Year

2001

Text

Type

Publication

Mentioned People (1)

Subjects

Chronology Entries (3)

#	Year	Text	Linked Data
1	1933	Yu, Dafu. Xiao Bona yu Gaoersihuasui. In : Shen bao ; 2 Febr. (1933). [Shaw and Galsworthy]. 萧伯纳与高尔斯华绥 Er schreibt : "While we are preparing for the warm welcome of the long-faced prophet Old Mr Shaw, unfortunately we heard about the death of last year's Nobel Prize winner Galsworthy. Shaw is 76, Galsworthy 65. Although comparatively he came from the upper class, we could not help respecting highly his attitude of speaking for humanity and criticizing society, even now when the time is different and the tides are changing rapidly. At first, Shaw seems to be speaking dead words flippantly. But when one closes his eyes and reconsiders, he will find immediately that all his roguish laughter and angry words are cardiac stimulants aiming at social disease." Kay Li : Yu went on to compare Shaw with Galsworthy, Galsworthy was regarded as a 'detail recorder of British upper class society'. The writer was respected in China because of his social criticism. The writer was respected in China because of his social criticism. Shaw was appreciated for humor and social criticism. Shaw also was associated with socialism. His visit to the U.S.S.R. and his meeting with Stalin were mentioned, quoting Shaw's words, "I studies Marx much earlier than Lenin". Notice from the editor : "The world-famous Irish humourist-satirist Mr Bernard Shaw will visit our country in the middle of next week. This section [of Shen bao] intends to have a 'special issue on Bernard Shaw' on the day when Shaw arrives at Shanghai. We welcome any contributions on the criticism, the life and works of Shaw. Please limit your article to 600 words."	Person: Galsworthy, John
2	1933	George Bernard Shaw's visit to China. Febr. 2th Yu, Dafu. Xiao Bona yu Gaoersihuasui. In : Shen bao ; 2 Febr. (1933). [Shaw and Galsworthy]. 萧伯纳与高尔斯华绥 Er schreibt : "While we are preparing for the warm welcome of the long-faced prophet Old Mr Shaw, unfortunately we heard about the death of last year's Nobel Prize winner Galsworthy. Shaw is 76, Galsworthy 65. Although comparatively he came from the upper class, we could not help respecting highly his attitude of speaking for humanity and criticizing society, even now when the time is different and the tides are changing rapidly. At first, Shaw seems to be speaking dead words flippantly. But when one closes his eyes and reconsiders, he will find immediately that all his roguish laughter and angry words are cardiac stimulants aiming at social disease." Kay Li : Yu went on to compare Shaw with Galsworthy, Galsworthy was regarded as a 'detail recorder of British upper class society'. The writer was respected in China because of his social criticism. The writer was respected in China because of his social criticism. Shaw was appreciated for humor and social criticism. Shaw also was associated with socialism. His visit to the U.S.S.R. and his meeting with Stalin were mentioned, quoting Shaw's words, "I studies Marx much earlier than Lenin". Notice from the editor : "The world-famous Irish humourist-satirist Mr Bernard Shaw will visit our country in the middle of next week. This section [of Shen bao] intends to have a 'special issue on Bernard Shaw' on the day when Shaw arrives at Shanghai. We welcome any contributions on the criticism, the life and works of Shaw. Please limit your article to 600 words." Febr. 10th Xuan. Xiao Bona fang wen Zhongguo. In : Shen bao ; 10 Febr. (1933). [Bernard Shaw's visit to China]. 萧伯纳访问中国 Er schreibt : "The British literary veteran Bernard Shaw will arrive at Shanghai shortly in his world tour. The Chinese literary field will not forget the war introduction of Shaw ten years ago in the May fourth movement. When Ibsen was mentioned, Shaw would be thought of. One would think about the problem raised in Mrs. Warren's profession – the controversies caused by capitalism, and the warm attention youths paid to this in the May fourth. Old Mr Shaw's works are anti-capitalistic. His style is humourous and satiric. Old Mr Shaw exposes the spokesman of imperialism's flattering whitewashing of modern warfare. Galsworthy's works superficially appear to show the controversy and rottenness of modern capitalist society, but basically he affirms and speaks for the present system. Those advancing toward brightness include Shaw in England. He indicts the atrocities of imperialism. At this time when there are dangerous fast-changing situations in the Pacific, when the imperialist powers are tightening preparations for a world war to divide China and to attack the U.S.S.R, we welcome Shaw's visit to China, and hope that he can take part in the investigating party organized by the International League against Imperialism, which will soon also come to China." Hong Kong Febr. 11th Shaw arrived in Hong Kong from Bombay, via Ceylon and Singapore on the Empress of Britain 11 Febr. (1933). Hong Kong Telegraph ; 11 Febr. (1933). Shaw arrives in Hong Kong. The visit got off to a good start with Shaw's refusing to speak to the Rotarians : he reasoned it to reporters who interviewed him on board the Empress of Britain : "I remember the beginning of Rotary. It was a movement to induce captains of industry to take their business more scientifically and to raise business men to the professional rank. Rotary Clubs are merely luncheon clubs, which as a general rule know as much about the aims and objects of Rotary as a luncheon of Church of England members knows about the 39 Articles." Febr. 13th South China Morning Post ; 13 Febr. (1933). "On Saturday there were only six reporters present when G.B.S. strolled in. We watched him anxiously, but our fears were groundless. G.B.S. was at peace with the world. 'Hello, only six of you ? Where's the rest ?' were his first remarks. Someone explained that all the Hong Kong newspapers were represented. In the afternoon a party on a ramble organized by the Sailors' and Soldiers' Home, in Wanchai, Having visited several old landmarks of the Colony in the Pokfulam neighbourhood, had the pleasure of seeing one of the worlds's landmarks, Mr Shaw, who was returning from a drive round the island under the guidance of Professor R.K. Simpson of Hong Kong University. Shaw about the Japanese invasion of Manchuria : 'Japan is going to take Manchuria. But hasn't she behaved very correctly over it all ? She pledged herself to the League of Nations that she would not declare war on anyone. Consequently she has not declared war on China, but has contented herself with fighting – all so legitimately. What does China expect the League to do ? An economic boycott ? But the League has funked the issues. And now it is gradually ceasing to exist. Japan has smashed the League, or, let me put it this way, Japan has called the League's bluff'. [The great] Powers want to come to some arrangement by which they can fight more cheaply. They hold meetings and say to each other 'if you disarm, we'll disarm', and the result is deadlock. The greatest satisfaction to us is that in the next war we will be knocked by a ten inch shell and not a sixteen inch shell." Febr. 13th Shaw accompanied by Professor R.K. Simpson, took 'tiffin' at the residence Idlewild of Sir Robert Ho Tung [Sir Robert Hotung Bosman (1862-1956) : Businessman, manager of the Chinese Department of Jardine, Matheson and Co.]. [Siehe Shaw 1946]. Febr. 14th South China Morning Post ; 14 Febr. (1933). Brilliant address George Bernard Shaw Breaks resolution Advises University students To be communists Education denounced. In the afternoon the Great Hall of the University of Hong Kong was packed with students and distinguished guests. When Mr Shaw was accompanied to the dais by the Vice-Chancellor, Sir William Hornell, there was a terrific out-burst of cheering. Sir William introduced Mr Shaw collectively and then individually to the visitors. The pair stopped before the Press representatives. "I have met them already", commented G.B.S. 'And this is Mr M.F. Key, formerly of the Press', said Wir William. "Yes", said Mr Key, "But now secretary of the Rotary Club. I want to tell you, Mr Shaw, that you were quite right in all you said about the Rotary Club the other day". Sir William interjected, "But Mr Shaw said that the Hong Kong Rotary Club was probably an exception". "I had to be polite" was the dry comment of the famous man. Shaw set about his audience with enthusiasm : "I am here as a guest of the University. I have a very strong opinion that every University on the face of the earth should be levelled to the ground and its foundations sowed with salt. There are really two dangerous classes in the world – the half-educated, who half-destroyed the world, and the wholly-educated who have very nearly completely destroyed the world. When I was young – an incalculable number of years ago – nobody knew anything about the old, old civilizations. We know a little about Greece and Rome and we knew that Rome somehow or other collapsed and was very ably replaced by ourselves. But we had no idea how many civilizations exactly like our own had existed. They almost all collapsed through education. "What are you going to do ?" "I don't know. You may say 'Shall I leave the University and go on the streets ?' Well, I don't know. There is something to be got from the University. You get a certain training in communal life which is very advantageous. If I had a son I should send him to the University and say 'Be careful not to let them put an artificial mind into you. As regards the books they want you to read, don't read them." (Applause). Professor Brown : "They never do". (Laughter). Shaw : "Well, that's very encouraging". This was the spirit of the assembly : laughter, applause, cheerful backtalk. "We like it" one student shouted out when Shaw asked if he should continue. "If your read, read real books and steep yourself in revolutionary books. Go up to your neck in Communism, because if you are not a red revolutionist at 20, you have some chance of being up-to-date at 40. So I can only say, go ahead in the direction I have indicated." (Prolonged applause). "The thing you have to remember is valuation. Remember all you have to forget or you will go mad. Keep and stick to your valuation. You may be wrong but you must make up your mind. Being human and fallible you may come to wrong opinions. But it is still more disastrous not to have opinions at all. I hope you are properly edified and will not regret having made me break my promise not to make a speech while in Hong Kong." Florence Chien : Shaw's speech to the students at Hong Kong University created a major stir which widened the gulf of antagonism between the Nationalist and the Communist factions, and also marked Shaw's stance against the reigning Nationalists. Since Shaw sided with the Communists, he was automatically regarded as the enemy of the reigning Nationalists. His safety in 133 was guaranteed by his nationality, but his activity was not to be publicized. The Hong Kong Telegraphy ; 14 Febr. (1933). Letter from Robert McWhirter. "Sir - Allow me to congratulate the Vice-Chancellor of the Hong Kong University on his enterprise in securing the attendance of Mr Shaw at a tea-party held there yesterday afternoon. Sir William Hornell's [Vice-Chancellor] distinguished supporters are also to be thanked, many of whom will no doubt treasure the newspaper account of the affair. Mr Shaw's student listeners had the treat of their lives. They, really, quite understood that the famous author was but talking with his tongue in his cheek. The Chinese have such a keen sense of Humour ! Seriously, I trust that all concerned in yesterday's farce now see their mistake. I can appreciate the misgivings of those responsible if a lesser light of theirs had raved half so rantingly in a lecture-room of our University. We can also realise how difficult it will be for those in authority to deal with any mild outbreak of 'Bolshevism' which may occur at our principal seat of learning. After the wise counsel given yesterday, I can, in addition, appreciate the confusion in the minds of students when next they hear that one [of] their countrymen has been gaoled for preaching 'revolution' in our streets." Febr. 15th The Empress of Britain pulled out of Hong Kong harbour. Febr. 16th South China Moring Post ; 16 Febr. (1933). "Reactions to Mr G.B. Shaw's visit are mixed. His ardent admirers stand staunchly by him and dilate upon the brilliance of his utterances, while the mischievous chuckle to see the pained expressions on the faces of the eminently proper. Outrageous ! The average person, perhaps, has been surfeited and, not a few disappointed, having in their dullness expected something far better from the oracle. In fairness, it must be said, however, that no criticism attaches to Mr Shaw. He was on holiday and with no desire to speak or to be interviewed. Having been pestered, he responded naturally and with Shavian malice aforethought, setting himself out to be deliberately outrageous, by way of reprisal and as though to teach us that stringing plants and insects are best left alone. Exception has been taken to his remarks to the University students, and it is being said that no explaining may remove all of the harm that may have done thereby. Nevertheless the position remains that upon his hosts falls the responsibility of justifying Mr Shaw's irresponsibility. Himself would offer no apology : and his disciples deny that his satires can have been misunderstood, or, in any event, that any harm can come from candour. The discussion thus ends in impasse or else is ruled out as unnecessary and the episode to be forgotten. There is only one Shaw, and that he should grace Hong Kong but once in his lifetime is an historical event, to be appreciated in all humility. In comparison, what matters ? If in fact the Shavianism has been overdone, having acquitted Shaw of blame it can only be pleaded that seldom does a fish worth baiting come this way. As we are, Shaw has come and Shaw has gone ; and so back into our narrow beds creep and let no more be said." "Actually Shaw himself is an example of the tragedy of a mind undisciplined by a University education. Nobody can deny his genius ; everybody is made to laugh by his humour ; but on reflection anyone might also weep that such a genius has done so little, if any, constructive work. Few people in Britain take Shaw's social or political views seriously and it is unfortunate that any of the British in Hong Kong should have done so." P.H. Larkin : "You have absolutely spoilt him ! You have credited him with a power greater than the Creator ! You have placed him on a pedestal so high that he fears to fall, lest his fall would be disastrous ;hence his attempt to justify his omnipotence by clinging fast to the top, daring not to look down on the ground from his dizzy height ! And what do we, mere men in the street, get from this man-made god ? Trash ! Absolutely undiluted trash ! Shaw is first and last an egoist, and the way he babbled about the affairs of the world as if he knew all, excaping nothing, plainly shows this self-patting of him. For the love of Mike give us less of Shaw and more of the saner men !" The North China Herold ; 16 Febr. (1933). Mr Shaw greeted the correspondents with the words : "You do not look very much like Chinese" and expressed surprise at the entire lack of Chinese pressmen. "Where are the Chinese", he asked with his usual genial impertinence. "Are they so primitive that they have not heard of me ?" South China Morning Post ; 18 Febr. (1933). "In the welter of correspondence on G.B.S's famous lecture, it appears to me that the most of your correspondents, Shavian and anti-Shavian alike, ignore the main point. I mean the effect that such an open support of Communism will have on the lower social strata of our Colony. I know nothing of the student body of the University, but am willing to take it as read, that they will be able to place such advice in its proper perspective. I take it that representatives of the Chinese press were in attendance at the lecture, and I would like to know how it appeared in their papers, and what the average Chinese would make of it." Shanghai The Empress of Britain left Hong Kong on 15 Febr. (1933) and arrived in Shanghai 17 Febr. (1933). Febr. 17th Song Qingling met the Empress of Britian at 6.45 in the morning and had breakfast with the Shaws. [Einige Leute behaupten, dass er im Hotel Cathay (heute Peace Hotel) Shanghai abgestiegen ist. Er wird auch auf der Gäste-Liste des Astor House Hotel aufgeführt. Er war aber nie in einem Hotel, er war 10 Std. tagsüber in Shanghai und ging abends auf sein Schiff Empress of Britain zurück.] Among the some four hundred people present were Hong Shen, representing the China Film and Culture Society, Ying Yunwei, representing the Xi ju xie she (Joint Drama Society), The Shanghai Students Drama Society and others. The students made a speech welcoming Shaw to China. The banners held by the people at the pier showed their attempt to construct Shaw as a sympathizer of Chinese nationalism. Among the slogans chanted were : "Welcome, Bernard Shaw the revolutionary artist. Welcome, Bernard Shaw the dramatist. Welcome, Bernard Shaw the god of peace. Welcome, Bernard Shaw who is sympathetic to the integrity of the Chinese territory. Welcome, Bernard Shaw who is sympathetic to the independence and liberation of China. Welcome, Shaw the vanguard of anti-imperialism. Welcome, Shaw who wants to overthrow imperialism. Welcome, Shaw who wants to oppose the Japanese invasion of North East China. Welcome, Shaw who is against the Second world war. Welcome, Shaw who does not want to be left behind." The crowd waited. Four hours later, the marine police informed the exhausted fans that Shaw had landed elsewhere. 12.00 Song Qingling gave a dinner at her home Rue Molière 29 in honour of George Bernard Shaw, with Agnes Smedley, Lu Xun, Cai Yuanpei, Harold Isaacs, Lin Yutang, Yang Xinfo [(1893-1933) ermordet Shanghai) : Wissenschaftler, Aktivist, Dozent Southeast University]. On the afternoon Shaw met a dozen writers and news reporters representing different papers, including Japanese, English, Russian, and Chinese. Xiao Bona guo Hu tan hua ji. In : Lun yu ; vol. 1, no 13 (1933). [Bernard Shaw's conversations during his stopover in Shanghai]. Before he left Hong Kong, Shaw sent a cable to Song Qingling, informing her that he would pay her a visit. Song Qingling considering Shaw's age and the fact that this was his first trip to China, went all the way to meet him, accompanied by two friends. Shaw said he would have had no intention of leaving the ship when it arrived in Shanghai were it not for his wish to meet Madame Song. The trip from ship to Shanghai and back again lasted for four hours - time enough for "Shaw, the outspoken conversationalist, to comment on a wide range of topics wittily." The major concern was politics, specifically the example of Soviet Russia. In the rapporteurs words, "during the four hour conversation, Shaw never stopped discussing this." Alas, there was, moreover, the usual discourse on Stalin : What is freedom ? The British give the Indians a free trial by jury, in which the judge would go back on the verdict if the jury decided that the accused should be released, and send him to jail. This is the so-called free system of the British. And what about the freedom of speech in various countries ? Only a privileged few have the right to say a few words. The freedom of speech or democracy that is truly valuable should give to peasants and workers the freedom to cry aloud when they are hurt, and improve their conditions subsequently. This is the freedom that the Russians have. I paid close attention to Stalin. When we were talking to him, everyone thought that we had only talked for twenty-five minutes, but actually we had been talking for two and a half hours already. He seemed to pay little attention to theory. He is a practical man. He finds solutions to problems by experiments, and calls all successful projects Marxism. . . . He values the objective and not the theory. He may be unscrupulous in trying to reach his goal, but in the end, he manages to reach it. Shaw : The Peace Conference cannot stop the war, and neither can we end a war by starting another war. Only when all nations are determined to have peace can the war be ended. The people themselves do not want war. After the European War, all the nations that took part discovered that they were worse-off than before. Everyone was destroyed. Facts like these can make people weary of war. The League of Nations has a tool called the International Committee of Intellectual Cooperation. If all the Intellectuals in the world can make use of this tool, it may be more effective than forming another conference. Shaw : The Peace Conference cannot stop the war, and neither can we end a war by starting another war. Only when all nations are determined to have peace can the war be ended. The people themselves do not want war. After the European War, all the nations that took part discovered that they were worse-off than before. Everyone was destroyed. Facts like these can make people weary of war. The League of Nations has a tool called the International Committee of Intellectual Cooperation. If all the Intellectuals in the world can make use of this tool, it may be more effective than forming another conference. Madame Sun : . . . The only effective way to eliminate wars is to eliminate the system which gives rise to wars - the capitalist system. Shaw: But aren't we all capitalists? I admit that I am - to a certain degree. Aren't you ? Madame Sun: No. Not entirely. The subjects discussed at the luncheon party included vegetarianism, the Chinese family system, the war, drama taught in the British universities, and Chinese tea. Lin, Yutang. Tan Xiao Bona. In : Lun yu. [On Shaw]. 谈萧伯纳 Lin, Yutang recalls Shaw’s comments on war : "The English never quarreled with the Germans. When they met on the battlefield, they only took their knives and if one did not kill the other, the other would kill him. But the English hated the French, and the French hated the Americans. By the time the European war was over, the bad feeling among the Allies was high. We often talked about the courage of the warriors. But since the European war, bravery was a historical fact. In the war nobody tells about his courage, but just about his fear. Now the modern war was cruelest. I once heard a pro-war person talking about the good the war can do to the human character, for it encourages sacrifice, bravery, and fearlessness. I told them how to eliminate war. I said that we should abolish the military review that took place in autumn, for this did not kill, and will not raise one's character. Instead, those who are pro-war should go to the fields and kill one another. This will satisfy their barbaric cannibalism." Shaw meets Mei Lanfang Mei Shaowu [Son of Mei Lanfang] : Shaw asked my father "Why is Beijing opera so loud with all those gongs and drums ?". My father answered, "Chinese opera began as entertainment for the masses. They had to use gongs and drums to attract the audience". The North China Herald reports : [Shaw] : "Will you please tell me how a Chinese actor can do anything in the midst of such infernal uproar as one hears on your stage ? In our theatre, they put a man out if he sneezes. But you have gongs and symbals [sic] and the competition of half the audience and innumerable vendors. Don't you object ?" Mei Lanfang : "[The noisy drums and gongs were necessary] because the opera was a folk art first performed in the open air and the drums have been kept to this day". 14.00 George Bernard Shaw : "Speech at the Pen Club Shanghai". In : Xiao Bona zai Shanghai. [Shaw in Shanghai]. In : Shen bao ; 28 Febr. (1933). 萧伯纳在上海 "China and the East don't have much culture worth speaking of. Culture, by scientific definition, is all those human activities which enable human beings to control nature. In China, except for the little culture that can still be found in the farms, there isn't any culture to speak of. China is now importing from Western Europe, a lot of so-called 'cultural ideas' which have long ceased to be effective and have in fact had harmful effects on the people. What good will it do to bring this sort of Western culture to China ? When I was in Hong Kong, I urged the students to start revolutions. But please don't misunderstand ; I didn't ask them to go to the streets and fight the police. When the police come to suppress revolutionaries with their clubs, the safest way is to run. You should run as fast as you can to your head won't bleed. And you don't have to get into a confrontation with the police, for policemen are like the gun in a robber's hand ; of course you don't want to fight against the gun when you're robbed, nevertheless those with guns in their hands should still be beaten down. But this takes time and you cannot make it by sheer force. The international conditions of the Soviet Union both spiritually and materially are improving vastly these days. And this systematic improvement is not only to the best interests of the Russians alone. It serves as an example for all the other countries which should learn from her strong points and start imitating her. Socialism will surely be implemented in every country sooner or later. The means and process of the revolution may appear in different forms in each country, but as all roads lead to Rome so all countries will be on the same path and the same level in the end." At the Pen Club Shaw was presented with a box of miniature clay masks, like those used by the Bejing opera, and an embroidered ancient Chinese robe. 15.00 Press Conference at Song Qingling's house. Shen bao reports ; 18 Febr. (1933) : "Shaw criticizes Chinese culture. He said that China and the East did not have culture. This is because, scientifically speaking, culture refers to all human behavior that can increase human happiness, especially the control of nature. In China, apart from finding a little culture in the fields on the countryside, there is no culture. Nowadays, China adopts from the West a lot of 'culture' that is no longer effective, and is harming the people instead. For example, the parliament started when the English did not want a government, and made use of it to upset monarchical rule and church authority. Yet eventually it could not overturn the power of the capitalists, since it was fundamentally controlled by the capitalists. What good can this kind of so-called Western culture do for China ?" Bai, He. Xiao Bona fang wen Zhongguo. In : Shen bao ; 17 Febr. (1933). [Bernard Shaw's visit to China]. 萧伯纳访问中国 Er schreibt : "I remember old Mr Shaw having a very good impression after visiting the USSR. After his visit to India, he advocated that England should give up her sovereignty over India. This time, when he visits China, I think he will not have impressions of 'pigtails' and 'foot binding'. What does he think about Hong Kong under British rule ?" Miao, Shen. You mo yu feng ci. In : Shen bao ; 17 Febr. (1933). [Humorous and satiric writing] 幽默与讽刺 Er schreibt : "In an oppressive serious situation, one cannot frankly scold the pains one is suffering, nor can one be warned kindly. Consequently, one has endless grievances and worries. At this time, if we have the power to make humorous and satiric discussion, one can attack by innuendo, tactfully using humorous words to present reality satirically. This is the so-called 'the art of scolding people'." "At the time of serious national calamity, the people are numb, the government officials are at ease. We can think about the tragedy of a dying nation. Of course we hope that, on one hand, we can have loud, deafening, fervent words of warning. On the other hand, we need many humorous and satiric words in order to wake up and strengthen our hearts. Therefore I hope that all kinds of publications can bear this mission, and publish more literary works on the difficulties of people's livelihoods. Works making the youth's body and mind drunk should be published less. At this time when we are standing together through thick and thin, we should save and arouse in many ways." Juan, Yun. Xiao xian sheng yu Xiao tai tai. In : Shen bao ; 17 Febr. (1933). [Mr and Mrs Shaw]. 萧先生与萧太太 Er schreibt : "Since the Indian poet Tagore's visit to China, the visit of the world-famous personages making the Easterners drunk with respect was not realized until the coming of Bernard Shaw. Shaw became one of the then most famous people in the world." Yu, Dafu. Jie shao Xiao Bona. In : Shen bao ; 17 Febr. (1933). [Introducing Shaw]. 介绍萧伯纳 Er schreibt : "We hope that Shaw will make use of his humor to go to the countries of the world, and tell them about our government's humor toward Japanese imperialistic invasion, and the League of Nation's humor toward this event." Zheng, Baiji. [Shaw is welcome to listen to the sounds of the cannons]. In : Shen bao ; 17 Febr. (1933). Er schreibt : "Bernard Shaw comes to China. This great satirist of the world is coming to China. The large-scale Japanese invasion triggers the world war and is the prelude to the world revolution. If Shaw uses his astute mind and analyses these cannon sounds clearly, just as he analyses the human relationships in his plays, he may give a good report to the masses of the world." 18.00 Shaw returns to the Empress of Britain. Febr. 18th The interview of 17th was reported in different papers, each had its own version. Zi lin xi bao, an English paper, reported Shaw's response to a question about the Chinese government : "They [the oppressed people] should rely on themselves. China should do the same. The Chinese people should organize themselves and choose for their ruler their favourite man, not an actor nor a feudal lord". Da lu bao, a conservative, semi-government Chinese paper in English language reported : "Even a good ruler can hardly ever establish a good reputation among the people, because in nine out of ten cases a leader is not a good actor, and he does not know how to please his people". Mei re xing wen, published in Japanese, reported it with even greater variation : "What is your view on the Chinese government ?" Shaw replied "In China, as I know, there are several governments. Which one are you referring to ?" The Shanghai daily, published in Japanese, reported Shaw as attacking both Communism and the United States, an anti-Communist nation, saying : "The anti-Communist movement waged by various countries going against Communism. It is also an oppressive country with no freedom for its people. While in China, Communism seems to have been misunderstood. Those so-called Communists who raid and suppress people are nothing but bandits". Lu Xun said about the event : "The reporters, who had all gathered at the same place, at the same time, and heard the same words, came up with disparate stories. It seemed that the same English words manifested themselves differently in different ears. In this case, we can see that Shaw is not a satirist, but a reflective mirror". Fei, Ming. Tan Xiao Bona. In : Shen bao ; 18 Febr. (1933). [On Shaw]. 谈萧伯纳 Er schreibt : "Shaw and Galsworthy are most famous among the world's great writers China is familiar with, whose names are translated into Chinese. This great writer [Shaw] is a satirist with a strong Chines flavour. Apart from accent, costume, and eating habits, his speech and actions do not look like a mechanical European, but like a comical Easterner." Xuan. Tan Xiao Bona. In : Shen bao ; 18 Febr. (1933). [On Shaw]. 谈萧伯纳 Er schreibt : "Shaw's major works reveal the fallacies of man's traditional beliefs, which reminds one of how Shaw was used as an iconoclast against tradition in 1919 in the May fourth movement." Yang, Xingzhi. Hallo Shaw. In : Shen bao ; 18 Febr. (1933). Er schreibt : Dear Shaw, why do you come to Shanghai? To visit us slaves of colonialism? To salute the British flag at the Whampao River? To listen to the cannons of the Japanese? To praise our nonresistance philosophy? But I tell you: Shanghai is not London, New York or Paris, Nor is it a red city like Leningrad. The British, American, Japanese, French flags fly proudly in the sky, Clearly saying that China is only a colony. The black smoke of the warships in the Whampao River, The coolies at the Whampao River are panting rapidly for breath, The blood and flesh of the weak are supporting the authority of the strong, Shanghai is this colonial city. Do you feel that this is a tragedy? I tell you also: Your words in Hong Kong are preposterous! Youths listening to it will pull their tongues, Old people hearing will say "fart." Maybe some will even be rude to you, Don't say anything foolish when you arrive at Shanghai, This is because we do not know humor, And you cannot say anything you like, We warn you to keep your mouth shut here, Actually there is no need to tell nonsense. But, when you return, Bring good tidings! You only have to say: China will be saved, The Whampao River will rise one day, And wash the darkness and authority of the land! Febr. 19th Zhang Menglin. Shuo zhen hua. In : Shen bao ; 19 Febr. (1933). [Telling the truth]. 说真话 Er schreibt : "People can only follow their instincts. When you instinctively feel that this action is not right, you will think of ways to change. If you cover reality with words, you cannot change for the rest of your life. You cannot evolve to a higher creature. Then, creatures higher than you (what old Mr Shaw calls the Superman) will appear, and treat you as you would treat a monkey." Febr. 20th [Shaw, George Bernard. Speech at the Beijing Hotel in Beijing]. In : Shen bao ; 20 Febr. (1933). "I came to Beijing for sightseeing and to visit the world-famous old capital. I do not have any responsibility or mission. The newspaper said that the Sino-Japanese problem is serious, and that Jehol was especially tense. In the future, Beijing and Tientsin may be included in the dangerous zones. I have come to tour China at a time when the situation is serious. This seems to be different from Europeans coming to China under normal conditions. Beijing is a rich and grand old capital. If people of the world cannot forget China, they cannot forget Beijing. The Japanese immigrants are preparing to return to their country, as the catastrophe is coming. The rich Chinese also moving south, as if Beijing could be abandoned. The property of the rich cannot be damaged. I do not understand : is the price of the property of the rich higher than Beijing ? The antiques of the Forbidden City are being moved south, and this move adds another new leaf in the cultural history of Beijing, as if the antique were more important than the lives of a few million of Beijing's citizens. If we tour Italy, the antiques from the ancient Roman Empire are still there. These were not moved in spite of the wars in Italy. The Chinese love peace, and the Japanese also claim to be peace-loving. But the peace of the Japanese is the peace that follows war. The peace of the Chinese is the peace of peace. The Japanese told the League of Nations that they have the duty to protect Manchukuo, and claim that they invade Jehol to protect Manchukuo. They invade in the name of protection and claim that their actions are undertaken in self-defense. China has adopted the policy of nonresistance. I feel that the policy of nonresistance no longer applies. It changes to resistance, and China thinks that resistance no longer applies. It changes to resistance, and China thinks that resistance means self-defense. I do not know when the self-defense of China and Japan will end. Some Chinese youths are interested in communism. Although the government has repeated injunctions, the students are still studying. Communism is a political problem. At first it was an economic problem. Communism is still a problem deserving study. The absolute communism first adopted by the USSR has failed, so that the country turned to th4e New Economic Policy and implemented the five-year plans. Now this plan is successful. It is not easy to spread communism in China, and China does not have big capitalists. The labor-capital relations problem is not studied academically in China. Therefore I cannot say whether people to learn the Three People's Principles as good students. Therefore whether a discipline is right or not is determined by time. A am touring China because I believe the historic sites to be unique, and to have great value in cultural history." Beijing Shaw left Shanghai on 20 Febr. at 7.00 and arrived at Beijing via Chinwangtao at 18.40 on 20 Febr. Febr. 21th Press conference by Shaw in the Beijing Hotel, at which he commented on various subjects, from war to cheap labor, from communism to language. The educational institutions and literary circles in Beijing decided not to give Shaw an official reception. Hu Shi announced diplomatically before Shaw's arrival that "the most respectful form of welcome to a special guest like Shaw is to leave him alone ; let him move about freely, meet whomever he wants to meet and see whatever he wants to see". The Great Wall. On her recovery, Shaw insisted that Charlotte Shaw should go with him to see the Great Wall of China. The best way to see it, he decided, would be from an airplane which would reveal the vast expanse of the wall. The plane was one of the early biplanes, their seats were open to the sky. As the plane flew low over the Great Wall, Shaw was horrified to see a fierce battle in progress just below them between the Chinese Army and a horde of armed Japanese. Shaw frenziedly jabbed the shoulder of the pilot in front. "Turn back ! Turn back !" he shouted. "I don't like wars. I don't want to look at this". Apparently they flew back to Beijing in silence. George Bernard Shaw to Hesketh Pearson : "Did you see the Great Wall in China ?" "I flew over it in an aeroplane." "Interesting ?" "As interesting as a wall can be." Febr. 25th Yu, Dafu. [Literary and military lessons]. In : Shen bao ; 25 Febr. (1933). The literary lesson is from the glib Old Mr. Bernard Shaw. He told reporters in Beijing : "The Chinese have a strange character. They are inconceivably polite and friendly toward the foreigners. But among themselves they are so impolite and always fighting one another". He also said that the Great Wall was like a common low wall. Leaving China, Shaw went on to Beppu, Japan, arriving there on Febr. 28 (1933).	Document: Gray, Piers. Hong Kong, Shanghai, the Great wall : Bernard Shaw in China. In : Shaw ; vol. 5 (1985). (Shaw15, Publication) Document: Chen, Wendi. The reception of George Bernard Shaw in China 1918-1996. (Lewiston : The Edwin Mellen Press, 2002). (Chinese studies ; vol. 21). (Shaw7, Publication) Document: Li, Kay. Bernard Shaw and China : cross-cultural encounters. (Gainesville : University Press of Florida, 2007). (The Florida Bernard Shaw series). (Shaw63, Publication) Person: Shaw, George Bernard
3	1933	Brief von George Bernard Shaw an Edward Elgar ; 30 May (1933). I recommended Peiping where you must go to the Lama temple and discover how the Chinese people produce harmony. Instead of your labourious expedient of composing a lot of different parts to be sung simultaneously, they sing in unison all the time, mostly without changing the note ; but they produce their voices in some magical way that brings out all the harmonies with extraordinary richness, like big bells. I have never had my ears so satisfied. The basses are stupendous. The conductor keeps them to the pitch by tinkling a tiny bell occasionally. They sit in rows round a golden Buddha fifty feet high, whose beneficent majesty and intimate interest in them is beyond description. In art we do everything the wrong way and the Chinese do it the right way. At Tientsin they had a Chinese band for me. It consisted of a lovely toned gong, a few flageolets (I don't know what to call them) which specialized in pitch without tone, and a magnificent row of straight brass instruments reaching to the ground, with mouthpieces like the one I saw in the Arsenal in Venice many years ago: brass saucers quite flat, with a small hole in the middle. They all played the same note, and played it all the time, like the E flat in the Rheingold prelude; but it was rich in harmonies, like the note of the basses in the temple. At the first pause I demanded that they should play some other notes to display all the possibilities of the instrument. They pleaded that they had never played any other note; their fathers, grandfathers and forbears right back to the Chinese Tubal Cain had played that note and no other note, and that to assert that there was more than one note was to imply that there is more than one god. But the man with the gong rose to the occasion and proved that in China as in Europe the drummer is always the most intelligent person in the band. He snatched one of the trumpets, waved it in the air like a mail coach guard with a post horn, and filled the air with flourishes and fanfares and Nothung motifs. We must make the B.B.C. import a dozen of these trumpets to reinforce our piffling basses. But the Chinese will reveal to you the whole secret of opera, which is, not to set a libretto to music, but to stimulate actors to act and declaim. When there is a speech to be delivered, the first (and only) fiddler fiddles at the speaker as if he were lifting a horse over the Grand National jumps; an ear splitting gong clangs at him; a maddening castanet clacks at him, and finally the audience joins in and incites the fiddler to redouble his efforts. You at once perceive that this is the true function of the orchestra in the theatre and that the Wagnerian score is only gas and gaiters.	Person: Shaw, George Bernard

Cited by (1)

#	Year	Bibliographical Data	Type / Abbreviation	Linked Data
1	2000-	Asien-Orient-Institut Universität Zürich	Organisation / AOI	Cited by: Huppertz, Josefine ; Köster, Hermann. Kleine China-Beiträge. (St. Augustin : Selbstverlag, 1979). [Hermann Köster zum 75. Geburtstag]. [Enthält : Ostasieneise von Wilhelm Schmidt 1935 von Josefine Huppertz ; Konfuzianismus von Xunzi von Hermann Köster]. (Huppe1, Published)