington, Paris.

Besides erecting many modern buildings, such as the new central hospital, the ministry of railways, and the ministry of communications, Nanking is laying roads—asphalt roads and good ones. Approximately 100 miles of wide asphalt boulevards wind in and out of the city. The Nanking-Shanghai highway, of macadam and dirt, will be finished within a year. It will link the capital more closely to China's financial and commercial seaport metropolis. A government railway connects Nanking with Shanghai (eight hours), and with Peiping (about 36 hours). River steamers take travelers to Shanghai or to Hankow and beyond.

City Is Air-Minded.

"Nanking is air-minded. Its skies buzz with the roar of American-made propellers on American planes. China's National Aviation company, in which an American corporation is the minority stockholder, maintains a daily flight schedule between Shanghai, Nanking, Hankow, Chungking, and Chengtu. Weekly schedules are flown by ships of the Eurasia Aviation company (Sino-German) between Shanghai, Nanking, Loyang, Peiping, Sian, Lanchow, and Tihwa, capital of Sinkiang.

"No great industrial establishments will be found in the new capital, but Nanking brocades, made by individuals in their homes, are world-famous. The Chinese in this region are farmers, small-shopkeepers, government employees, soldiers, policemen, hotel keepers, rickshaw-pullers, carriage and taxi drivers, or ordinary laborers. Much cotton is made into cloth by individual weavers.

"Co-operation on the part of the United States has meant much to Nanking's progress. The city shelters approximately 800 American, 80 British, and 40 French residents. American oil and steamship companies maintain offices there, and Chinese agents handle an appreciable number of American automobiles and radios. Over Nanking's streets roll—approximately 2,000 privately-owned automobiles, 90 per cent of which are American-made."