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FoUNDER: sooNc cHl[Q ^tl!!q. l{l'r-E,..tt{N_Y4I:!F.Nl r,r-elr1oa!:!_99tlsHED MoNTHLv By THE qH1NA WELFARE INSTITUTE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, FRENCH, ARABIC, GERMAN, PORTUGUESE ANO CUIXES} vol. xxxt No. 4 APRIL 1982 Artlclq of tho Month
CONTENTS Success Through Self-Study
Culture ond Art P.8 Marco Polo on Screen 24 For monf Ioung people, po.- Ambassadors of Peace and Friendship 31 ticulorly those who lost the op- Background on I'rlarco Polo in China 32 portunity lor higher educotion From Ballet to Folk Dance 47 during lhe 'culturol revolution,' self-study hos opened the doors Economy to greoter knowledge ond pro. Readjusting the Machine-Building lndustry IJ lessionol odyonce. New Petrochemical Complex at Liaoyang 34 A Factory That Produces Fish 66 Drawnwork and Embroidery bz Reodjusting the Building lndustry p. 13 Youth Achievements Through Self-Studv 8 Through reorgonizotion, technieol Confident Girl I1 innovotion ond conuerting mony A Daughter frorn Nowhere 59 plonts to serYe consumer-goods production, Sports lhe mqchine-building industry is re-orienting to meet Sports Surge in 1981 4 the new demonds of Chino's Year's Top Ten Athletes Picked 6 economy. Agriculture/Friendship r_T."" ^ " . !'l.j- .r" Understanding About Pigs 56 The Mystery [oke: top Nur p. 18 History,/Archoeology The Great Navigator 16 How three survey teoms erplored the inhospitoble Lop Nur region Chino's northwest, some Ancient Kingdom on the 'Foof of the World 64 in solving mysteries thot hove puzzled scientists for oyer o Science,/Medicine cenlury. Probing the Mystery Lake: Lop Nur 1B China Oonstructs Miniature Flockets 40 Medical Briels: Controlling Filariasis: Occupational 60 Diseases: High-Altitude Surgery: Correcting a Bare Birth Defeci Across the Lond Historic Temple Fair 41 Xishuangbanna Today 48 Morco Polo on Screen p. 24 Tropical Forest Preserve 6B A Plant That Bites 69 Seyen centuries olter Venetion Morco Polo visited the court of Kubloi Khon, on internotionol tecrm of Columns ond Speciols filmmokers is bringing the story of his odventuies To Our Reaciers. Learning frorr Histo!'y to TV screens oround the world, The Chinese octor On Our 30th Annrversary 54 ploying Kubloi Khon writes of his experiences; the Postbag o Itolion director, the Americon in the title role ond Cartoons 4 o key Joponese octoi ore inleryiewed. Chinese Cookery: Phoenix Prawns (Feng Wei Xia) 3J Legends and Tales frorn History: King Mu and the Queen Iodoy's Xishuong- Mother of the West 70 Language Corner. Lesson l6 bonno p. 48 Beijing Niujie Mosque 71 The poce of develop- Couer Pictures ment hos increosed in Front: Marco Polo (Ken Marshall) with Kublai Khan one of Chino's no- (YinO Huocheng) in the TV film Marco Polo. tionol minority oreos Back: 'Plum Blossoms' (traditional Chinese painting) in the subtropicol Guan Shahyue southwest.
Ediioriol Ollice: Woi Wen Building, Eeijing (37), Chlno Chino Rconstructs (USPS No.659-85O) is published monthly for USf800 per yeor Cotiler "CHIRECON" Beijins. by Chino Reconstructs, Woi Wen Building, Beijing (37), Chino. Second closs postoge Generol Diitribstor: GUOJI SHUDIAN, poid ot Son Froncilco, CA. P.O. Box 399, Beiiing, Chino. Postmoster: send oddress chonges to Chino Books ond Periodicols, l^c,, 2929 24ah Street, Son Froncisco, CA 941'lO, rr I
. Tffi &UR REAMERS "
f N this issue we include two pages of photo-coverage owing to r-ightist and }eftist opportunist lines before f of the 30th anniversary celebration oI CtrlINA a rralid way f CIIINA RECONSTNUCTS Achievements and Errors their countries. China has never im- proved so quickly in technology as she Wen Tianshen's article on the is doing toCay. Gezhouba project was excellent. I I hope your mhgarine will tell readers will watch the performance of this that China has awakened and that she dam over the next few years with can not only follow interest. and catch up with the advanced but can rnake inventions. Also interesting was the article by India-China Contact productron ANNE.IIIAR]E DEROZIER Peng Xianchu on brigades. Mcntfarset, Frunce Both India and China are great coun- I think it is a very good idea to ',(,ork tries. They have glorious pasts and to a quota and sell what is ieft. How promising futures. But there is a big does the responsibility system work in :r More Depth Needed communication gap. Apart from other bad season? Is the production quota avenues; past cultural heritage and the reduced b"*- the state? I Erm irripressed with tlre beauty of present developments can be com- Also liked "Summing Up: Mao Ze- the rnagazine, bspecially the pictures municated through a magazine like dong, Cultural Revolution, and 32 Years and the drverse aspects of China yours. Greater opportunities and easy of New China". At least the Chinese presented. access should let people in both coun- Communist Party admits mistakes and Horvever. your articles eoutrj be a bit tries visit each other. and thus stronger, learns from them. The "cultural rev- more prr.t{cund in rreating the real more abiding ties between ihe two olution" was irrational but the Chinese complexi'iies oI your revolution and the countries can be cernented. Communist Party's succession to power iElplernsntetion of Marxisi-Leninist S. B. COENKA u,as not. thou.ght. It helps us in the West to see Calcutta, India ALEXANDER FLEMINCi realistically how you are u/resiling with Barnet, Ettglond complex and iropurrtant qirestions. TENNANT C. WRIGHT More on Politics Saqta Claru, Mount Emei Co,, U.S.-4. I hope you will print rnore about Chinese politicel life. Chairman Ye Our tharrks to Guo Zhusong tor his Jianying's "Elaborations on Polictr beautiful "Nlarvellous Sights on Mount Student Readers in Ghana Concerning Return of Taiwan to the Emei" irr the August 1981 issue" My Motherland and Peaceful Reunitica- whole famiilz enjoyed descriptions I am a head e-f a sctrool vzhere rnost his students tion" the November 1981 issue q'as of views, plants, anirnals and na- are readers of your -wonderful in the magazine, timely and helpful" tural optical phenomena. pic- so I tonk the opportunity to AIl the rea-d through I am grateful to you for yor.rr varied tures are very good. This kirid of cne anrl it impressed me The toplcs in yolu' magazine topic so muc'h that I thought to write and la.vout. is wanted more often. congratulate embrace culture. econ.rmics ancl poiitics. JOUKO IMMONEN iou on your success. hope you Articles are well written and objective. Kerq,ua, Firtiand I wiil continue in the same WOLFGANG KOHLER Ii/a"v-, EE}ISOr-{ Gartenstir" W est Germony AiUA.NAMATI Better Insight Enchi. Ghane Children and Religion I like the Civersity of your subject matter. Although I have only received China Reconsiructs never bores me. two issues since strbsciibing, I have Color pici,ures help ans\&'er readers' considerablv deeper knowledge of questions. The articles are reaclable. China than beiore. "Diversifying the Updating Some Figures I have a special inierest in the Rurai Econcmy" (Dec. lg81) was ex- To Cliildren's Column. China a large cellent and I enjoy reading about the Editorial Boarcl of Chino Re- 'a,ith constructs: population has set much store by the trends and progress in the eoonorny. The article , coming generation, so please devote "A People's Cultural Center in Dalian,, anning in pages (Dec. Ltina" in the e of lour rnore to reporting this subject. 1981) contributed to my under- magazine was paper rrant standing a I Readers also to know more of the function of cultural life presented at the Asian, Conference of about reiigious belief in Clrina. in a socialist society. Parliarnerrtarians on p&pu.iation - and UPIRA SUNGUMA KAGII/IBI JOHN R. TODD Dc'velopment held ;'n Beijing in Oeiober Ktsanganl, zatr( Charlottesuille, Va. U.S.A. itii relel.ant ed iast yea a Bureau, the Source of Knowlerlge Eager to Understand be rnade i cle: Warm congratulations on the 30th In 1979 I began to read your 1. The numb;er of newly employerl per- anniversar3r of China Reconstructs. rnagazine through a woman who once sons in cities and town.s betw,een Your magazine is the best source lived in China. I have long been eager 1977 ancl 1980 was 29,ii00.000. of knowleCge for those who are eager to understand your cduntry. Her'e peo* Z. Ths increase in population bet-,veen to know of the sociAlist China. As I ple knaw very little about it. Your 1953 and 1978 was 63 pereeet" am unemployed, I am sorry to be publication is very valuable to me, and 3. In 1980. 93 percent of school-age ttnable to visit your country. But I I look forward to its arrival each children wer.e id school; T5.E per- believe sooner or later I wiil go ta month. cent of primary school graduates entered junior Beijing. I like the articleS about a JEA},J-PIERH,E LORA middle schooi; and 43.1 percent of junior i.niddle German literature musie concert La Ckaur-De-Fonds, Sroi,tzedand school and graduates entered senior middle in Beijing. The Chinese people have school- cherished the German cultural heritage. China lfas Awakened 4. The rate of natural population in- Our people should do more to deveiop crease in tr9?0 was 25.95 per tb.cu- and deepen the relationship with It has been a short tirne since sand. China. lYestern countries began to pay atten- LIU ZHENG GERD WEDEMEYER tion to China. Westerners find that Wiesbaden, West Germany Iife in China is quite ditferent from APBIL T982 Cortoons Sports Surge ln I98 I good sneaky maneuver L-On China 1981 was a Xu PenoIt r sports year. The country won 25 world titles, broke eight and equalled three world records, and took 295 gold medal-s in world competitions more than in any other year- in Chinese sports history. Sateltite I Compared with others strong in Ftt Naiguanc sports, China still has a long way to go. But for a country long be- hind in .sports, i1 was a big leap forward. In 1981, China participated in more worid sports competitions than any previous year. She kepl her lead in table tennis and bad- minton. and entered the front ranks in such events as women's volleyball. gymnastics, diving, acrobatics, shooting. weightlifting, archery, miniature boat racing and chess. Handicap. This sports advance did much to Fa Naiguang inspire the Chinese people to work hard to develop China vigorously. In turn, popular interest in sports and patriotism will stimulate more development in sports and encout:- age athletes toward better results. Super-skill. O6 \i CHINA BECONSTRUCTS Game Event Date Place 3rd World Sparetime Weiqi Shao Zhenzhong Weiqi Chess (Go) March 10-14 Tokyo Championships 36th World Table Tennis National team Men's team event April 13-26 Novi Sad, Championships Yugoslavia 36th World Table Tennis National team Women's team event April l3-2ti Championships Men's 13-26 36th World Table Tennis Guo Yuehua . singles event April Championships 3tith World Table Tennis Tong Ling Women's singles event April 13-26 Championships 36th World Table Tennis I,i Zhenshi, Men's doubles event April 13-26 Championships Cai Zhenhua 36th World Table Tbnnis Zhang DeYing, Women's doubles event April 13-26 Championships Cao Yanhua 36th World Table Tennis Xie Saike, Mixed doubles event April 13-26 Championships Huang Junqun 2nd World Cup Diving Shi Meiqin Women's Springboard June 12-14 Mexico Cin' Tournament event 2nd World Cup Diving Li Hongping Men's piatform event June 12-14 Tournament 2nd World Cup Dirring Chen Xiaoxia Women's platform event June 12-14 Tournament Santa Clara. First World Games Badrninton Chen Changjie Men's singles event JuIv 28 Ca.. U.S.A. First World Games Badminton Sun Zhi'an. Men's doubles Julv 28 Yao Ximing First Worid Games Badminton Zhang Ailing Women's singles .Iulv 28 First World Games Badminton Zhang Ailing Women's doubies July 28 Liu Xia 2nd World Navigation lIodel Wei Yuming Mihiature Boat Racing August 1f-23 Magdeburg, Championships (F2B-class Navigation G.D.R, ModeIs) World Feng Yantang, Women's in the September 4-6 Widnau, 3rd Acrobatic Cup trios Su'itzerland Championships Cai Yu, all-round acrobatic Liu Yingmei competition 3rd Acrobatic World Cup Lin Ytranxiang, Men's quartets in the September' 4'6 Championships He Jidong. all-round acrobatic Chen Tie, competition Liang Jiankun 3rd Acrobatic Worlfl Cup. Zerrg Jianhua, The 2nd set of women's September 4-8 Championships YintWu doubles in individual contest Srd Acrobatic.Worlfl Cup Lin Yuanxiang, The 1st set of men's September.4-6 Championships He Jidong, quartets in individual Chen Tie, contest Liang Jiankun 42nd World Shooting Wu LanYing' Women's skeei team October 26 Tucutnan, Championships Feng Meimei, event Argentina Shao Weiping 42nd World Shooting Wu LanYing Individual skeet and October 27 Championships trap event 'VolleYball 3rd World Cup Volleyball National tea,rn Wornen's November ?-16 Osaka Championships 21st World Gymnastics Li xiaoping Pommel horse November 23-29 Moscow Championships 21st World Gymnastics Li Yuejiu Men's floor exercise November 23-29 Championships APR,IL 1982 Sun Jinlang, captain of the Ctrinese Lang Ping, acc spiker o[ the Chinese women's I'olleyball teanr wornen's volleyball tearn, world chanr- pions. Chino hod its richest l-rorvesi ever in world sport:, cornpetition lost yeor Ten top othletes of 1981 were seiected in o notionuiide poll sDonsc,red by II nevrs units in Beijing. Zou Zhenxian. rvho captured the triple Rong Zhihang, who set the pace Li Yuejiu, men's free exereise champion jump championship in the llth World to* the Chinese football terrm. a( the tlst World G1'mnastics Games. Universiade. CHINA TIECONSTRUCTS i.i] i.i; Chen Xia,:xia, who won the women's pl{ttform cliving eveni Guo Yuehua, who took the men's singles at the at the Second World Cup Divins Chf,rnpionships in Mexico. 36th Vtrorld Table Tennis Cames. Tong Ling, women's singles charnlrion at the 36th World Table Tennis Matches. Li Xiaoping, men's pommel horse champion at the , 21st' Woild Gymnastics Games. V Phato:, ltg Xi:nhtta :.1-:;.''. ,.'r. Wu Shude, who set the worltl recortl for the snatch in the l'16 kilogram catregioiy at the Asian Weishtliftins Competitions' YOU YUWEN I national con.lerence of self- -( r taught young people was held in Beijing for tlre first time last 'December. Because of the shortage of colJ.ege and university faeiliiies, self-education ha.s becorne impor- tant for training more personnel needed by the country's dril,e to modernize. One hurrdred and six young men and women discussed their ex- perience in selt-study at the con- ference, ',vinning favorable com- ments from many famous educa- tors. Having received very little training in school, they study hard while working at their pre- sent jobs. making great progress \ .-^r:.1 and setting a good example for all Chinese youth. Their achieve- ments reflect the kind of spirit and enthusiasm needed by the young people of today's China. The Need Youth technology research group at shanghai's No. I sitk Textile Machinery Plant plays an importanf role in technical innovation. For her economic buildup, China needs a great force of people armd with scientific and tech- people around 18 can have the acquire scientific knowledge by nological knowledge. Of all opportunity to attend. This is any means. Books on many workers in the country, however. very far from enough, even though subiects have been published for I60,000,000 are between the ages supplemented now by TV and their use and spare-time univer- of 23 and 33. These were mainly r'adio universities, spare-time and sitim. junior technical schools and train- middle-school students when correspondence universities. In ing classes have been set up the ten-year' "cultural revolution" 1980, for example, 50 percent of in factories. Universities have bqgan in 1966 and subsequently all junior middle-school graduates restored entrance exams. In Iost the opportunity of further were not admitted to senior factories, workers' promotions are education. middle school and 95.5 percent of based on their professional know- Normally trained forces are senior middle-school graduates ledge and working ability, and alsc insufficient. After'1966 no failed to enter university. To this has stimulated their enthu- regular university student was encourage them to study by siasm for study. trained 13 years, a for leaving themselves not only supplements To meet the desire to learn, large gap. Although education education but also i-s an important educational departments give more was restored 1976 in when the measure in training enough people attention to spare-time education. gang of four was overthrown, to suit China's situation. services, there are not enough universities Question-and-answer guidance centers for self-study and professional schools to satisfy Creating More Opportunities associations seif-taught the needs of economic construc- and of gang youth have established to tion or saiisfy the desire of young After the downfall of the been people to learn. of four, the government once help young people solve their While the number of full-time again moved toward socialist study problems. Radio and TV students enrolled in university has modernization. The idea that study stations broadcast many lectures increased by 12 percent annuaily. was useless, current among stu- on various subjects. Newspapers, only 7.4 percent of the young dents during the "cultural revo- magazines and popuiar science lution," still has to be eliminated, publications maintain columns YOU YUWEN is a staff reporter for while at the same time young such as "The Friend of Self- China Reconstrucis. people need to be encouraged to Taught Youth." "To Help You B CHINA EECONSTRUCTS Study" and "Guidance for Self- achievements have been recog- Study" to provide information re- nized formally. quested, introduce study rnethods. Last year the Beijing municipai publicize problems and com- government issued pr'ovisional mend those who have achieved regulations for establishing private success through self-study schools. This 'ivas followed by the Scientists and professors volun- appearance of 31 such schools. teer to give classes to these young Some of them teach junior and peopie and help them solve their senior middle-school courtes, some problems. Many school teachers help those who are preparing for hold classes for them after their university exams and some'teach regular teaching day. In Shanghai such skills as taiioring, machine a question-and-answer serv'ice in- embroidery, accounting, calli- vited 18 professors, scientists and graptry and painting. researchers to serve as an advisory ScientiJic associations in many Lei Anjun, through self-s{udy, has be- group. In their spare time they provinces have. admitted success- come an-4xpert on tonnalo-breeding. read letters from young people ful self-taught young people as and answer their questions. also members. The Shanghai Scien- recommending good books f or tists' Association, for instance, has them to read. The Shanghai admitted 47 into its various Science and Technology Bureau branches in the past two years. ha-s employed some successf ul This encourages self-taught self-taught youth. students. In January l9B1 the State Council approved on a trial basis Iligh Tide a system of exams for self-taught youth drafted by the Ministry of The goal of making China Higher Education. Exams on prosperous and modern aroused eight subjects such as mathema- the enttusiasm of China's young tics, political economy, philosophy. people for socialisi construction. and Chinese and foreign languages Realizing that this is impossible were held last December in without general knowledge and Beijing. Those who passed were well-trained scientists, many given certificates equivalent to young people have turned to self- graduation from universities or study, becoming enthusiastic par- professional training colleges. Of ticipants in spare-Jime, television, the ten thousand who took the correspondence and other coursee. examinations, 205 passed three In 1981 the number attending Yue Cuifang, a village girl from Hubei provinee, passed an agrobiology exam subjects and 46 passed four: Ttreir spare-time universities was 1.3 through. self-study. million' attending study The demand for some books is so great that people form early morning queues .Those at bookstores when new titles arrive, classes at the Youth Pa1ace in Shanghai in 1980 aione totalled 1.2 rniliion. Since the introduc- tion of the system of individual responsibility in rural production, many young people have put their energy into scientific f arming. Fuyang prefecture in Anhui province, for example, once hacl only 10.000 people taking part in scientific agricultural research. Today there are 70,000. In Linli county, Hunan province, 109 young peasants went to study in technical schools at their own expense. A correspondence agro- technical schooj run by the yriuth organization in Guangdong prov- ince has won the hearts of young people in the countryside. Over 300,000 copies of teaching APBIT, I98? maierials on agrotechnology com- only a . iunior middle school uated frorn senior middle schooi piled by the Central Broadcast graduate. After seven -years of he begnn to sturiy agronoiny" Agricultural School wer.e prompt- earnest study on eoiar energ_v he meteorology and horticnlture. ly sold out. built a high-temperatr:re lurnace IvXeanwhile he tvorked io master using soiar energy in 19?9. It scientific t 10 CIIINA RECONSTBUCTS dren .r'ere sent home. With her srnaii friends. she played outsi APR,TL T982 11 printed. Liu Hong devoured Daniel had not observed the examination Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Thomas regulations, he cut her points be- Hardy's ?ess of the d'Urberuilles low admission standards. and Shakespeare's works. Char- Liu Hong was so frustrated that lotte Bronte's Jane Egre becarne a she feII ill, lying in bed for a favorite. She copied good descrip- month. Comfort and persuasion tions of various human characters could not cheer her up. Then one and of nature. She could quote day her father brought her a re- whole paragraphs from Charles port by Xu Chi, a famous Chinese Dickens' Dauid Copperfield, and' writer. She was deepiy moved by Pride and Prejwdice by Jane this story of a young Chinese Austen and others. Carefully mathematician, Chen Jingrun, who studying the authors' methods of overcame alL sorts of difficulties to writing, she tried to apply them to become highly successful in his re- her own. search. She realized ihat conven- Yang Fulin works on a high-precision Once, back home from seeing her tional ideas and prejudices were iurbine hobbing cuttet' iointly develop- parents the railway station, also barriers to her success, and de- ed by himself and fellow technicians of off at the Shanghai Implement Factory' she found that rain through an cided to get over them and go on Xinhua open window had soaked some with her study. Though still sick in bed, she translated this 20,000- books on the desk and in the book- HEN the new China lvas precious word report into English in eight shelves. Knowing how founded. in 1949, the country days, and sent to Xu Chi. The they were to her parents, Liu it none of the in- was touched by the girl's could make almost Hong wrote thern a letter in writer dustrial machinery and equipment well-done translation and en- Engllsh explaining how it had hap- needed to develop a modern econ- her to work on. pened and asking them to forgive couraged orny. Since that time. China's her for forgetting to close the technology and productive forces window. It was the first time she Unyielding have grown rapidly. Today, some had written something important 80 percent of all the equipment in English. Instead of blaming her, From 1978 to 1980 Liu Hong used in different sectcrs of the na- her parents were happy with her took three entrance exams tor tional economy bears the made-in- progress in the language and en- graduate studies, but each time she China label. "High-tech" successes couraged her to go on with her was turned down either on the include complete equipment for oil study. grounds that she was too young or refineries each processing 2.5 mil- She spent most of her day read- that she had no university ex- Lion tons annually, sieel mills and ing, reciting and copying. At night, perience. Sad at being treated like automotive pl.ants (1,5 million tons lying in bed, she would first revi.ew this, she cried many times when of iron and steel annually and what she had learned that day, and she was alone, although she always 100,000 trucks), thermal and hydro- then pick something to think about told her father that she was too power facilities, and a huge varie- precision in English, calling this "rumina- busy to have time to be unhaPPY. ty of advanced machinery tion." Sometimes she became so When the famous Chinese of aLl ki.nds. Poet years, absorbed in English that she Aiqing read her translation of Xu In the last felv however, oouldn't always form a correct Chi- report, wrote to con- China has been readjusting her Chi's he industrial nese sentence at once when she gratulate and encourage the girl. economy. One of the situations to be readjusted is that, wanted to speak. Happiness had An older scholar told her, "China for a long period, too much em- come to her through hard reading. young people who studY needs phasis was placed on heary indus- misfortune hard.',' She put her try, including much of the ma- Failures aside and worked harder. BY au- chine-building industry, and too read aimost tumn of 19?9 she had little on light industrial production In L977, university entrance all the works of Charles Dickens, of consumer goods. And both examinations, abolished for a dec- and books about historical figures, light and heavy industries had to ade, were restored. Liu Hong, now geography and historY and about be restructured and made more a first-year senior middle-school a hundred other English ilassics. efficient. student, took the exam. After In 1980, Liu Hong took second Machine-building enterprises completing all the exam papers, place in a nationwide examination were faced with the problem of she translated them into English, in English and thus won a Position how to sustain and even increase also adding an autobiograPhy in as assistant researcher in foreign growth at a time when state-set English. Unexpectedly, her out- literature. Her studies at Oklahoma standing performance caused the State University will helP to Per- WU SHUREN is an engineer with the be useful in First Machine-Building Ministry. Li examiner to think she was ar- fect her ability to Chuang is a staff reporfer for China rogant. On the ground that she China's modernization. D Reconstrucis. CIIINA RECONSTRUCTS L2 Readiusting the Maehine-Building Imdustry WU SHUREN and LI CHUANG production quotas for their parti. Between 1966 and 1976 more than meet the growing needs of cular products were being signifi- 1,000 vaive factories were started agriculture and light industry and cantly reduced. Beijing's No. 7 just in Wenzhou prefecture, Zhe- to maintain its own growth, the Valve Factory, for instance, has jiang provir-rce, the largest having machine-building industry now now converted itself into a clothing over 1,000 workers and the smal- needs to readjust its range of prod- and beverage factory. Though the iest only three to five. They ucts and upgrade quality. This transition is stiil in its early stages, operated under different authori- requires a general reorientation of overall statistics for the past two ties. and did their: own research, direction as well as ref orms in years reflect a promising degree of design and manufacturing, which technology and management.' success. While 1980 state produc= was a great waste and duplication tion quotas for the industry as a of effort. Such lack of coordina- Restructuring the Industry whole were only 54 percent of the tinn resulted in an oversupply of Over the past two years the 1979 figure, its profits and produc- many products and the failure of First Machine-.Building Ministry livity that year were close to the some key machinery to meet has made considerable progress 19?9 level-itself the highest in technical standards. in coordinating and restructur- history. Quality improved, and For a longt time China's ing scattered enterprises. Units variet5, of pro.ducts from new- - machine-building capacity mainly which were not economically type refrigerators to new-type in- served heavy industry; emphasis viable were merged with other dustrial iurbines was greater - was laid on new capital construc- plants, temporarily shut down, or than ever before. tir n rather than technical upgrad- switched in a planned way to With further increases in the ing of existing ent,erprises. To other lines . of production. So production of consumer goods - and of the machinery to make Automatic radia! driltring machines designed and made at the shashi Machine those goods and higher levels of 1'ool Plant in central China are now an export item. Xinhua efficiency, leaders- oI the machine- building industry confidently pro- jeOt rapid and sustained growth in the years to come. Restructuring Production A major problem in the industry was there were too many overlap- ping authorities in charge of it, each with a large and complex administrative structure. In addi- tion to the 12 national specializ- ed machine-building departments, some 30 others al-so had some machine-building components. Provinces, counties, and even com- munes and production brigades operated machine shops under separate administrations. Thus production was not sufficiently concentrated, efforts were often duplicated, and technology was often rather backward. Prior to L978, for instanie, more than 100 automotive plants had been set up in 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous re- gions usually operating quite independently- of one another. APBIL T982 were enterprises which eaused machines by the end of the year * the ciemand for industrial var:uum serious envirr:nmental poliution. more than three times as many as pumps! which it had previously . Thus, in the auton-iobile in- be{ure. made. and in 1980 the faetorY dustry in ihe first half of i981, Through similar readjustrnet"rt, a shifted to the manuf acture of more than 100 plants were m€rged uumber crl enterprises have re- auttrmatic l'acuum-seal canning rnto ?3, all of them under the duced their consutnption of energy equipment. This equiprnent has supervisic,n of the National Auto and raw material.c and markedly proved to work every bit a"s weil InCustry Corporation. Three in- improved the quallty of their as that previousiy imported, and tegrated ilutoiriotive conrpiexes products, In 1980, while the utiliz.a- has given a big borxt to the prov- were set up. cente.rerl arcund the tion rate of rolled steel increased ince's foodstuffs industry. No. 1 and l.Io. 2 Automotive Corn- by 3.3 percent over 1979, it took In Tianjin, the First Bureau panies in Changchun and in Hu. 7.3 kilograms les-s coke to produce of Machine-Building found that bei province and the Nanjing each ton. and in 1981 futther"sav- heavy industriai equiprnent used Autornotive Plant. In other in- ings w'ere aehieved. in rnining and metallurgy rvas be- dustries. the Generai Machinery ing overpiocluced and stored in iarge quantitie,s it-l warehouses. and Design Comi:rany rvas foun New technology: ihermal power plant, one of the largest o[ iis kiud v;ith an A major innovation in the installed capacity of 400,000 kilowatts, in Liancheng, Gansu province. Xinhua readjustment process is that rnarket sLlp- W,,@ gg ,k @ n, forces ate allowed a $i i plementary role u,i thin ihe plan- b. j ned economy. Formeriy. fact,ories simply fulfi1le'd production quotas q assigned b5, the state and paid ncr attention to rnarket needs. Norv they have some authority to negotiate directiy with customers, which pu.shes thern to improve their products or prorluce nev/ ones according to rnarket demands. This has spurred research and innovation, particulariy in the heavy machlnery ar:d energ;u sectors. In 1980 machine-building enterprises designed 945 new pr CHIlliA RECO!{STRLrCTS 14 puilding factories have been shui down and 98 merged with other enterpri-qes. Obviously this has had a great effeet on the lirres of the rvorkers. But considera-ble as- sistance from the state and the initiative of the workers them- .selves have ea-sed the transition period, The Beijing Machine RePair Plant, with 870 workers, was or- dered to close in October 1979 be- causb there was little demand for its serviees and Pollution was serious. Led by Plant Inanager Chang Dianqi, the workers re- searched market needs and decid- ed, with the equipment theY had on hand, to start making turbine reducing gears, sPorts equiPment and large children's toYs. The Panda brand machines, produced by the tr]eijing No" I Machine Toot Plant, rnake change rvas approvd, atrd in tr980 (durnplings) Xin,hua " iiaozi" for cateterias. ttre plant's total output value ex- ceeded its planned production fig- frigerators to turbines and gen-. total value of China's machine ex- ure by 6.3 percent, and workers erators. One notable example, ports grew by 5? percent over ,earned an average of tr50 yuan in view of the current drive to 1979, and the 1981 figure surpass- rnore per person in boluses, a fig- save energy resources" is a device ed the previous year by 33 percent. ure three times the average monih- to recover part of the energy ti^sed Exports to North and South ly wage. in refining crude oil. America have grown remarkably. The history of the Beijing No. 7 The new policy of giving market The total value of exports of Valve Factory lnentioned at the lorces a role under state pianning machinery to the United States, beginning of thdarticle is along ihe has encountered a numkr of dif- U.S. $800,000 in 1979, grew to same lines. The faetorY was or- lrsed hav- and million in 1980 ficulties. Some units, to $4 million $50 dered clo,sed because its products produc- ing the state assign them and 1981, rvere in considerable oversupply. quotas and buy ali their prod- .drnong all China's provinces, tiqr The state arranged for the ucts, resist having to go out and Guangdong has led the way in in- Plant's 3?0 workers to be transferred to negotiate own. Some creasing exports. Of the prov- on their is general people doubt whether it is proper ince's machine-building plants, the other units, as the Pol- did to use market forces at all under number turning out export iterns icy. But 1?0 of the workers a socialist system. Some depart- has risen from 30 to 122, account- not want to work at factories fur- ments in authority disapprove of ing for 40 percent of the totai. ther from home. TheY wanted to the marketing of machinery in Between January and August 1981 stick with the old plant and ex- this '.vay, and so rgstrict supplies the output value of its machine plore new production possibilities. of ralt, and semifinished materials exports increased I percent over The state not only suPPorted the to factories which take such ini- 'the same periorJ in 1980. decision, but also agreed to PaY tiatives, creating serious problems Fujian provinc€'s Mindong regular wages and bonuses during for those factories. Electrical Machinery Plant began the transition period. to export in 1975 to the vaiue of Today the forn'ler valve factorY Expanding Exports 120,000 yuan. By 1980 it was sup- turns out eiothing anC beverages, Previously the export of Chi- plying nine different kinds of and is back on its feet again. Some nese machinery and equipment machinery to 20 countries and re- workers' ineomes are higher than was not given enough attention, gions of Asia, ,A,frica and Latin before the change. Zhang ZuoYing, and part of the readjustment aims America, and vaiue had grown to a veteran worker, was a bit sad to at remedying this situation. More 14 million yuan. In 1981 exports see the old operation .shui down. than 700 machine-building en- accounted for 70 percent of the But she is also optimistic about the terprises now specialize in serv- plant's iotal output value. future: "Our country is so vast, ing the export market, and today our population so huge that we over 100 types of electrical Workers Under Readjustment have a very wide rnarket. Wittl machinery are sold in 120 coun- In the course of industrial regard to production possibiiities, tries and regions. trn 1980 the readjustment, some 20 rnachine- the sky's the limit!" ! APR,IL T982 Itr Chinu's Great I{aaigator Zherug He QING XIANYOU I- N 1405, about 90 years before with colorful flowers. Pines, cypres- materials about his life, and many i- Christopher Columbus (c. 1451- ses and fruit trees flourish every- research-ers haue come from all 1506) discovered the American con- where. From the top of the hill over the country for the same tinents, Chinese navigator Zheng one can admire the natural beauty purpose. Liu Jiwu, 52-year-old Ming dynasty set out IIe of the of the lake and surrounding moun- vice-head of Jingning No. 25 Mid- with a Chinese fleet on the first hexagon-shaped pavilion tains. A dle School, has compiled voiu- of seven great voyages of explora- built in memory of Zheng He minous notes. tion. In the next 28 years. his stands on the lawn. Near it is the Zheng He, born Ma Sanbao, was travels would take him to 31 coun- Palace of the Jade Emperor which from a poor family Hui nation- tries in southeast Asia, west Asia is over a hundred years old and of and east Africa and open a new was in an extremely dilapidated ality. Both grandfather and father era in trade and cultural relations. state until rebuilding started in were Muslims who had sailed to . Even today the people of the coun- 1978. After work is completed in Meeca on piJ.grimage despite the tries he visited, especially Chinese 1982 it will be used as the memo- hazarcis of the long sea voyi-ge. residing there, recall his exploits. rial hall ot Zheng He. These journeys aroused Sanbao's The tomb of Zheng He's father, curiosity about the sea. At age 12 Zheng He Park Ma Ha, is surrounded by pine and he was seiected to serve in the ' Zheng He was born in Kunyang, cypress groves. The grave inscrip- palace of the Duke of Yan, Zhu Di, Yunnan province, south of Lake tion, carved on a red stone tablet in Beijing. Some years \ater Zhu Dianchi. In memory of this. great and dating fiom 1405, is in the cal- Di overthrew Emperor Minghui navtgator, people of this small toWn ligraphy ot Li Zhigang, a famous and prociaimed himself Emperor three years ago refurbished Yue- scholar of the time. On the reverse Cheng Zu. Under his rule, Sanbao shan Hill, which had been neg- of the tablet is a reeord of how was promoted to the position of lected for many years, and built Zheng He visited his father's grave imperiai eunuch and given the Zheng after returning from his second He Park. tocated on honorary name of Zheng because the Yueshan Hill on the south trip. The tomb, having been re- he had distinguished himself on the bank of Lake Dianchi, it contains paired, is now preserved as an im- Zheng He's memoiial pavilion and portant cultural relic by the state. battlefield. hall and his father's tomb. A pavilion overlooking Lake To develop the Chinese economy A flight of stairs starting from Dianchi will be built in the park and trade with foreign countries, Kunyang Primary School at the soon. Emperor Cheng Zu asked Zheng to f.oot of the hill, leads up to the park lead seven (eight, according to some gate. On both sides of the gate Life Story historians) sea expeditions. are carved ancient ships in full sail. The largest of these comprised Covering 17 hectares, the park is As most of. Zheng He's family some 27,000 people including tech- blanketed with green grass dotted have left the area, it iS difficult nicians, sailors, interpreters, doc- to find records of Zheng He's early tors, carpenters and merchants ir: QXNC XIAryYOU is a staff reporter for iife in Kunyang. Jingning county over 60 large and more than 100 China Reconstructs. has now organized the collection of smaller vesseli. 16 CHINA RECONSTRUCTS Zhertg He also commanded a r Sanbae, TqWn, and Sanbao Well. number of troops whom he several ln Indonesia there is Sanbao Long. times led against marauding pi- It is said that Zheng He came here rates, thus earning the gratitude of on the thirtieth day of the sixth the local people in many countlies. lunal month, and people of Chinese The fleet was rt'elcomed every- descent living here come to Dajue where. Chinese g APRTL T982 t7 Frohim the ysf,mr & ffi; sp ffir XIA XI,]NCEIENG kilometers aqross. In the Iate 19th of the Tarim and Kongqr ri.zer"s to and early 20th centuries, European the west. explorers raised questions about As've crossed and recrossed the ihe location of the lake, its nature, oid basin of Lop Nur, we found and even whether it moved from nothing but an undulating erust of Feather-shaped dunes in the Kum Tagh one place to another in regular salt stretching in every.direction. deserl. cycles. Yet there is plenty of evidence that The debate was touched oft by a great lake once existed here. A the Russian Nikolai Frjevalski. Chinese expedition which passed Investigating the lower reaches of through the area in 1959 reported the Tarim River .in 1876, he there was still enough water in the mi.stook Lake Kara Koshun for lake to attract flocks of migrating take Lop and asserted that Qing u,aterfowl. Satellite photcgraphs of dynasty (1644-1911) maps of the the area show concentric rings in- area were wrong. Eventually the dicating a progressive drying up of German geographer" Fer"Cinan,.l von the lake. The finai dehydration Richthofen, Prjevaiski's contem- must have been so rapid that the porary, argued that the latter's migratory birds did not have lake was not the one shown on enough'time to change their flight Chinese maps. Early in the present patlerns, and every day duririg our century the Swede Sven Hedin and investigations we saw the des- the Englishman Aurel Stein, both iccated bodies of those who were caught here and died of thirst. Y.. of whom explored the area, claimed that Chinese maps Lop Nur's'*,ater originally came Drilling for samples in ihe lake basin. the were originally correct, but that from the Tarinl and Kclngqi rivers, Lop Nur had shifted to Kara and much of it was diverted after rFHE Koshun. 1949 when iarge-scale reclamation Lop Nur (Lake Lop) area in began on the upper I the Xinjiang In 1980 and i981 survey teams reaches of ttrE Uygur Autono- rivers. Our investigations con- rnous from the Xinjiang branch o{ the Region in China's arid far firmed that this, rather than any northwest has for over' a century Chinese ,{cademy of Sciences undertook the rnost compreherrsive complex theory of a shifting been the subject of speculation lake, expJ.ains present scientific expeditions to the area Lop Nur's and controversy among scientists condition. ever made, covering some 5,000 around the worid. The questions Sven Hedin's theory been kilorneters. These began to dispel had raised could not be easiiy answered tliat the iake shifted from north some of the "mysteries" of the to because the extremeiy harsh na- south and back again iq cycles region. The first, Ied- Peng tural conditions and rugged teruain by tasting sorne 1,500 years. Accord- Jiarnu (see box), locaied anci have kept out ali but a few intrepid ing to him, silt carried down the crossed the dried-up basin of Lopi explorers. Nur, rivers raised the lake bed of Lop Much mystery laying the basis for the Nur, causing the water to flow to of the settled surveys to follow. aroirnd the lake itself. Lying on a lower p1ace. After some centuries the route the raised lake bed, eroded by of the old SiIk Road that Didappearance of Lake [,op iinked China through the Middle winds, subsided again and the East rvith tire Roman Empire in Later that sarne year the second, water flowed back into its original aneient tirnes, Lop Nur was clearly which I had the honor to iead, basin. icientitied in old Chinese records set out from Dunhuang in Gansu Modern aerial surveys and our an 18 CIIINA RECONSTRUCTS in the northwestern part of the yardang stretch out in a roitghiy Qaidam (Tsaidam) basln, China's northeast-southvi,est direction, largest such area. Every year there par,allel to the prevailing winds. are 150 days with Force 5 winds, 80 The formation of the yardang days u'ith winds of tr'orce 7 or 8, was in the past attributed soiely to and occasionaliy winds measured wind erosion, and such terrain was at 30 or moi'e mr:ters per second. classified as of the wind-eroded These winds rake the ground like type. But during our eurrent ex- enormous steel combs, ripping plorations we found, next to moun- au,ay loose layers of sand and tains, yardang extending in the Bird which died of thirst in the dried- leaving behind the less erodable direction taken by flood waters, up lake basin. clay strata below in ridges and and saw marks left by flood waters guilies. on some outcroppings. Thus, meters, or ten meters higher. So During the 15 days it took lo rainstorms and floods have alsr: at no time in the recent past could pass through the lake area in MaY played a significant role in shaping Lop Nur have tlowed into the 1981, we encountered Force I the yardang. higher Kara Koshun. Moreovey, winds on four occasions and con- A yardang on the northern bank the lower reaches of the Tarim and stantly had to battle wind and of Lop Nur called "Dragon CitY", Kongqi rivers are clear and carry sand. On windy nights our tent is a spectacular sight. The serried very little silt, so the lake bed shook so violently we had to sit ranks of hummocks and ridges re- eould not have been raised in this up holding ihe tent poles untii day- semble eastles, city walls and way. The dry salt crust of the break- Once those holding the rnulti-story buildings divided by present lake bed is so hard that poies feli asleep and we awoke in streets and alleys. Twisted out- steeL hammerls can hardly crEck it,, the morning witn the tent col- croppings look like writhing dra- making it unlikely that wind lapsed on top of us. Another time, gons. Not far from "Dragon CitY" erosion could lolr.er its elevation to wh€n a Foree 8 wind made driv- is a barely discernible trail, the the extent needed to fit Hedin's ing extrernely diffiqult and setting remains of the old SiLk Road" Along conclusions, up our tents and cooking imPos- it can still be found coins of the The changes in relative sizes of sible, we had to sit in our ears al] Tang dynasty (618-907). the two lakes can be explained night, hungry and exhausted. The yardangs made hard going much more simply. In 1921 a dam The depth of wind erosion here for our jeeps. We were often was across the lower reaches . built reaches about 13 cmr annually, and forced to reconnoiter on foot so as forcing the of the Tarim River, is estimated that a surface layer not to end up in a blind alleY. waters eastward into it to flow 5.3 rneters thick was carried away Once, after driving for two hours Nur and shrinking Kongqi and Lop between 1919 1959. The and making 186 sharP turns. we Kara Koshun to the p,oint where it .and dried completely. Then, in 1952, the Tarim River Dam was built at the mouth of the Yila, turning the Tarim back intn its old course and frorn there into Kara Koshun, which expanded again while Lop Nur grew smaller. At no time. however, did one lake shift its &uru,.ths location to another site. Iulountain-s a,' Yardang and 'Dragora City' "Yardang" in the vernacular of the local Uygurs means "steep slopes," and is used to descrihe terrain with closeLy alternating eroded ravines and ridges. Chinese and foreign scientists who sur- veyed this regicn in the late 19th and early 20th eenturies borrowed this term, and .it gradually came into general use. Large stretches of yardang, amounting to 3,000 sq. km., cover the northern and eastern seitions Buoqiang (llarkilik) oMiran of the Lop Nur area. These are o Altun MountainS second in size only to the yardang AFn,IL T982 19 pools in orr oce&rltod,-,sanil.. . The posits to form the yardang. Loosc desert is extremely arid, and layers of sand carried by the wind nothing green can be found, nor to the northern foot of the Altun any sign of animal life. This is Mountains in time turned into the one of the most inhospitable spots present Kum Tagh desert. in the Lop Nur area. Yet our survey indicated that Home of Wild Camel this desolate area was part of Lake Lop at the outset of the Quater- The wild camel, one of the nary Period (2,500,000 years ago). world's rare animals, is found as shown by the lake deposits that chiefly in some of the uninhabited crop up here and there in the de- legions of China's Xinjiang, and sert. Later, as the climate changed, particularly in the Lop Nur depres- Lop Nur shrank and the ecological sion. Little rvas known ab $cientific Trailblazer RTOCHEMIST Peng Jiamu, Ieader of the tirst major lop Nur I-l syps4ilion. died as he had lived China's rugged border regions for the sake of scientific-exploring knowledge and pubting the welfare of others before his own, Born in 1g2b, peng was a graduate of the department of agro-chemistry of Nanjing's Central University, a research fellotv of the Shanghai Institute of Bio- chemistry and vice-president of the Xinjiang branch of the Chinese Peng Jiamu (lett) and other researchers Academy of Sciences. during an expedition into lhe Lop Nur reBron. In addition to a number of pioneering studies in plant diseases. Peng was famous for organizing and leading multi-pr.lrpose scien- tific expeditions to remote border areas where natural resourcs found 'rve had progressed no more had never been adequately surveyed. and for setting up new research than 11 kilometers. bases. His efforts taid the groundwork on which scientists from many different disciplines continue to build. The danger.s and Kum Tagh Desert difficulties of his work even a serious bout with cancer could not keep him from serving- science, his country and his people- in Southeast of Lop Nur, at the the best way he knew how. juncture of Xinjiang with Gansu Over more than two decades Peng conducted lD field studies and Qinghai provinces. Iies a vast of different parts of Xinjiang in the far northwesi. The expedition expr.rrse of desert. the famous Kum to Xiniiang's Lop Nur region, one of the most rugged and inhospi- Tagh. The northern part of this table places on earth, was his last. On June 17. 1g80, he and several desert consists mainly of feather- companions ran out of water in rocky and arid terrain. Though shaped sand dunes, unique in Chi- in poor health and weak from continuous work under difficulf na. Here, on the western side of conditions, Peng went off on his own to look for water. He never sand dunes running northeast- returned. southwest lie countless little ridges Neither his companions nor the four major search parties sent of sand like barbs the of feathers. out over the following six months could find a trace of him. The The dunes are'generally a few to a days following his disappeara by gale-foree dozen kilometers long and about 20 winds and massive shifting of ers could only meters high. conclude, with sorrow, that he and then been After threading our way buried by sand before anyone could reach him. through countless sand dunes, we Memorial services {or Peng Jiamu were held in many places; came upon a different type, formed Shanghai officially namd him a "revolutionary martyr..', More by the wind into shapes like importantly, as he would have wished, the work he started has been crouching lions or the pyramids of taken up by many other hands, and countlesS successors travel the Egypt. One after another, they paths he blazed. D stretched into infinity. There were also depressions like vast whirl- 20 CIIINA BECONSTEUCI'S "Y;rrdang" formations reminiscent of torpodo troats orr the open sea \ lr \ trit, /. 11 Carved by wind and sancl, fiom a distance this "Yardang" conliguration looks iike a se.l torioise. \ itt \ trnt ltt'ttt \\'ild carilels discovered in the Ltrvcr rcaches of the Shuic Rivcr" '!)oitom As the lake eilies and cracks, salt crusts like this one are thiust r.lp more than a rneter above the surface. Xio )'Lrnrlu,rtg Salt cryste.ls in the lower reaches of the Kongqi River. Xittn Xunclrcng .Rernains of a reed hut in which the Lop people once lived. )'iu Xunt'lttng herds, took some valuable pictures equipped with dugouts, nets woven of them, and measured the foot- out of flax, forks and fish traps. prints left by them in areas of soft Part of the catch was dried in the ground. We estimate that there sun to be eaten in winter. are several dozen herds PresentlY In summer and auturnn, people in the area. survived on wild ducks, sr:ch duck The witd camel belongs to the eggs as they could find, and the genus Camelus of the order Arlio- roots of reeds. They did not know dactyla. Its coat is brown, and it how to work the land, and had has twp humps. a smali head and never eaten grain. Occasional mer'- Iong slender neck. trt has long legs chants passing through brought with larger feet in front than be- them mat,ches and tea in exchange hind. The foot is dish-shaPed. and for dried fish and hides. has a thick callus. Tlvo toes on For a Lop bride who usualiy each foot are caPPed with nails' married at the age- of 14 or 15 -- The animal can thus walk over L'ayir, one uf the original inhabilants the groom had to give ten bundles shifting sands or salt crust with ot the Lop Nur region. each of flax fibers and dried fish, relative ease. and two or three hundreci wild begins ' in its mating Period After passing through the Lop ducks. A wooden dugout was the 11 months' gesta- March. and after Nur area, we arrived at Miran main item of family properiy and produces one calf . tion the female farm" where we met some of the an importdnt means of transporta- cycle lasts more The reproductive original inhabitants the Lop peo- tion. When a man died he was than two years. The animals feed The oidest among- them, 91, placed in his dugout and buried thorns ple. mainly on starch-rich camei was called Tayir, and even the together with it. After the Tarirn and occasionally on reeds. youngest, named Rehanman, was changed its course, water wa-s re- halorylon ammodendron and other already 70. They told us some- duced to a trickle and the land desert plants, They drink little thing about their former waY of turned barren, to become the water and in summer and autumn life at Lop Nur. which has 'now desert that it is now a dead f rom obtain sufficient moisture disappeared. wilderness under a blazing- sun. the plants they eat- In winter, when the vegetation dries uP, theY ' congregate around salt sPrings. The Lop Feople Building on the Past The wild camel is timid and verY The I-op people are Muslims, alert. When ll'e investigated the speak Uygur, and are probably a The field surveys of the Lop Nur eastern part of the Lop Nur and braneh of the Uygur nationality. area have been completed and we the lower reaches of Shule River Numbering several thousand in are now busy collating the data in 1980. we often saw herds num- former days, they used to live in gathered and writing up our find- bering between seven and twentJ- the region of Abudan and Kara ings. Many explorers and scholars camels. but found it very difficult Koshun south of the lake. They have in years past traveled through 1o get near them. The wild camels' had little contact with the outside this region to pave the otrd Siik keen sense of smell and hearing world. Around 1920. most of them Road, that -iink of friendship be- warned them of our prescnce died as a result of a plague, and tween East and West, and to make when we tried to creep up on them. the survivors fled from their na- investigations for ssisnss-. snt' and they would be up and gone tive land. Tayir was one of those many have spent the best years of while we were still several hundred who came to settle down at Miran. their life'here, or even left their meters away. We tried to follow In those days there was water bones to bleach in the desert. thein in our cars, but on the rough everywhere in the Abudan and Among the latter is Peng Jiamu, telrain they were faster than we. Kara Koshun region. On the vice-director of the Xinjiang we first mis- reeds, Came.l trails, which banks of the river were branch of the Chinese AcademY nf paths left by human feet, Mongolian gazelle, herds of wi.ld look fot Sciences and initiator and organi- can be found in the lower reaches camels and even tigers. Tayir said zer of the Lop Nur surveys. On of the River'. he had once caught a tigress and Shule 17,' 1980, during a triP A herd generally consists of two of her cubs. The Lop people June Kumkuduk, team's about ten camels. The females lclok lived by fishing, hunting and through the after the young, who are pugna- gathering wild piants. water supply ran out, and he set cious and often get into fights. We found in the lolver reaches out alone to find some. IIe lost When that happens, the females of the Tarim River the ruins of a his way and died there, sacrificing roar at them, or spit mucus and number of their square huts made his life to uncover the mysteries some of the foul-smelling contents of reeds and plastered with mud. of the Lop Nur. Today, vre are of their stomachs until the young We also picked up tish bones left taking the first step on the scrappers. blinded, have to stop after the flesh had been eaten. scientific foundations he so eare- f ighting. Eishing was done in groups fully laid. u no APRII, 1982 traqs- €Dgt, w@@w YING RUOCHENG i/:;',.'*:|:r.";r* i-iltning trhe battle sequence on the Xilinhoi grassland, Inner Mongolia, I;OR some months in 1981 7, of joint projects have been dis- One of the things he told us \,vas -E-' along with several thousand cussed since the establishment of that the money spent on it other Chinese, took part in a great the China Film Co-Production (estimated at US $20,000,000), was adverrture-invoiving a journey Corporation several years ago, few enough to build a whole university of 700 years to the days of Marco have been realized because of or hospital. Thuq, we had a Polo and Kublai Khan, and the problems arisilg from differences special responsibility to produce excitement of working wit,h pro- in social systems, ideology and something which lvould truly help fessio.nals from many countries taste. No such problems arose on promote mutual unCerstanding on a film project of enormous our film. AII of r.rs were united in among lhe wor'Id's peoples magnitude. wanti,ng to make a rich, exciting which was both the basis oI our- The American newspaper filrn of high quality on an impor- cooperation and theme of the film. Newsday in September 1981 called tant theme. How well we have Marco Polo acted as a bri'dge be- our Marcc Polo most judged film "the succeeded will be by the tween the Europe of his day, and spectacuiar, the most ambitior.rs people around the world who see the Chinese civilization about ploject in the history of TV films." work. our whi,ch Europeans then knelv vir- This Chinese-Italian effort is the tually nothing. Hj.s Trauels oJ largest international co-production International Understanding ever fol China. Though a number Marco Pcrlo, w'hich has enchanted I first met director Giuliano hundreds,of millions of readers YING RUOCIIENG, noted Chinese Montaldo, the noted progressive since it was first wriiten, is more actor ond trenslator and one-tirne ertri- Italian filmmaker, when he cailed than great adventure storY. It played a l,ur at China Reconstructs, the shackles key rOle of Kublai Khan in the Marco some of us together to discuss the helped break through the tr'Gl$ film. intent and meaning of the picture" on thinking : in late medieval 24 CHINA RECONSTRUCTS Europe and shed a gtrearn of light tion crerv member*q were Italian. Many people ha're asked me into thai relatively dark age. They were joined by hundreds of what problems we Chine.se en- Through this book, Europeans Chinese performers and production countered in communicating with learned for the first time abor-it staff, and thousands of extras. and working rvith all these foreign. China's invention of printing, A.merican actor Ken Marshall artists and technicians. And of gunporvder and the compass. that was our Marco PoIo, British actors course these questions are valid. "black rocks" (cual) could be used Denholm Elliott ancl Tony Vogel Unlike engineering projects. an as fuei, and that rich and com- his father and uncle. Prince artistic effort like ours brings up plex civilizations existed far from Chinkin, Kublai Khan's son, was differences in ways of thinking, Europe. played by a Japanese, Ishlda cultural' and esthetic standards, The book also helped inspire Junichi, and the emperor (myself) and styles of aeting. Diffieulties Columbus and other explorer-s and his court by various Chinese do exist, but from my experience, who in thc 15th and 16th centuries actors. Another American, Mur- through cooperation based. on sought new routes tretween EuroPe ray Abraham, took the part of a mutual respect, a common artistic and Asia. Columbus's own copy Polo farnily ser{rant. language can be found. of the book, with many notes in Besides the principal actors, a Most of the Marco Polo senior- his handwriting, is now Preserved number of major Western stars level and production staff were in a museum in Italy. agreed to perform in small roles Italian. Among them were com- The young Marco left his home with only one or two scenes, a rnunists and devout Cathoiics. Bi.rt in Venice at l7 to accompany his tribute to the importance they these differences ca'.-rsed no uncon- merchant f ather and uncle to placed on our picture, Some of querable problems among thern, China. There he won the trust of them even turned down lucrative because the main theme of ttre film Kublai Khan, ruler of China's of fers from other companies in ivas supported by ali. In the sarne Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and was order to work with us. Distin- way, those of us from very dif- appointed an official of the court guished British actor Sir John ferent societies and cultures were The greater part of our film. iike Gielgud played in only one scene able to work through any tem- Marco's book, concentrates on his as the Duke of Venice. American porary misunderstandings because 1?-year stay i.n China. but we also Burt Lancaster, star of over a of our common dedication to the show the European world to which hr.lndred films, accepted the part project. he returned and how he tried to of the Pope, ar.C American Anne In recent years, filras macie tell his tale. Captured in a .war Bancroft that of Marco's mother. through international cooperation between the city-states of Venice Genoa. Marco put a and was in Ying Ruocheng (the author), Cai Rubing, anoJher Chinese actor, and [iryn Mar- Genoese prison, where he dictated shall reiax between shots. his memoirs to a fellow-prisoner '.q,jirr:. ....a. . ..t1 ., ,1..::::., named Rusticiano. At first the !,,^a:. _. sober truths he had to tell about "., China seemed like fairy tales to many Europeans: he was mocked as a liar on a grand scaie. The film ends with the aged Marco Polo alone in a Venice ? street. Thinking back on al] he has seen and done, he says, "Many did not believe me many still do no[ but there has- never been a man- yet, Christian, Saracen, Mongol or pagan, who explored so much of the '*'orld as I, Messer Marco. son of Messer Nicolo PoIo. great and noble eitizen of Venice." Many Nationalifiei, One Purpose To recreate the story of Marco Polo, a great international film f orce waq mobilized. 'During shooting, four languages were in use Italian, Chinese, English and Japanese..- When . location work took us to the grasslands, Mongo- lian was added. The producer, director and many oi the produc- AP&TL 1982 right clown to the horses' ljrappings. as authentic as possible. As we started to shoot that hot ,{ugust day on the grasslands, all of us were a little worried about the outcome. Complex battle scenes, particularly those involving eavalry, are among the most dif- ficult to shoot at any time, And our PLA men had no experience in filmmaking, io say nothing of wearing As my f:;','t ')'::1 armor. I donned own armor, which weighed 15 i:ix kilograms. my sympathy went out to the soldiers, who not only had to wear the stuff, but to gallop and {Jonslruc[ing sels. Photas bA Yu Pengtei and, Wang De "fight" in it. Finaily, there was the language problem. Ail the i:a're been very popuiar with peo- All of the Chinese participants director's orders had to be trans- pie all cver the world. I think this were greatly impres.sed by the iated for PLA. Commander Li is a sign that audiences are dis- Italian filmmakers. We could see Sheng, who tiren passed them on satisfied with conventional themes why they have such a high reputa- to his men through a loudspeaker. and wish to broaden their horizons. tion internationally. The conscien- In the event, the scene went But the sLlccess of these filn'rs also tior-rs and meticulous attention to surprisingly smoothly. The men shows possible that it is for artists detail of the director, camet.amen charged, wheeled and fought with from very different backgrounds and technicai staff was particularly precision and ski"ll. They really and social get systems to together notewor!hy. Iooked like battle-hardened to create something new and vital. As an actor, I had regulai con- Mongol warriors of 700 years ago" And those the task Mutual Appreciation tact with the rnakeup section. who had special Every day the noted Italian of falling from horseback managed As l\farca Polo is historically makeup artist Giuliano Laurenti it without f uss and with every based and everyone inrrolved was spent an hour and a half outfitting appearance of being dead or concerned about accuracy in me with a talse beard that he ap- wounded. We were ail quite elated costurnes. settings and so on, plied in tiny clumps, almost a hair with the results captured on questions were continually being at time. One young screen, raised a of our and then settled through Chinese makeup men could discussion not at and consultation. As first understand such painstaking 'As Long as Men Have Memory' mos.i of the story was set in China, efforts. Chinese theatrical beards we Chinese had a great deal to say A quieter scene, shot'near the come one piece on these points. Italian producer in and are applied end of our shooting schedule in Vincenzo Labella very simply. But Laurenti's work Beijing (China's capitaL in the has said that the paid Chinese specialists, seholars' and off handsomely. On screen, Yuan dynasty as it is today) filmn:okers who worked with him the whiskerc looked extremely na- Iingers in my memory. Marco Polo contributed a great deal to the, tural and lifelike, even in close-ups. is taking leave of the emperor truthfulness of the film. The same professionalism char- after 17 years in China. . Kublai And of course working in China, acterized- the cameramen, Iight- Khan. nearly 80. says to him: "I often at the very si.tes Marco Polo ing crew, sef designers and others. will not see you again. but some- wr,ote about,, added immeasurably They took pride in meeting the ihing of you will rernain behind in to the authenticity of our sienes. demands of the director, or of the this land. Your name wiil live Another advantage of shooting scene itself , no matter how difficult among the Chinese long after I am here, I discovered. was that a lot it might be. gone, as long as men have of money was saved. For scenes I will always remember an memory. People coming here in at Chengde, a summer resort elaborate battle scene we filrned on your name u'ilt need no safe- frequented by Kublai Khan, we the Xilinhot grassland in Inner conduct. You have proved your* built an elaborate tent city. I was Mongolia. ,{ People's Liberation self a friend. They will be wel- shocked to hear that this cost Army cavalry unit stationed in the comed as friends." 40C,000 yuan. But an Aneerican area had been asked to perform as The film artists from various col.league told me that if the same a force of thousands of Mongolian countries who came here to work sets had been constructed in Hol- warriors. The director and techni- on Marco Polo are surely such lywood. they would have cost cal staff had gone to great lengths friends, and they will live in our twice as rnuch. to make the armor and equipment, hearts for a long time. ! to CHIltdA RECONSTRUCTS "4,',i* fhe emperor receives the Polos at his palace in Shangdu. Marco and his family are entertained at a Iavish banquet. Marco, appointed an imperial commissioner, inteffogates The emperor and his ministers debate the dispatching of the governor of Yangzhou about the kidnapping of young troops to Japan. women for the imperial court. Reporting to the emperor after a tour of inspection Princess Cocacin. The emperor accepts the surrender of Southern Song troops. Professor Vincenzo Labella, who wrote the script for the Chinese prop man Ma Qiang plays the part of a film. court protocol official in the film. Chief cinematographer Pasquale DeSantis shoots an out- Make-up man Giuliano Laurenti prepares Chinese actor door scene in Beijing. Ying R.uocheng for a scene. ,.:. I Director Giuliano Montaldo (left) rehearses Japanese actor Ishida Junichi and American actor Ken Marshall. Pltatos hr Zltr,u Yue, lfung De und Yu Pen,qfai &nmbassadors of Peace and Friendship Morocco and Chtna" What impress- While scenes for the TV film Marco Polo were being shot neor the Ming Tombs on the outskirts oI Beijing, our stoff reporters Ximen Lusho ond ed you most about each? Boo Wenqing interviewed ltolion director Giuliono Montoldo; Americon A: For all of thern, I'd have to say ploys port Ken Mqrsholl who the of Morco Polo; ond lshido Junichi, the the people. Perhaps because Joponese octor ploying Prince Chinkin. (The film will be telecost in the I'm U.5. in Moy, sometime oround August in the United Kingdom, ond loter an actor, I like to observe people in other coi-rntries.) why they do what they do, how- they live, how they're different . GIUI-IANO MONTALDO At Changling (one of the Ming from me, or similar. I've found it's Tombs) we had some problenls at Qt WhA di.d you uail.t to make this \rery easy for people, iust on a the beginning in getting permis- one-to-one basis, to like and help tilm? sion to film, for it is a historical The narne Marco PoIo is linked one another. Reading newspapers ^A: site. Diff erent countries have with fancy, with travel, adventure, about conflicts and problems different customs. In the West, we longing to know new things and between countries, you wonder how often set scenes in churches or understand the world.' His name their people could ever iike each museums. We know how t APRIL T982 31 Qr Do yow tind. th,at they some- ISHIDA JUNICHI Q: Whot's Aour imPression ol Chinese actors and oth'er times aueract? Q: You plag the part of Prince .4,: Some Chinese theater acting personnel? Chinkin, a of Marco Polo's? that's an triend ,{: Very simPatico - is very stytrized. It seems .$ome- A: Yes, and the son of Kublai Italian word I've learned, it rneans what foreign to me, but it's part of Khan- there's great harmonY. sYmPathY, your tradition. But a good actor Q: What is the prince Like as a between us. I feel great affection working with is a good actor. whether American eltaracter in the film? for them. I've been for four months' or Chinese or Italian. Ying Ruo- A: He's very generous; with a high Ying Ruocheng Not onlv I, but our American and cheng, for instance, does very good consciousness and a deeP under'- are vet'Y im- and subtle work as Kublai Khan. Italian colleagues .standing of human affairs. He has pressed with his intelligence, his When hi"s eharactei' needs to be spit'itual dimcnsitrn. very a strong ',alent" very strong. larger than life. as the devout. He thinks deePlY about Q: And af tlt'e Chinese PeoPle in emperor', that's what he is. But the meaning of the world and generoL? rvhen the .scene calls lor under- people's place in it. In some waYs A: Thev work verY hard TheY playing, for the more human side, I think I'm like that. I'm touched seem to have their feet on the he knows just how to cio it. He's by the same kinds of things. I've ground, theY're very down-to- imPression is that their really excellent. studied Yoga. Buddhism, even earth. My aim is to serve the PeoPle, theY're too, Christianity. I sometimes wonder In our film, and in the book not always out for money. Com- Marco llad very strong feelings for if Vincenzo Labella didn't sense pared with my countrYmen. their' Kublai Khan, he idolized him. And these things in me when he Picked pace is slower. TheY'r'e generous from the very beginning I had the me for the part. with evervthing. We JaPanese are greatest respect and affection for Q: Label.la? always in a hurrY. there's so much Ying Ruocheng (I think it's A: Our producer; he's quite tension. Here it's different. Per- mutual), so we were able to build famous in Italy as the Producer of haps your waY is better, and we on this in our scencs together fiims such as Romeo and Juliet. couid learn from You. I a On Marco Folo rn China YU SHIXIONG Marco Polo was born in 1254 in As there was no new PoPe even a Venetian family, for generations after two years, the brothers merchants. In 1260, Marco's father resolved to start eastward again, Nicolo Polo and his uncle Maffeo taking with them Marco, a Promis- went on a trading journeY to ing young boy who longed to go Central Asia. to China. But verY soon, a new Kublai Khan, uPon receiving the pope was chosen and two Priests, Polo brother:s, was verY Pleased William of TriPoli and Nicolas of with their detailed answers to his Vicenza, were sent to accomPanY Portrail oI llarco I'olo lrom [he Iirst questions about Western countries them to Kub1ai's court. However, edition of his bock printed in 147? in two Gerrnan. and others through which theY had for reasons not clear, the passed. He then decided to send priests did not finish the journey' envoy, Kejiada, together with The Polos traveled for three and people all over the an B/[ANY the Polos, to the poPe of Rome' On a half difficult Years before JY-f,- y6116. when they think of their way, Kejiada fell ill and reaching their destination- TheY China think also of Marco Polo. -Plateau could not go on" When the Vene- passed the Iranian and Marco and when they hear Polo's tian brothers got to the city of Acre the desert of Central Asia, reaching name think of China. This Vene- (in northern Palestine), news came Shangdu (in Western literature tian of 700 years ago established an that the pope was dead, so Kublai's Xanadu) on the northern bank of indi-ssoluble bond with the biggest mission could not be executed the Shandian River, twentY kilo- ancient country of the East. until a new pope was elected. The meters from todaY's Zhenglan two brothers went home and Banner of Inner Mongolia, in 1275" YU SHIXIONG is an edia,or of books waited. In the meantime Nicolo's There they were made welcome bY on foreign hislory in the Commercial Marco Polo was printed printed wife had died: Marco, his son, was Kublai Khan,'and edition oI his book list of his honorary in 14??, in German. ' then fifteen. included in the 32 CHINA RECONSTBUCTS those f ar-off times. It covers Han language and one in Mongo- political affairs, wars, palace lian) of Tra.-*el,s of Marco Potro. The secrets and the prosperous cities of first one was done by Wei yi in Beijing, Taiyuan, Hangzhou, Su- f 913 ftom William Marsden,s zhou, Yangzhou. Nanjing, Cheng- English edition Tro,-uels of Marc,t du, Kunming and Quanzhou as Pola, The Alien. The Commercial they were in the 13th century. Press is now translating the ver- Described also were the use of coal sion by A.C. Moule and P. Pelliot. in China, her silkworm breeding. In research among China's own coinage, bridge and palace archi- historical records, no reliable ac- tecture, city planiling, municipai count of Marco Pok_i was found administration, social welf are until 40 years ago (1941) when undertakings and afforestation Yang Zhijiu, an expert on the Illumination lor French manuscripl of plactices. Yuan dynasty (now history 1400, giving great a showing the Polos the prof Khan a letter from the Pope, A vivid passage in the book tells essor of Nankai University). oI the Lugou Bridge built in 1192 discovered that the names of the (which still stands but was then three envoys sent to Argon, persia, retainers, Kublai, pleased with Ionger than what it is now), mentioned in the Yongle Encyclo- Marco's briglrtness and conscien- recording that it had 24 arches, and paedia of the early 1400s were the tiousness, sent him as an imperial was wide enough for ten horsemen same as those mentioned in Mar.- commissioner to Shanxi. Shaanxi, to ride abreast- The bridge was co's account. This Chinese com- Yunnan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhe- made of fine marble. with lions pendium said that in the 2?th year jiang and Fujian provinces. For carved on the posts of the balus- of the Zhi Yuan reign (1290) a three years, Marco was governor trades on both sides. When it was minister wrote in a memorial to of Yangzhou on the Changjiang seen again, much later, by Wester- the throne dated August 12 that (Yangtze) River'. He was also ners, they called it "Marco Polo "Under decrees, Oulatay, Apousca employed by Kublai on distant mis- Bridge." (It was here. incidentally. and Coja were sent to Argon in sions to Burma. Vietnam, the Phi- that the first battle of China's March this year." This discovety won great lippines, In,dia, Java and Sumatra. resistance against Japanese ag- ittention from Chinese and Having stayed at the Yuan court gression was fought in 1937.) foreign Marco Polo experts. 1976 for seventeen long years. the three Chinese cookery was also intro- In an American pr"ofessor. F'rancis Woodman Cleaves, men- Polos yearned f or home, but duced to the West by Marco Polo. tioned Prof. Yang's contribution Kublai did all he could to keep Popular to this day in Venice are in his article Chinese Source them. At last in 1295, after escort- "Marco Polo Noodles" made in the "A on Chinese way. Marco Polo's Departure from China ing the Mongclian princess Cocacin and A Persian Source to Persia for a dynastic marriage. In the thirteenth century China's on His Arrival in Persia," carried the they returned to Venice. economy, culture. science and in technology were among the most 36th issue of the Haruard. Journal of Asiatic Studies" There he quoted Telling the lVest About China advanced in the wor1d. Western Europe was still far behind the and approved the editor's com- Back home, Marco thought East. So many of his claims were ment on Prof. Yang's cor:rtribution constantly of China and kept doubted in the West. It is said that in the Chinese magazine Wen Shi (Literature telling people of his experience at Marco's deathbed, friends tried and History) published years there. In 1298. in a naval battle to persuade him to deny what he forty ago: "This is a very valuable between Venice and Genoa, Marco had said, so as to purge his soul contribution. I hope that was wounded and captured. In the of the sin of falsehood. But Marco this wili be translated into foreign languages. prison he met Rusticiano, also a flatly declared that his only regret so that Western scholars captive, who wrote down Marco's was over telling only half of what too can study this scientific achievement." experiences at his dictation to he had seen. Marcols determined n create the world-renowned Tratsels spirit made many knowledgeable oJ Marco Polo, a systematic record people feel that he had told the Lugouqiao Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge). of the latter's years in China and truth. More'people went to China; in some countries in central, and his book became a force that western and southeastern Asia. promoted the interflow of com- The part on China was a vivid munication, economy, culture, and informed grrtrayal of her science and technology between society in the early years of the the East and the West. Yuan dynasty. It included things that were not recorded in detail, Historical Records or in some cases not at all, 5.n Chinese history books, and is still There have been six different a valuable first-hand account of Chinese translations (five in the APETL 1982 33 New Petrochem ico! Complex of Liooyorig WEN TIAI.ISIIEN and PENG JIANQUN f N China as in most of the world, The site of the new petrochemi- 1980, with full operation beginning I products made from petroleum cal company was carefully chosen. in 1981. The technology of this derivatives have become part oI Liaoyang, near the Bohai Sea key industry is quite advanced, most people's daily lives. The in China's northeast Liaoning prov- with some major equipment im- variety is enormous: synthetic fa- ince, is located between the in- ported f rom France, West Ger- brics, plastic shoes, bowls, furni- dustrial city of Shenyang and the many, Italy and Japan. Some of ture and utensils, plastic bags and Anshan iron and steel center. A the petrochemical and all of the wrapping paper, and the hard major oil pipeline between Daqing communications, power and storage structural materials for every- Oilfield and Dalian crosses Liao- irutallations are Chinese-made. thing from cars to domestic ap- yang and the city itself has an Petroleum flows into the com- pliances. Given the appropriate ample water supply and convenient plex through lar,ge pipes. Cen- technology, such products can be railway transport facilities. In the tralized, automated controls shunt produced very cheaply and substi- vicinity are several oil refineries the oil through the various pro- tute easily for scarce natural coun- and textile mills. cessing tanks and regulate the suc- terparts such as cotton, wood and cessive chemical transformations steel. But until recently, China Liaoyang Complex which turn the oil into such end had import part of the raw products as nylon filaments, polye- to The complex lies southeast of the materials for these products. thylene and polypropylene" (These city on the Taizi River, and is sur'- Liaoyang Petrochemical latter t,"\'o basic The rounded on three sides by moun- are "buitding Materials Cornpany, the country's blocks." usually in the form of tains. 12 factory units are largest integrated complex its Its pellets of different sizes, from of loeated just north of one'of the kind, part of a major new de- which a variety of plastic products is city's greenbelts; just south of the velopment in China's economy, a are made.) greenbelt are new apartrnent build- petrochemicals industry One machine we saw combines modern ings housing 50,000 people, most of that will process domestic oil into different chemicals under pressure them the families of petrochemical the raw materials needed to manu- in a hopper, screens them and ex- workers. There are also commer- f acture synthetic products all trudes either short white dacron of cial, cultural, educational and kinds. filaments or long, silvery nylon medical facilities a as well as filaments. Its daily output is about technological re.search center. WEN TIANSHEN and FENC JIAN* 100 tons of dacron and 20 tons of Construction of the company was QUN are staff reporters for China nylon. The entire company's an- Reconstructs. started in 1974 and completed in nual output of synthetic filaments is equivalent to 1,300 million meters of cloth, and the raw mate- rials for plastics the equivalent of 200,000 tons of rolled steel. t"_ Mastering Technology Y wswffiffi Assistant chief engineer Ren ffiffiffiffiffi Fl s& F.,^ e s Daoyuan, a 1940s graduate of Zbe- jiang University's Industrial Chem- istry Department. is an active and outgoing man dedicated to his pro- fession. He was eager to talk about the achievements of workers and technicians in mastering high- level technology. "We have 1,300 engineers and technicians. Most graduated. from college during the 1960s the period of the "culturaL revolution"- and at first the lead- ers were not- sure they could cope with such advanced machinery. We found that, whether in short Cultural and commercial center of the housing development Liu Chen periods of training abroad or in 34 CIIINA BECONSTRUCTS Chemically testing fibers in a laboratory. Zltuo Li) uutt Inspecting for q ualit-v Automated control board of a polyester fiber production line. Liaoyang Fetrochemical Complex. Liu Clten Comptrny workers are delighted with their spaciousous ne\\ ()nc of the hindergartens in the rcsidential area. /lttrrt I'it LtLrtt living quultcrs Litr ( ltttt A chrysanthemum show one of nrany leisure-timc activities tbr worl I.r \! t 4 helping visiting foreign experts rials and reduction in environ: install and test equipment, our mental pollution, but a more stable people worked modestly and di- quality of products than was the ligently to master the technology. case when the equipment was Very soon they not only knew all installed. about the equipment, but had also begun to improve and adapt it to Living Conditions our conditions." At the No. 1 plant, an imported Residential quarters' consist of a machine needed frequent repairs. number of well-designed apart- The French expert who had helped ment buiidings laid out in spacious instali it was bothered by the prob- grounds. Large TV aerials grace Iem, and some time after he re- the tops of most buildings. Erom turned home he wrote suggesting balconies hang braids of green a new way of operating the Chinese onions and garlic - machine. But by the time his letter favorite ingredients for much northern-style cooking. Apart- arrived, Chinese engineer Meng Tang Dengzhi, an assistant engineer. Qimei and his team had already Liu Chen ments consist of 1tl2 to four rooms, solved the problem, and a paper and all are equipped with radia- had even been published on their tors, gas stoves, and showers or work. They wrote to thank the a check on sanitary standards, tish tub baths. Some 10,000 familles - French expert for his friendship are raised in the pool and fegular- about 50,000 people - have moved and concern, and gave him a good 1y examined for contamination. into the quarters so far, most of share of the credit after all, "a Not far from the waterworks is them workers and their families good teacher makes- good pupils." a thermopower plant. The heat who came here before 1975. More Every day after work, assistant generated by the plant, instead of buildings are being c6nstructed, chief engineer Tang Dengzhi lec- being released into the atmosphere, and soon those workers who still tures workers on the complex au- is used to provide 100,000 kilowatt- Iive some distance from work will tomatic control lrnd monitoring hours of electricity and large move rn. equipment. Tang is popular as a amounts of steam to the city. A Xue Changhou. 54, is a machine teacher, and over a period of time huge pipeline along the roadside repairman at the complex. During has compiled a long textbook on directs waste steam to the residen- the War of Resistance Against all the automated equipment in the tial quarters for heating purposes. Japan (1937-1945), he had worked plant. Thanks to his efforts and Woman €ngineer Pan Biying and as a coolie in a Japanese textile the hard work of his students- her team have recently devised a mill in Dalian. At that time three over the past five years manY- method of recycling chemicals used members of his family lived in a workers have learned not only to in the production process so that shabby room three meters square. operate but to repair the devices. they can be used again and again. He cannot help comparing that More than 10 of the workers The new technique has been ap- time with his living conditions now. have been promoted to positions plied in the various workshops, Ten members of his family now of responsibility in the various and the result has been not just occupy two flats in the residential workshops, a significant saving on raw mate- quarters, with bright, spacious Controlling Pollution and Waste One of the criticisms leveled at petrochemieal plants around the world is that they use tremendous arhounts of water, energy, and raw materia-ls and often seriously pol- Iute the environment with chemi- .Y*,l cal wastes. The Liaoyang staff are "a very conscious of this-probiem and have taken a number of measures & k, to solve it. The complex gets some 250,000 tons of water per day from rivers and reservoirs, but after the water is used it is drained off into a pool in which it is biologicaUy purified at the rate of 1,600 tons per hour. The water can thus be transferred harmlessly back into ffirew the general water supply. To keep Children's ward in lhe plant hospital, Zhao Liyuan APRIL 1982 39 rooms totaling 70 square meters of rvork area and living q uar.ter.s East Street is the commercial floor space. Every day the company runs 80 center of the residential area. At Xue's wife is about to retire, and buses to brihg workers back and the north end of the street are his three sons and three daughters forth. including one especially for grain, tood and meat-processing (the eldest a laboratory technician) mothers and babies which drops plants and a brewery. Groceries are ail employed'at the petrochem- them directly at the factory here are supplied with ical fruit and works. Total monthly family nursery. vegetables mostly from 22 produc- income yuan. is 750 including bo- Xue's one-year-old grandson tion teams on the city outskirts. nuses and nutrition subsidies. Basic staggered unsteadily into the room Engineers from the south are pleas- costs living such as rent, water. and ran into grandfather's welcom- ed to be able to buy bamboo shoots electricity, food, etc., come to only ing arms. Gently touching the and cauliflower here, which are one-third of the total income. the boy's head, Xue remarked, "Next rare in the northeast. In the south- rest being available for clothes and year this Iittle one will enter kind- west section is a 400-bed hospital : other things the family wants, or ergarten. Then he'll go to the its three clinics and nine outpatient for savings. Much of the furni- primary and secondary schools run clinics serve the whole city as well ture in the apartments is new, by our company. After gradua- as the petr:ochemical workers. The bought at the time of sons' and tion. he'll take the exam for our company also runs a dairy and daughters' marriages. company's Petrochemical Materials an orchard which supply milk Two of Xue's daughters talked Institute. Oh, he was born at just and fruit for the hospital and about transportation between the the right time!" kindergartens. 'Hundred Flowers, At night the residential area's 4,000-sq.-meter Recreation Center Ghina Constructs iliniature Rockets is bright with neon lights. In the theater section. the comic film "Happiness Knocks at the Door', Chinese scientists have for the provoked fits of laughter from the first time developed and tested large audience. In the games room. a new type of miniature electric chess players frowned in concen- rocket used to control the alti- tration over their matches. In the tude and direction of orbiting reading room, a number of people space satellites. China is the had their noses buried in books. fourth country to have tested An arts exhibition had just such rockets successfully. after opened, featuring nearly 100 Chi- the United States. the Soviet nese traditional paintings, oils and Union and Japan. woodcuts. most of them the worlc of company amateurs and depict- ing scenes from life and work. A chrysanthemum show was under (Above) Held in the hands of one of its developers is the cnre'of the Dtrini- way in the newly-built street park. rocket which recently made a successful space flight. (Below) Scicntists To make the residential area monitor' the performance of thc mini-roeket by means oI vacuum analog even equipment on the ground. Pltotos bp Yanq Wumin more pleasant, some ?0,000 trees and bushes and 400,000 flowers of different kinds are about to be in* stalled. There is also an amateur theater group with more than a thousand active members and doz- ens of spare-time groups specializ- ing in dance, sports, science and other areas of interest. The whole valley where the com- pany is loeated is called ,'Hundred Flower Village,i' after a village in the area which after a period of relative poverty has experienced a new burst of prosperity. It would be hard to think of a more ap propriate name, for the valley is indeed abloom with "flowers" of science, knowledge, culture, and of busy people leading happy lives.fl 40 CHINA RECONSTRUEIS Historic TemPIe Fair RI NONG qUSPENDED during the "cul- U tural revolution," the famous Zhongyue Temple Fair held everY Ihe Songshan Blountains spring and autumn was restored ihree years ago. Today, in the LIU GUOYAIAJ space around the temple, stalls of- fering a superb variety of things Er IVE mountain ranges (WuYue) in ancient China were consider- are set up for this ancient festival. I ed sacred. These were Taishan in the east. Huashan in the I visited this venerable Taoist ,rvest., Hengshan ('l'Eil) in the north, Hengshan(ffi[1) in the south Temple recently. It lies at the foot and Songshan in the center (see map). of the Songshan Mountains in The Songshans have 72 peaks and extend 60 kilometers in Dengf eng county 70 kilometers northern Dengfeng county in western Henan province. The area southwest of Zhengzhou, capital ot is rich in historic sites and iultural relics. One of the most valu- Henan province. It is said that Yu able sites is the oldest monastery of Buddhism's Chon sect, the the Great established a slave state Shaolin Moriastery and its forest of pagodas (see the June 1981 here several thousand years ago China Reconstructs). There is the brick pagoda of the Songyue and that Zhongyue, the god ot Temp).e, 15 stories and 40 meters high, built in 520. Qne of the trees and flowers across the land, Iour academies of classical studies still exists here the Songyang lived in the mountain. Kings and Academy of Classical Learning built in 484. There- is a Yuan emperors journeyed here to offer dynasty brick and stone astronomical observatory 9.46 meters sacrifices. The first temple erected high built in 1276, Han dynasty watchtowers carved with inscrip- on the spot was built during the tions and relief sculptures erected between 107 and 125; three an- Qin dynasty (8.C. 221-207). Be- cient cypresses made "Generals" by Emperor Wu Di jn 110 B.C. cause during the Tang dynastY beeause they. were exceptionally tall. the Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) The Zhongyue Temple is one of the oldest Taoist Temples in ciimbed the mouniain several times China. Other well-known buildings are the Chuzu Buddhist Con- to worship llearren, the name of the vent. the Bodhi Damo Cave, and the Yongtai and Fa Wang county became Dengfeng (Climb- monaster.ies. ing the Peak). Thus, the fair grew After 1949, the historic sites an'd relics of the Songshan Moun- up around ancient religious tains have been renovated and placed under state protbction. The pilgrimages. Songshan Guest House was erected and new highways built. Buses With the development of the now take tourists from Zhengzhou to the Songshans' scenic spots. rural economy and the improve- ment of the peasants' living standalds, the Songshan Mountains have been opened as a tourist site. The state has allocated funds for renovating the temple and its relics. New transport facilities, f ood shops and accommodations have been provided. The 1981 autumn fair, the most magnificent in history, attracted 680,000 persons. flooAaa The Ancient Temple f,_fl Endless crowds enter the Zhong- Tarshi YUatchtowers yue Tempile through the ZhongYue Gate. Built during the reign of Qianlong in the l8th century, the present temple covers 100,000 Tourist Map of Songshan Mountains RI NONG is a staff reporter for China Reconstructs. APRIL T982 41 square meters. Its eleven inain neighbors in a village 50 kilometers watch, and 100 yuan on clothing features include the Tianzhong away. Having finished the autumn and other items. At the fair He (Center of Heaven) Pavilion, the harvest, each of them had taken Yanzhong met an expert in grow- Great Hall, the Uving HalI, the 20 yuan with her to pay for their ing tobacco and learned a lot from Imperial Library and the Chong- sightseeing trip to the Zhongyue him. Preparing for another good sheng, Junji and Huasan gates. Temple. When they learned that year and a big income, he was Local people mingle with sight- Dengfeng county had increased its planning to put up a new house. S€€rSr Older women in black cot- 1981 income by diversifying its Other peasants at the fair were ton padded coats and trousers de- economy and expanding its tobacco also planning to build. corated with red ribbons or green growing area, the women said, "We In the livestock section we found cypress branches come to pay their must learn from the villagers of the donkey. Iong the major means Dengfeng county." of transport in the northern coun- tryside, the best seller. We saw The Fair a middle-aged peasant spend al- There were six market sections most hal.f a day choosing one. Before he at the fair articles for daily use, he decided to buy it, household supplies,- food, tools, do- put his child on the donkey and mestic animals, light consumers made it run around to see if it was goods products. really good or not. Finaliy he paid and agricultural On yuan sale were thousands of industrial, 240 fdr it. Later we were agricultural and sideline products told that the volume of business for from 400 state 42 CHINA RECONSTRUCTS y.t A corner of the Zhong_vue Temple fair .. ('uslomers choose TV sets. Shaolin wrrshu team demonstrates at ihe fair Haud-pullectr noodle stall at the fair. Main entrance of Zhongyue Temple. An astronomical observa.aorr' :ruilt in 1276 during the Yuarr :;3,nasty. 1" : i-rr:,';1 !5 Cl:r:ta,) Dances Performed by Zi Huayun I he Drunken Sculptor Song of Longing for the Homeland' art in China. she made up her mind to conquer all the difficulties folk dancing entailed. From Ra,llet Always .fighting to capture the exact spirit of the roles .she played, Zi Huayun has danced for over thirty years in such pieces as to Fol,k Daru,ce Moonlight oDer the Riuer in Spring, White Peacocl<., In Proise of the Rainbow, The Peacrtck WU JTMEI Dance, The Dance of the Lotus and. of course, the always popular Scarf Dance. As a major dancer in the rZI HUAYUN is one ol China s were essential. Zi Huayun would Central Song and Dance Ensembie. & *o.1 lamous dancers. Even as often do a single movement a hun- she gave periormanccs in many a little girl before liberation. she dred times a day. This persistence countries in Asia, Europe and Latin Iiked to dance and had a strong won her great applause in nearly America. musical talent. Alter training in 600 performances of the Scorl Zi Huay'un has won honors in ballet an'd a change to folk Dance. recent performances ln the major. dancing, she gave thirty years of To produce the effect of steady cities of China. With two other new and fresh intelpretations to but light and quick steps in circl- dancers. she created a number ol' audiences at home and abroad. ing the stage, she would practice dances which audiences like Songr Still dancing today, she also weighed down by cotton-padded teaches younger artists, writes. is clothes, a fur-lined jacket and a poet and does choreography. even with bags of sand tied to her The discovery of Zi Huayun's Iegs, Then, in the actual dance, dancing ability can be credited to the Iack of weight gave her the her early piano teacher. Believing feeiing of floating and soaririg a,s that the girl's love of music and she swirled the red scarves. dancing justified ballet training. Her decision to turn to folk she took her to an amateur school dancing came at liberation when under a Russian teacher. Zi Hua- she saw the festive and exuberant yun soon proved her worth and dancing of the people ceLebrating appeared in the ballets Sylplu and this momentous event. Folk Susan Lake. dancing obviously' expressed their Zi Huayun r+,as alrcady stutlying ballet As a fledgling dancer with only feelings better than ballet. She at the ag:e ot nine. a junior middle school education, decided to enter the Dance Troupe Zi Huayun spent much of her spare of the Beijing Central Theatrical of Longing o, the Mothe'rland time in self-study of iiberal arts Academy. f expresses the feelings of overseas She read many Chinese subjects. But folk dancing was strange to Chinese. Red Phoenir Tu.rns To- and foreign classical and modern her. She felt a gap between her ward the Sun praises the beauty literary works. To deepen her' feelings and thtise required of a of China's mountains, rivers, and understanding of the different folk would be a pains- dancer. It plains. The Drunken Sculptor is a roles she played she attended ex- taking process master the to satirical drama based on a mask hibitions of paintings, photography traditional styles and movements. dance popular south of the Chang- and flowers. Worried and puzzled. she asked jiang (Yangtze) River. Huayun herself, l'Have I made the wrong Zi dances the role of magistrate in llard Training choice? Should I go back to ballet a mask, audiences or stick learning folk dancing?'+' a enthraliing her One winter day in the early 50s to when she was 16. Zi Huayun and Zi Huayun remembered the un- good A Teacher a eompanion went in a horse- tiring will of the famous Dai draWn cart to the town of Jiamusi Ailian in teaching her Dance of Though now one of the country's in Heilongjiang province to seek the Flying Angels in the early 50s most loved dancers, she constantly out an expert in the ,uveltr-known (a dance derived from Tang dyn- seeks out criticisrn, asking younger' Scarf Dance. Moved by their en- asty murals in the Dunhuang dancers to point out her faults. Her thusiasm. this teacher tirelessly caves)..She recalled her successful main aim has become to he).p laise coached them in the dance's ba.sic perforinance of this dance at home the level of folk dancing, working movements. Here, the coordination and abroad, the international with aspiring young people and of wrist strength and breathing award she had won and the prize hoping they will surpass her. This at a national dance festival. With spirit spurs her on. In addition to Dai as a now WU JIMEI was Once a dancer and is Ailian's hard work model. dancing and writing. she is no$' an editor of Dance Magazine. and drawn by the rich heritage of doing a dance scenario. [l APRIL T98? 47 ; :i 6!, l, i$11 lPhe Tropical Crops Besearch lnstitute, Vunjinghong, Yuu- nan province. Xie ,Iun fsfu{rgffi t, I change into a "paradise on earth''. This process, however, was cut short by the ultra-Left line pursu- ed in the pasi and especially by the ten years of internal strife dur- ing the "cultural revolution". Even now one can stilL see the scars. In this region administratively known as an autonom.Jus- zhou with its 620,000 population made- up of some 13 differeni nationali- ties, of whom 34.7 percent are Dais, nationality policies were seriousiy disrupted The social, economic and cultural features of this re- mote and backward border area were ignored. Thirty yeal's ago l,ocal granary is *'ell on its way to being filled Wu Dong forests covered 60 percent of this "Flant Kingdom", but burning and rflrUe most beautifui time of rhe Long' ago the hunter ancestors felling reduced this to 28.7 percent. E ycar in Xishuangbanna is in of the Dais are supposed to have Once Xishuangbanna v/as the October alter the rainy season come upon this place while pursu- Iargest grain-producing area in when everyone is busy with the ing a golden deer. Entranced by southern Yunnan, but for many autumn harvest. This was the sea- the blue mountains. green forests, years its people were reduced to son we came to visit it last year. golden lake water and fragrant buying grain from the state for Four hours by bus through flowers, they named it Meng- food, in some years as much as f orest-clad mountains brought us balanaya land" and 12,500 tons. to Yunjinghong. the leading town- settled down.-'l'.676J1d16ps Another name for In 1980 a radical turn for the ship in Xishuangbanna. Suddenly this region Yunjinghong, or "eultural revolution" that the gov- before us was a broad expanse of City of the Dawn- comes from ernment's policies for minority na-' golden paddy fields rxzith groups a story told by the -once-oppressed tionalities and border regions were of Dai girls reaping rice. From people about a national hero who restored and put back into prac- a distance, iheir tall topknots and fought evil forces to win freedom t.ice. More flexible policies rvere colorful, tight-fitting blouses and for his people. adopted for agricuiture and the skirts gi'ze them the a.ppearance of This subtropical area has long economy. With the system of pro- the beautiful peacocks which in been known for its plentiful rain- duction contracts with individual Iegend are said to circle over the fali, fertile soil and abundant re- households and efforts to diversify waters of Jinhi.l, the Lake of Gold. sources. But it was only after 1949, the rural econorny, signs of new when a new chapter was opened vitality are everywhere" FANG DONG is a staff reportef for in the history of the Chinese peo- In 1980 a radical turn for the China ReConstruets. ple. that Xishuangbanna began to better took place in grain produc- 48 CIIINA RECONSTtsUCTS tion, followed by further improve- kinds of farm produce and handi- In the last few years Manjinglan arents in 1981. In that year each crafts are displayed. The buyers has become fairly prosperous person's grain allotment was be- are mostly local Dai women as because of its development df a tween ts50 to 400 kilograms, 1.300 well as women of the Hani, Bulang many-sided agricultural economy. hectares of land was reforested, and Jino nationalities living in the including grain, bananas, rubber. and rubber trees, cotton and tea nearby hills. Groups of tradesmen vegetables and sugarcane. It has were planted on 4,800, 1,500 and from neighboring counties contri- been cited as one of the region's 10,000 hectares of land respectively. bute to the general exciternent and advanced units in agricutrture. Its color. Around the square stand Dai prosperity can be seen in the fact Industry also rnads substantial 'stalls advances. Nearly 200 new enter- snack with food so tantaliz- that 85 percent of the houses are prises were set up and industrial ing that many townspeople regu- now roofed with tile instead of larly have their breakfast here. thatch, and many them solid output in 1980 was val.ued at more in of The local minority people are no wooden pillars have re- than 60 million yuan, or 29 per- and beams longer satisfied with the tradition- placed those of bamboo. In the cent of the totai value of output al range of special goods for mi- autonomous zhou as a whole, one from industry and agriculture. The nority people, although this has in every 2.6 households in the rural average income peasants of the been considerably areas lives in a tiie-roofed house. from collective undertakings expanded. Such was symbols of progress and moderni- Standing on the banks of the 94 yuan per capita. zation as carier bicycles, sewing Lancang River the largest in One example of the reeent recov- - machines, radios, wristwatches Yunnan province, known as the ery is the Mengzhe Plain in Meng- and tape recorders are in increas- Mekong outside China's borders hai county. Thi.s 16,000-hectare one is dragon boat- ing demand. In 1980, for instance, reminded of the area is one of the four biggest races during Water- only 20 tape recorders were sold held the plains in Yunnan plovince. The Splashing Festival in April each in the whole of Yunjinghong coun- Jingdai No. I team of the Jing- ty, but mor.e than a thousand were zhen brigade contracted the cul- sold between January and August tivation of its paddy fields to in- 1981. Among dividual households of the 80,000 agricul- in 1g80, and households 'auto- its sidelines to individual groups tural in the nomous zhou, popula- or commune members, linking comprising a tion of about 400 thousand, there payment to output. Grain output is an average of one bicycle per 2.1 that year was 85.1 percent higher households, one sewing machine than in 1979 and the grain average per 3,3 households, a wristwatch allotment per person exceeded 500 kg. per 1.5 households and a radio per If it hadn't been for the 4.7 households. damage done in previous years, A couple of years ago there were things would have been even better. in Yunjinghong township only seven or eight state stores and four or five collectively-run stores Flourishing Treasure-Itrouse goods selling on commission. AII 'fhe author with Sami, Director of ttre Crossing the 330-meter concrete of them closed at three in the Buddhist Association at Xishuangbanna. bridge built in 1964 over the Lan- afternoon. Now, there are 60 state Qing Xianyou cang River which runs through the stores, 38 collectively-run stores, plain, one comes to Yunjinghong 39 cooperative stores run by young township. To anyone who had people and B0 stores run by year. Today, however, a different been here a few years ago, the individuals. Many of these stay kind of traffic piies the river. changes were irnmediately ap- open unti.l late at night. There are Since 1964, when a 158 kiiometer parent. All the major streets in also quite a number of "mobile stretch was dredged and made the town have been paved in the stores" with goods displayed on navigable for the first time in his- past few years and are now Iined handcarts. A1l this is making for tory, ships have been sailing up with new buildings and newly- a brisker market and greater con- and down the river every day. planted oil palms, betel palms, venience for the local inhabitants. Apart from the convenience in coconut palms. mango trees and One of the villages we visited transportation, this also makes it pomeios. was Manjinglan on the Lancang possibie to admire from shipdeck Improvea transportation and a , River not far from Yunjinghong. the charming scenery of the rnoun- fllourishing commerce have brought It consists of 137 bamboo houses tain-girt plains and the forests an air of bustling activity. Sunday constructed in the traditional Dai with their populations of peacocks m.orning is market day and several style. Before liberation, this used and monkeys. thousand people jostle each other to be a village of serfs put there Xishuangbanna's new-found in the market square from early to guard the grave of the feudal prosperity is due in part to the rnorning until noon. Hundreds of headman. yearly ien million yuan subsidy it AP,RII- 1982 49 gets from the state for producti<.rn Open-Door Festival and all along lievers make pilgrimages herc and construction. In 1981, the gov- the way from the bamboo dwell- every year. ernment invited experts to study a ings and the f orests came the We saw many peasant women long-term development plan for solemn, sonorous rhythms of the climbing up rhe hilis on which the Yunjinghong. Preparations are nxangluo gongs and elephant-foot pagodas were built, each with a underway for more visits by tour- drums" Wherever there were bucket of sand and a bucket oI ists and scholars. ponds, rivers. or reservoirs, one water slung on shouider poles. The -water could see Dai women of all ages they splashed onto the pagodas, The Open-Door Festival bathing, washing their long hair, .tor these are given a clothes and household utensils, washing during the Open-Door Our visit to Xishuangbanna coin- Young girls were playing and f'estival, The sand they piled to cided with the Open-Door Eestival, laughing in the water: one side of the pagoda to be used one of the Dai people's major tra- At the Menglong people's com- later for building a monastery on ditional holiciays (the others are mune are two famous ancient the top of the hill. the Closed-Door and the Water- pagodas. the Bai and Sun pagodas, In the viilage itself, pigs and Splashing festivals), According to said to have been built in com- sheep were being slaughtered and a holiday old custom, the "doors" are closed memoration of Sakyamuni's arri- spirit was in the air. In the daytime, paper pagodas every year starting on the l5th of val here 2,000 years ago were to teach carried through July and "opened" around the lbth the Buddhist scriptures. the streets to the The story beating of drums and gongs. of October. The three intervening goes that the Bai pagoda was built At night young people danced in pairs months are busy larming s,eason where that founder of Buddhism under the bodhi trees near the and a time of frequent Buddhist left some toe prints, and the Sun monastery. Ther,e was more than religious activities. Adults are foi- pagoda where he print, left a heel usual going on this year because bidden to go on distant journeys people it and that later constructed was the first time the Open-Door or visit relatives, and young peo- small buildinE;s over the prints to Festival was being observed after ple are not to engage in courtship preserve them for worshipers. The more get than ten years. or married. The intention is old Dai caretaker of the pagodas In many of the villages the everyone that should devote all opened the dotrs of the buildings monasteries which had been da- their time to production and reli- to let us s,ee the prints- The toe rnaged or destroyed during the gious matters. After the "doors" prints alone were larger than the "cultural revolution" have been are open and until spring the next foot of an ordinary human being. restored. The famous Man Ge year the is time for social activi- The Bai pagoda is a single struc- Monastery in Yunjinghong, f or ties. Superstitious practices have ture, while the Sun pagoda consists instance, has been completely re- tallen into disuse since liberation of eight smaller pagodas around a novated and new Buddhist statues but people stilt keep up the custom larger one. These, together with sculptured. In Menghai county, of refraining from courtship and the eight-cornered pavilion at Jing- rve interviewed Sami, venerable marriage and devote themselves to zhen in Menghai county, are the director of the autonomous zlt,ou's farming during the "closed-door" three most well-known examples Buddhist association as well as period. of ancient Buddhist architecture in council member and vice-director On the 12th of October we set Xishuangbanna. The goVernment of the national and Yunnan pro- out from Yunjinghong f or the has allocated funds for the upkeep vincial Buddhist associations. The Damenglong commune. This hap- and protection of these exquisitely- association is helping the govern- pened to be the first day of the constructed edifices and many be- ment implement its policies on re- ligion and religious activities re- turning to normal- A rubber faetoly run by a brarrch of tha Jinghong State Farm, Xinhtta Fruits of Labor At an internationat scientific forum on rubber research and de- velopment heid in Thailand last year, a paper on the cultivation of cold-resistant rubber trees in Xi- shuangbanna by representatives from the Tropical Crops Research Institute of Yunnan aroused much interest. The Tropical Crops Research Institute, founded in 1953, was one of the piaces we visited in Yun- 50 CHINA R,ECONSTRUCTS f .i',irlil Jla:tan.: : ,, l .An Si)ii yir::,:-t;id tei trec in ]\(enghai county. 7,ou Lirrnrong Palm-lined road. .Yic ,ltnt By the Lancang River. A food stall in Yunjinghong, the largest town in Xishuangbanna. \-it'JLrt An eight-sided pavilion in Mengh;ri county jinghong. Researchers had started Menghaircilunty is.the origin of experiments in planting rubber in the renowned Pu'er tea. In the Yunnan in 1952. That was 459 pasi few years tea cultivation, Chinese Cookery years after Columbus brought back which had declined, has made to Europe the mysterious rubbef rapid advances not only in Meng- Phoenix Prawns balls the Indians of the "New Con- hai county but throughout the tinent" played with, years and 75 auton APRIL 1982 53 {, "'-tl'i It ,t: ,t !r nll et *::;r)#1{'.++1.f; ffiB ffitr ;',.cl f' ffrt$mfr E. rafiB*w&tr$er ,11 ! lri. nnn!! rrsar-+ i,'ii'hratricrE meeting to celebrale tht' ll0th rn pir;r,iil1ittg; r-rllders'r.aitr:ling and Nlessages of conglatulations were A -1'".t, /d a,rniver-sa;.v ol Chdno Ilecorr- f r'lenris,hri: bcl rhe Chirlr:sc." received f lom Deng Y-ingclao. Z]nou structs wu. h"i,1 on J:rnuar;t 2il al Lieop.lt' atrii'"irttse q;1 r;1i:pt iir,nd':. ',vid Ij'arn t 54 OITINA NECONSTRUCTS IIuang IIua, Vice-Premier anrl 7[rrr ri!iralri" f irrr !]irrttl.ol ElxhiLils (:fur'ilntfic th(. hirtor.r'oI lhc magazine, frorn Minister ol' Foreign A{fairr, r't tlrt Pi tip..5,' i it ' ;'i -) i. i - iis iuu*ding ir I1iii3. i1l!:;c\'eu etiitions rvere repre- offers his congratrila$ion! (I]ent 0t th{' F&rty Cc}.*{.ra ! ae n teal. []$mmiitcc. ][sfl st]0kr. ,$ i" Clowding into the main roonr (luests iook ol,rr Lhe itNbiLrils and 1r,iitrl to hea,r thc speakers, rh..t olC l,,riends" On behalf of China Iteconstr.uct..;, rditor-ih-ctliet {srarl Epste[n speaks af * reception for tureign ancl Chinese journeiis!s. &,; t{- ",c *.fl A seal inscribetl 'Thir- tieth Anniversary ol 6he F ourldiilg of e--hinn Reconstructs' by noted staln!} designer t,iu ShuoreE" Pirotr,ts iig Z!,"ang SiLrriIrtcrei. Liu Ctiert fiui, .liatiuinq ftild Zho'u Y .-)1111) il APRTL T982 fi Understanding About Pigs MARY SHERIDAN CTIEN pOPO (gt'andmother) is up at Shunzhen unlocks the doors. and L 5:30 to get breakfast. I can heal we go in. This is the p'gsty of her Simei (fourth child daughter) dres- production team and she is the sing quietly in the dark. and going keeper. We check ihe pens there into the kitchen to help. But until are some twenty animals left,- sev- 6:30 I lie drowsing behind the soft eral having been recently sold. In folds of mosquito netting draped the kitchen, Shunzhen starts a fire around my four-p 56 CIIINA RECONSTRUCTS ning. The stone floors of the pens slope outward and drain into ferti- lizer p.ts. The grounds of the sty are swept up twice a day and lime is used so that there is no odor. This is not only the cleanest sty . ,: -.1'!: in the village (I have visited all), but cleaner than those I've seen in Japan, and a far sight tidisr than my old haunt back at Cornell University. The pigs are a white variety long and lean at the moment. -It is the custom here to raise pigs Iean to full size, so that their bones will grow long and strong. Thus the steady diet of cooked greens with grain husk for added nourish- ment. Only in their Iast few weeks before sale are the pigs fattened up quickly. Shunzhen and the author till baskels with termented greens, whieh ilre then ,l LL of the work in the sty is cooked in the pigsty as teed. lL 66ns by Shunzhen. Last year she raised sixty pigs by herself. great profit She is eprning a profit for her unit. action. I make silly mistakes, like terlific for her everything that I admire in ane clearing the chopped leaves away production year team. But this ther woman: intelligent, sensitive, from the board, thinking that her number charges have -I of been strong, cheerful, able and energetic must chop directly on the wood. reduced, and a part-time assistant and for the pleasure of her com- Shunzhen shows me how to let the comes mornings. Right now, how- pany,- as well as for "learning to pile build up and chop on top of ever, with half the pigs sold, she understand about pigs" I come the greens -- thus mincing more works on her own and has time to to work with her as- often as thoroughly the leaves underneath. teach me various tasks. possible. I work steadily, glancing smugly For example, make how to at the diminishing pile of vines brooms from wild bushes which I. helped Shunzhen beside me and the rising heap of dpy out stiff and springy, ideal \ZESTERDAY. for I fork green fodder down into chopped leaves in front of me. I sweeping the pens. Shunzhen finds a square pit in front of the sty, say to Shunzhen that I like to the wild seeds on the forest slopes and pack it down by stomping finish a job once start and and brings them back to plant in I it, around on it. We bounced up and I'd like to finish these before front of the sty. She carries grass down on the springy stuff until lunchtime. She says she is the f or extra fodder, and towering my knees felt quite wobbly. Then same about work finish loads of storm-broken twigs and her to we covered the chopped greens each task in a set time- this is branches from the forest floor lor - fueling the stove. with plastic sheeting and I shoveled a pleasure and a pride. I admire and envy Shunzhen's manure on top of it to cause tem- Then our conversation shifts to strength as she works. Her body is perature rise for composting. Pit something we were saying last as young and strong as a girl of storage of fodder by fermentation night. I had been telling her how twenty, and when she smiles she is important for preserving winter some Chinese people in the school -e.t is just as pr:etty. fe she was supplies. where I teach English were sur- Today Shunzhen sets me to work the , beauty of the village. And prised at my wearing my village- although from a poor family, she chopping greens. It is my first time, made clothes to class. They would was the best educated of her gen- and I feel quite proud of myself, say: "You're a university profes- eration, having had seven years to be entrusted with the large sorl How can you come to class of schooling. Later she was sent sharp cleaver. We put a small dressed like a peasant!'l by the village to study infant board on the floor in front of a I think the village tailoring shop education in a city institute, re- six-inch-high stool, and Shunzhen has done an expert job on my turning to teach in the brigade shows me how to hold the bunch clothes. So I chided my critics: kindergarten. of sweet-potato vines tight, so that "Your attitude toward the coun- A couple of years ago Shunzhen leaves and stems can be shredded tryside is really old-fashioned. You took ovei the pigsty, u'hich had without mincing my fingers. I cut don't c APRIL 1982 57 them to teach in Canada, and rny siastic about my working in the me two houns to do half of it. I students urili love it!" village. But some teachers of litera- guess you could easily finish it all I tell Shunzhen how much it ture seemed to feel it decidedly in one, eh!" Shunzhen grinned pains me that some of my friends odd that I had voluntarily changed d-eprecatingiy and corrected me: at the school have a snobbish at- my college major from literature "In twenty minutes." titude toward the countryside. In to rural development and work in So much for my self-congratula- Canada-so.many of my friends agriculture. How could I desert tions! I've chopped 50 jin in two were either born on a farrn. or have what they consider a noble calling, hours and she does this in ten moved out of town to a farm to to go work in the fielCs and minutes. Indeed, working steadiiy, escape the furor of urban living. pigsties? When I encountered such she and the other expert women attitudes, it hurt but all the more can chop up 2,000 jin )-n a day! I conJirmed for me the value and im- gaze at Shunzhen with something portance of my work. like awe. Shorter than rnyself by Last night when Shunzhen and half a head - still perfectly round- I were talking in the kitchen, I toid ed and compact of figure, gracefu) her how grieved I was. I felt how but strong and sbeady, and rnoclest-' deeply I loved my friends in the ly proud of this strength -+ud- village, but also doubted that they deniy I feel a flood of gratitude understood this. Then Shunzhen and amazement that Shunzhen ean leaned over and nudgeri me. give me her friendship on an equal "Mali," she said, "you have a good basis. I'am by no means a weak- heart. If you didn't I wouldn't ling, but this is a r,i/oman who can ,pay any attention to you. I stretch my pace, certainly wiser wouldn't even bother to speak t 58 CTIINA RECONSTRUCTS A Doughter {rorn Norvhere CAO JUNZHI Bian Tingrnin (far right) with her new naother (second right)" grandmother and father. Gao Liang ,\ f N old Ctrina it was sheer catas- treated the olci woman as if he were thing to do." Moved by Bian Ting- f trophe u'ht'n people had no chil- her own son. min's sincerity, her family finally dren to suppnrt them in their Many kilometers away in Shan- aglreed. declining years. With pensions and dong province, a pretty l8-year- So, one day in May 1981, the girl other forms of social security. this old girl, Bian Tingmin, was deeply arrived to live with her new is no longer the case. But there moved af ter reading the story. "father," "mother" and "grand- are other reasons fo: wanting "What if Mother Zhang falls' ili?" mother". The quiet courtyard sud- children. Thus it was a grcat. joy she asked her-qe1f. "Who will take denly became lively, for Zhang Xiangling. a woman in care of them?" Arr idea grew in Zhang Xiangling's family hadn't her sixties from a Hebei province her nrind, until one day she wrote had a daughter for several genera- viilage, when she recentl.r, acquired a letter to Zhang Xiangling tions and Tingmin became their a "daughter" in her old age. and asked her to accept her as a darling. Mother Zhang often hug- Zhang Xiangling is three years "daughter". Finally an answer ged her and combed her hair for older than her second husband, Li came Mother ?hang would be her. The formerly quiet house was Hengli. Her mother-in-law is over delighted.- now full of songs and laughter. 80. The three old people lived by But this caused a great argument At night the aged grandmother themselves weli enough, but in Bian Tingmin's family. Her would get out of bed to see wished [hey had a chilu to rnake brother said, "We agree that that her new granddaughter their life livelier and better. Mother Zhang is a good example r,vas well covered. In their love, In 1980 many papers and maga- to learn from, but yoqr own the three old people would hardly zines car;ried articles on how rveil grandparents need your care too. let her do anything around the Zhang Xiangling had looked after Why should you leave for a place house. Pretending to be angry, the her'old rnother-in-law foi: 40 years. far frorn home?" part Zharg Xiangling began to take "You and my sisters and sister- Bian Tingmin and her mother at in the revolution in 1939 during in-iaw can take care of them very work on the new house. Gao Liattrt the anti-Japanese war and became well," she answered, "but the three x a Communist Party member. One old people in Mother Zhang's house snolvy niSht when she was 18 and APBTL T982 59 girl would say, "If you treat me Medical Briefs In one year, the number of rural like a guest, I'11 leave." They production brigades or citY resi- always gave in. dential areas which reached this Learning from Mother Zlrlang criterion increased from 80 to 228. how to care for the grandmother, Gontrolling Filariasis All ten crjunties outside of Shang- Tingmin poached eggs with a hai and 40 of the 68 counties in few drops of sesame oil in the f'tHINA is making progress in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Re- morning and took it to the old r-,l preventing and treating fi- gion have reached this goal ZunYi woman on the kang. In summer lariasis, the disease caused by and Tongren prefectures in Gui- she prepared watermelon with nematode parasites in the blood or zhou province and LongYan Prefec- sugar for her. She took over the tissues. The disease takes several ture in Eujian province have elim- cooking from Mother Zhang. Two forms, the rnost common involving inated the disease. OriginallY or three days after her arrival she the lymph glands and connective widespread in 74 counties in Shan- began to help plant cotton seedlings tissues. One-fourth of all counties dong province, filariasis was wiped in the field with her new father. v'here it exists have basicaily elim- out in all but one in 1981. He tried to give her the lighter inated the disease and two-thirds work, but she wouldn't have it. She of the patients have so far been told him, "How can I really help treated. 0ccupational llisease$ the family if I am not good at Filariasis, one of the widespread farming?" Today she has become diseases in the world, first appeared A three-year survey oI occupa- a good manager inside and outside years t'L tional diseases in China has the house. in China more than 2,000 ago. At one time 30 million people come te an end. This not only gave The news that Bian Tingmin had suffered 1949 clearer knowledge of the harm done volunteered take care the from it. After the to of by poisonous substances such as three old'people quickly people's governmenr took vigorous spread to lead. benzene, mercury. organic nearby .villages. people steps to prevent and eure it. In Many phosphorus and trinitrotoluene to thought it was a good sign the the past few years the work has of workers but in what areas, depart- return of socialist ethics after the greatly accelerated. ments, industries and types of oc- disastrous "cultural revolution." In A national working conference cupations they suffer rnost. The those years there had always been on the prevention and treatment of provided scientific some aged people complaining filariasis held in late 1978 decided results also a preventive about their children not treating to organize three-year investiga- basis Ior measures. project 1979 them well. And here was a stranger The started in under frorn another province setting a the guidance of the N{inistry of good example for young people! Public Health, the Ministr:y of Some skeptics wondered about Labor, the All-China Federatiorl .of her motives. But Tingmin is Trade Unions and the State Ad- thg youngest of her brothers and ministr:ation of Medicine. Exam- sisters. Her f amily were very inations were given to 95 percent fond of her, even spoiling her. of the workers who come in contact When she left home to look with these poisons. The density of after three old people, it certain- such substances in the environ- ly wasn't to find ease and ment around 98,900 sites was quiet comfort. Bian Tingmin is a measured with 188,038 air samples. girl. but determined The survey plotted the incidence Why did she go with to live and rate of occupational diseases Mother Zhang? This is Bian Ting- poisons. min's answer: "Everyone caused by these should greatly aids the have a high ideal. Some want to The survey prevention oc- climb or make money, but I think I and treatment of should live for a better aim than cupational diseases and labor that! When I wrote to Mother health work. Pub]ic health bu- Medical workers in !.uoyua[ county, reaus or departments of in- Zhang, we were discussing the Fujian province, check the qualiiy oI meaning of iife in my school. I hetrazan-treated salt in a pickles fac- dustrial hygiene have been set up agreed with the idea that it is to tory. Iletrazan is used to prevent in 24 provinces, municipalities and make other people happy. Mother filariasis, autonomous regions, and health Zhang has devoted all her life to administrations in some industries. the revolution. I think it is my tion groups to make surveys in 14 These give workers immediate duty to help make the remaining provinces, municipalities and au- treatment and transfer them to years of these three old people tonomous regions. The goal was new jobs afterward. Meanwhile good ones. One shouldn't dedicate to lower the infection rate among they take active measures to one's youth to trivial matters." ! the people to one percent or less. control the harmful substances. 60 CHINA RECONSTRUCTS it was necessary to do an oPeration for a boy *-ho suffered from tetro- logy of Fallot. Because of the complicaied operation, the diag- nosis depended on extensive angio- cardiographic apparatus theY did not have. After much discussion :' ,i and innovation of a substitute method. they reached a final diagnosis. The oPeration was a success and, moreover, was the first one ever done on the Plateau. Several more such cases were Liu Yuqing, \-cteran radiation specialist handled satisfactorilY. from Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese The medicai grouP helPed raise Academy of Medical Sciences, shows looal personnel how to nead X:reY the skill of the locai medical films during a lecture tour in Qinghai workers by giving them courses on province, heart catheterization, angiocardio- graphy, laboratory testing, anesthe- tics, extracorPoreal circulation, ordinary heart operations and post- High-Altitude Surgery operative care. Dr. Liu Yuqing. vice director of the Fuwai Hospital lectured in rFHE incidence of congenital heart and radiation specialist, of the In I disease on the Qinghai-Tibetan Xining, caPitai Province. Xue Ganxing, a heart surgeon from Beijing's f'uwai Hospital, visits & higher than in anY other their routine duties the medical Plateau is to Tibetan herdsman in his fent in Q$rshai place in China. A nuniber of na- group taught theirtechniqtles province. helPing them to tionalities live in province. the Local doctors, Qinghai ground future heart Because of poorer medicai condi- Iay the for group did 79 tions thet'e. many Patients with operations. The northeast of Kunming, and con- severe hea.rt disease have to be operations in 66 daYs, 97.5 Percent tinues to do farm work. transferred to larger cities for of them successful. Covered with hair, the extra head treatment. was 19.5 cm. in circumference, Not long ago a seven-member had twelve teeth, eyebrows and medical group headed bY Dr. Xue flare Birth llelect undeveloped eyes, mouth, nose and Ganxing. a skilled heart surgeon eyelids. The cranial structure was from Beijing's Fuwai HosPital of Corrticted small but normal, though its brain the Chinese Academy of Medical tissue did not function. Medical Scienees left for Qinghai. Most of A small extra head altached to experts believe that the case 1S the group suffered frorn altitude A the right side of the face of exceptionally rare not only in sickness when dhey arrived but a peasant in Yunnan Province was China but abroad. threw themselves into the work at suceessfully removed in December Medical literature over the Past once. 19?9 in a Kunming hosPital. The 30 years has rePorted onlY nine A shortage of some medical- patient, 35-year-old Zhamg ZiPir,g, such excisions, among them oPera- equipment was a difficultY con- lives in a remote mountain village tions by C.R. Mclaughlin in Eng- fronting the doctors. At one Point in Huize countY, 273 kilometers land in 1948, H.G. BeattY in the United States in 1956, and Cihat Borcbakan in Turkey in 197?. The Chinese case 'had more highlY developed accessory organs than the other cases reported. The operation was done bY Professor Wang Damei, 60, of the Beijing Medical College, and Li Bingquan, deputy director of the neurology department of the Kunming Medical College. Dr. Wang discovered the iratient when she was on a tour to collect materials for a book. The Patient Zll.arns Zipin,g be- mentallY sound. fore and after tEe is a deaf-mute but operation. His medical care was free. tr APRIL T982 61 greatly infiuenced this traditional ari. Today, the products of Guang- dong, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Beijing are much in demand. Guangdong's drawnwork is Drawnwork & Emhroidery called "flower of the south." An example of this is "Phoenixes Turn toward Peonies," a high-grade Decorate Ufe tablecloth of organdy. In a com- position oi eight parts, 604 phoe- nixes are at'ranged in various postures, singing or dancing, perching or flying. while 352 peo- nics are a charnr:ng background. Or"le seems to see an enchanting, sunlit seene of spring. It is said that a singie phoenlx neecls 500 rititches. It takes a skiilfui "r,orker T happen to be acquainted with embroidery and the riesigns vary fi',re years to finish the entire piece. I Li Shuping, 35, a woman according to the-' fashicrn. Shanciong laeework is praised as teacher at the Beijing Huayuancun "king of drawnwork"" There Primary School. She and her are over,200 varieties. The designs live in a two-room Twin Skilis farnily of three inciude beautiful heavenly beings, apartment in the south of the citY. Embroidery in China is more This is a lower-middle-income sporting animals, blossoming ihan 2,000 ;rears old, Drawnwork. flower:s and exquisite fr:uit baskets. But when entered her' tamiiy. I made puilinq pari the was attracted by the by out of I3eijiirg is farrrous for its appli- home, I warp drawnwork and ernbroidery. On and weft to form lacelike de- que. Speciaiiy rnade gauze is cut the wall was an embroidered scene. signs, has a stltchwork much iike in the shape of flo',17sr's, then stitch- The table, desk and cupboard were the embroidery ol many centuries ed on the eloth. The traditional covered with cross-stitch work. TV ago. Thus. veteran crafl,smen crili designs are li:,ely, simple and set had an appliqu6d cot,er. An them "twin Iotus llowers of art". elegant. armchair was decorated with an Drawnvrork seenx to have orig- inated from tLre eastern r:oastal embroidered piece, alrd the curtain Meeting the Need and sofa mat were crochet. regions ftom the wa)l fisP elmen Today, more and more people mended their nets. Eurcpean China's drawnwork and em- like to decorate their homes with drawnwork, imported into Chlna broidery are soid in 127 countries traditional drawnwork and em- at the end of ther 19th century, and regions. At home, manY shoPs broidery" Since 1979 this has redoubled The doubled and sales. Li Shuping's horne displa,gs flranl"+xanrples oI drawnwork and embroirlery. Arts and Crafts Store on Beijing's Wu Chupino Wangftrjing Street, for examPle, sold as much in the first eight months of 1981 as in the four Years foliowing 7973. National sales voiume has ihcrease WU YUhICHU is a leader in the Dalian Arts and Crafts Cornpany. 62 Mou Zhiping, an cxpert in Suzhou embroidery, demon- Workers at Beijing N0. I Errrbroidery Factcry are constantly strates her skill at a national exhibition. trying to come up $'ith nen'designs. Wu Chupirtrl have special counters for these Industry to pay more attention to traditional hantiicraf t articles. Bei- their production. iing's Arts and Crafts Store on Across the country stress is'be- Wangfujing Street has the largest ing put on exploring and sifting quantity and variety in the capital. the traditional crafts and folk arts Liang Xiuwei, a warmheartd of China's minority nationalities. '1.000 -"alesclerk there, tr-rid me, "More At present there are over than half of our sales are table- varieties in 13 categories done by cloths." hand and machine. There are This is a ne-w situation F ulther 80,000 workers in 400 enterprises investigation br"ought out the rea- scattered in 28 provinces. rnunici- son. Within the iast two years, palities and autonomous regions. Br:ijing's housing space has increas- In addition, about 4,200,000 indivi- ed 30 pereent and most families duals work outside the enterprises. heve bought new {urniture Nlany new artists are being train- desks. ciining tables, eupboards,- ed. The state has set up institutes r.vardrobes, bedside tables, stands, specializing in .embroidery and desk and floor lamps. Soias are drawnwork, such as a coilege of common. The need for drawnrvork arts and erafts in Jiangsu's Suzhou and embroidery steadily grows and a professional high sehool be- with the increase in housing. This gun in 1981 by the Beijing Drarvn- has caused the Ministry of Light work Compan-v. .r"-l 1'arieties of drtwntvork and ernbroidery show the intricaie nature of the urork and ihe careful attention to detail, APRIL T982 63 frn 'finoiemt t{ingdtrm on x the 'toof x of the Wontd' RINZIN DOJE and ZIIANG WENSHENG A scene fronr a mural of the Red '-fenrple shows a king and queen of the Krrke kingdom welcoming Atisha, a famous Indian Buddhist religious master who arriv- ed in Tibet in 1042. HE remains of the Kuke king- dom founded in A.D. 923 have been found on a hiil in the Ngari prefecture of the Tibet Autono- mous Region. The Ngari plateau is the highest on the "Roof of the World." Though the site is large, the layout of the buitdings is com- pact. Skillfully crafted sculptures and murals still exist. Evidence The remains occupy about 18 hectares. Arranged on the slope of a hili, terrace upon terrace, are more than 300 temples and houses, and some 300 cave dwellings, as well as three ruined towers. The RINZIN DOJD anil ZHANC WEN- SIIENG are on the Management Com- mittee of Historical Relics in Tibel Auionomous Region. llonor guard for Alisha. the master Iront India (par( ol a rtrrtral) Sketch map of the ancient kingdom xhoge*n n6., Bemarns--Zabla o Zaila d ... ,, . . .i.,.. ij.:, , . ". ! , .:4;ij) Panorama of relics of the Kuke kingdom. 64 CHINA RECONSTRUCTS ij" Carrling tinrber (part oI a mrlra[). Slone reliel cervings. buildings are of earth and wood. oI a small, well-preserveci scripture a few precipitous spots. Inner and connected by underground tunnels chanting hal1. In the center of'this outer city walls stood 200 meters extending in all directions Of halL is a square platform for away from the buildings. Lying these. the White Temple and the scriptures. Colorful murals adorn scattered along the ground below Red Temple are weli preserved. the walls. A few castle-like these walls are many large stones Covering 300 square meters. each buildings seem to have had two on which are carved Bucldhist has 36 square pillals r,vith patterns stories. Window spaces still remain. images and strtras. These were in colol and walis painled with Most of the cave-dwellings weie apparently set on the top of the murals built in semi-circies or squares. Of walls. Along the middle of the hill The palar:es were built on top of the three ruined towers. one with runs a fragmentary stone wall the hill. On the southern side stood a square base is called Longevity which rrray have been an aqueduct the kingdom's largest buildi.ng. a Tower. The other two have round diverting water from the nearby great corference hali occupying bases and are named the Advent Xiangquan River to the foothill. 400 square meters. Flor,l,er and of the Immortals. Sections of an Shields, arrows. horse protectors animal patterns wele carved on the earthen wall built for protection and other pieces of armor were rhomboid colfers :tnd flying eaves around the site still stand except in found here and there in the a i.' ' 'lgl,@ , " ,or !' On the highest spot of t-he siie, portions of (he ancient Wooden sculptures on the outer wall of Samsara Temple architecture still survive. APBIL 1982 65 remains. The armor was made tured. Another scene pictures a with small iron plates, possibly Buddha's warrior stamping on an silvered, strung together with alien god. leather thongs. A suit weighed about 10 kilograms. The horse protectors rvere made of cowhide History with iron plates. Arrow shafts Existing literature recorcis little were bamboo. l/Icst of these of of the Kuke kingdom, In the past stored the fr were in a building on few years many objects and much hiIItop. information have been ohtained by I,IU HONGFA the Management Committee of Tibet Murals Historical Relics in the Autonomous Region from a wide LfISH is traditionally the last Thc preserved mulals still investigation in the Ngari prefec- .f dish on the Chinese dinner ture, mainly on the site of the Ku- existing are lew but rich con- table on festivals and other holi- in ke According to Tibetan tent and in coior. On the north kingdorn. days, especially during the Spring historical records, there were 28 wall of the White Ternple are Festival. Pronounced yu in Chi- rulers after A.D. 923 r.then Gyi- murals portraying Buddha, heav- nese, it also means surplus or good denyimagoin founded the king- kings religious stories. fortune. enly and dom. The genealogy presented in There are also portraits of all the Yet fish are al',rzays i.n short sup the murals of the White Temple Zainbos <;f Tubo and the kings of ply in the regular state stores, es- is close to that recorded in histori- Kuke These carry signatures in pecially .live. The free markets cai books. The murals also contain sell fish price is high- Tibetan, including those of Song- live but the the portraits of all the rulers of Now, a new factory" in tsen Gambo (617-650) to the last er. "fish Tubo. It can be assumed ihat the Beijing is he.lping to meet the Tubo ruler, Langtarma (?-846), his Kuke kingdom became a separate demand. grandson son C)isung and Baikor- power after its split from Tubo. The Modern Fish Plant supplies zain. Following him was Gyidenyi- When China was again unified nearby stores with 500 kg. of live nragoin, the founder oi the Kuke under the Yuan clynasty (L271- fish each week. This is not a big kingdom. The genealogy of the 1368). the Tibetan Buddhist leader amount but its success has opened kingdom's rulers follows No Pagba rvas appointed by Kublai up prospects for raising fi.sh in fac- signature can be seen beside any Khan to take charge of Buddhist tories and increasing the supply of the portraits after that of Badi, affairs and administration work to the citie,s. The Beijing munici- the ninth king. in Tibet. This, of course, included pa1 government is planning other The mural on the left sid.e of the the Kuke area. Tiloetan records such plants. souih wall inside the Red Temple sho*, that the Kuke kingdom had is the most precious one frorn a a firrn belief in Buddhism. Kuore, Beginnings historical point of view- it is the grandson of Gyidenyimagoin, probably a scene in which a famous ivas so devoted that he became a Beijingis plant is in an eastern Indian master Atisha is invited to monk and handed over the crown suburrb on what was once a tract of do misslonary work. People in the to his younger brother, Yexeoi. In rough, low-iying 1and. Today, the picture are handiing various addition to sending 21 young people area is a modern residential quar- objects, beating drums, blowing to India to do research on Bud- ter with 108 apartment buildings, bugles, driving horses. A group dhism, the kingdom invited a 14,000 people, and stores and of girls are dancing. Some maid- master to the Ngari area to lec- service centers. servants are arranging tables for ture on tsuddhist doctrine. Ladi, In 1976, as the quarter was being sacrificial objects. The king and Kuore's son, also invited two built, Sun Qisheng, a section leader queen sit together, behind them masters to do missionary work. By of the district's Bureau of Aquatic {heir subjects row by row. In the 1042,t1lre king Qangeuboi had asked Products, suggested to the city lower part of the mural are rnen for the presence of Atisha. A authorities that "it is not enough carrying timber on their backs and mural in the Red Temple re{lects to depend on fish ponds and net- others driving oxen with loads of this and confirms the historical fish to supply live fish to the city. plant raising be lumber. records. A for fish should set up like those raising chickens The contents of the murals in the From the existing relics and to supply eggs:" small scripture chanting hall re= the level of arehitecture and Sun inspected more 70 paradise, the strerrgth of its than present scenes of the craftsmanshi$, plants, seeking ways to solve water and gods economy and technology can be world, and hell. Buddhas and energy problems.,He found 75 are seen iir paradise, naked rvomen judged. The Kuke kingdom was powerful local regime in the world, and devils in hell obviously a LIU IIONGFA i.i a staff repor!,er for where men are being cruelly tor- in Tibetan history. D China Reconstructs. 66 CHINA RECONSTRUCTS percent of them wasting energy depths, the plant makes more ef- and not recycling water for reu^se. ficient use of its water by raising He realized that using rvaste heat varled species in the same ponds. and recycling water would keep This also increases output. Gen- costs low in raising fish. eraliy it takes a small carp from Water $ias a key problem, for thri:e to six months to mature. In Beijing's supply is not yet ihe main, ihe production process in adequate. He consulted . with the fish-raising shop is automatic. Zhang Hanchang, an engineer in The water treatrnent shop is the Beijing Designing Institute of much larger. It has ponds f or Forest Products. Together they catchment, biological purifying, worked out a proposal for recycl- precipitating, and heating and ing water by biological purification oxygenating underground water and designe .A.Pn,IL 1982 67 Tropical Forest Preserve ZENG QINGSONG f IANFENGLING, china's largest outstretched can barely encircle J primeval tropical forest natut'e the trunks. Some 270 varieties of preserve, is a wonder-filled para- trees are found here, including dise of plants and wildlife. Located pencilwoods (Dy s orylunt bine ctar i - on the west coast of Hainan Island, f erum), myrtles (Myrica adena- it covers 1,333 hectares of rolling phora) and a few peculiar to the hills some 1.000 meters above sea region sueh as Manglietia ievel. hainanensis. To vrsit the preserve is to enter The wood of a number of trees a w-orld oI undisturbed natural incluling a kind of tanoak. beauty. The eye feasts on exu- -Lithocarpus glaber, and trIopea berant greenery and is soothed by hainanensis is famous for its diaphonous mi.sts which collect rn hardness and- resistance to insertts. the valleys and creep upward moisture and pres.sure ideal for over the hills. The ear responds making boats and high-qualitl'- to the melodies of songbirds, the furniture. Rosewoods (Dalbergia chirp of cicadas and other insects. hupe o.na ), ormosia (OrmosLa henry i 1 and the cries of pheasant. civet and others have fine grains. na- cats and other lorest residents. tural colors and fragrances. N {.i,in ' I'ti f 'Ihe pluml'ruited cluster-flowered yew. A gibbon swings gracefully from Fruit growing on (he trunk rlf B fig which yields a substance scientists be- branch to branch- iree. lieve may have anti-cancer properties, 6B CHINA RECONSTRUCTS LIU JIN DACK in 1916. the troops of a cup. Once an animal touches the I-D ns11hg1n warlord wcre dis- tip, the base releases a venom into patched to the south to fight. They the skin of the animal, causing burned, killed and looted wherever inflammation and severe itching. they went. In one place they found As a natural protection f or the that a kind of plant which blocked plant, it works very well no their way coul.d not be destroyed animal wili readily touch it again- by burning, so the officer ordered after once being stung his soldiers to pull them out. As soon as they grasped the leaves of f N traditional folk medicine it the p1ant, they ali cried "Ouch." I has been used to treat paralysis Grimacing pain, The nettle that defeated with they hastily of the limbs. Fresh leaves are pick- an arnry, retreated. ed and placed on the skin of the The plant was the nettle known affected part, then patted gently in as "biting dog," a perennial herb. place in the belief that the paralysis It grows on damp wasteland, so its will be gradually released. Modern branches and leaves contain much chemical analysis shows that it moisture. One meter in height, its contains various B-complex vita- stem is as thick as a finger and its mins and tannin. It has a certain opposing leaves as big as a human curative effect in treating rheuma- palm, with teeth round the fringe. tism, diabetes, skin irritations and The stem and leaves are covered the bites of poisonous snakes. with stinging hairs, which consist The nettle grows in the south of of tip. tube and base. The tip is China, being widely spread in very sharp, like a hypodertnic Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Si- needie: the tube i.s hollow, like an chuan and other areas. Peasants injector; and the base is like a small often plant it around their vege- Diagram ol ne[tle's lea, table gardens, orchards or court- and stinging mechanism. Skelch .Iiang Daiping LIU JIN is an editor on the staff of the yards as a hedgd to keep animals by magazine Yegetation. out. tr enough to spur further investiga- space for mosses, lichens and Para- another, flashing beautiful color-s, tions. sitic vines including wisteria and red bellies or fluffy tails' orchids of many kinds (such as The human visitors themselves ground leve] and around the I T Ggmbidium dayanurn, CgmbLdium are well advised to be on the fL bases trees is another whole of sinense and Robiquetia spathul,ata). lookout for snakes, for there is plants. The trunks anC world of Unlike ordinary plants, these do roughly one snake for everY 0.7 giant protrude tree roots which not need sunlight to grow, and square meter of ground in this from the earth provide growing thus can flourish in the shade paradise, and some are dangerous. beneath the canopy oI trees. The Besides the poisonous ones, there same is true of the ferns which are pythons which encircle their grow on the forest floor. Some prey and squeeze it to death with 300 kinds of rnedicinal plants and their strong coils. Pythons here fungi, including Fo'm.es japanr.cus range up to 50 kilograms. in weight and fuIorinda oJJicinal,i,s, are found and several meters in length. here. The dense forest is also home to T N a whole dav a visitor can a variety of ariimals-black gib-- I .or". onlv a sriall corner of the bons, Ieopards, bears, monkeys, forest and is inevitably reluctant birds of ail kinds, and squirrels. to leave. For any person sensitive The latter, some kinds weighing up to the beauties of nature it is a de- to two ki.lograms while others are light. For Chinese scientists and smaller than a mouse, add a great their counterparts around the deal of life and color to the forest. world, it is a magnet for its rich From a disiance, s lofty lig tree looks Unafraid of human visitors, the and valuable biological variety in like a deer with spreading antlers. squirrels leap about and chase one a perfectly preserved ecoiogY. tr APRIL T982 69 Legends and Tales frorn History: King llu and the Queen WEI Ta ING MU. fifth of his Iine in the In the Boole of Mountains and N Western Zhou dynasty (1lth Seas she is depicted as a cmel god- -witl: century-771 B.C.), is k,nown to dess a leopard's tail and tiger's Dratun bll Yang YonEqlng history as a relatively conscien- fangs. Br.lt in the legends relating tious ruler under whom people to King Mu, she is an elegant and lived stable and prosperous liyes. charming creatui'e, fond of singing, I'his ruler is most famous for who captivated her guest. second j 70 CHINA.RECONSTBUCTS HUANG WENYAN Lesson 16 Beiiimg Niuiie Pfosgue el h, E'l f "6,ftl f&d. rtlJ &_ t+ A r.i* T YUE Hin: Gnngcdi z4nmen tirguir de shi shdnme bilkfln Ie. " J ohn: Just now we pass is rvhat extremely. !&.f ? 2t h, ffi;f v\ E ri-B 4,d fr e difang? YUE HAn: JiEfing yihdu zhili ldi ydu zdngjiio piace? John: Liberation afler hgre still have religious 9*-)1 , ft_ ,44+. i+ ifi o4? WAng Ddli: Shi qingzhEnsi. hudddng ma? Wang Dali : Is mosque. activities ? |at ?+), fie *\'fn Lik t>q. *1 ftr,& J-klt, 4" fE*"{- FuiX ++, Yu€ FIdn: Hd wdmen shirngci clngu5n de F6jiio WAng DAli: Y6u. Zh6nggrio shi gB minzt pingil6ng, John: With we last time visit Buddhist Wang Dali : Have" China is varicus nationalities equal, )aT 4 R& 4itcy fifi" fr+ik-ft miioyi bi -t+"yiyAng. zdngjiiro xinytrng ziy6u. Ji6Idrnghdu temple not same. religious belief free. Liberation after J-klt. f" ,**\, fr h, Xr'fi tr 6) ,i-s a €#T fT*- T WAng Dhli: Zdi ii6gdu, bdrjfi, zhuhngshi ff,ngrniin zhBli ydu chdngxin xifijiAn le." Wang Dali : In structurc, layout, decoration aspect here again (was) nervly repaired and reiruilt frn -ff.,i-E ftrry*4v tfr,dL &X 4 fr fbil.fT*+ ddu bir yr'ying. Zhlti shi Yisll6njiio XidnzAi mEitiSn ddu y6u rnisllin all not same. Here is Islarn's Norv every day all have Musiim hlr *_ia IL+&" Bf ,F lk 4L++ de jiiuzhir fengg6. qi4nlAi zuir libdi. " architecture-h4+ style. come (to) do religious service. ?al #. B. tr ffA stm ?at t'E< 4;+ YuE ltrAn: #, fE 6 , Zhe zud qingzhEnsi sh6rune shihou YUE Hin: Zhdnggu6 ydu hdn du6 r6n xinfCng John: ^ This mosque what time John: China has ve.y many people believe(in) lT *-hl t lri.t*& o*t xiljiin de? Yisildnjiiro ma? built ? Islam religion? g,l J-+.fi, 't t,l€f )*rL 996+, j-**il t Wdng Dili: TE chuAngjiinyri g6nryu6n iidiirititni4n, dAo Wdng Dili: Zhiydro shi Hufui xinfing Ylsildn Wang Dali : It first built in A.D. 996 yeal untrl Wang Dali: Mainly is Hui nationality beheve (in.r lslim tn,flf-ri6L + + hh &, XtJhlJ .{r fr xiinzdri yijing y6u shdrng qilin ni6n de jido, bi6 de mfiwi y6 ydu -*oyixi6. now already have up to thousand years' religion, other natir.mality^i:*. also have some. tfi *_ T. fi f i{+ €+ ?at #, ttr + *>tw.d._ ,\z Iishi le. l'6uyri gui,qi liinniAn YUE Hin: Ni qir c6ngudn guo ma? history. Because past successive year John: You (have) go (to) visit? }\ + , s'l fr,+ilifr it. E AXfi frl l1r'- zhinzh6ng. jidfdrngqiin +€.. -9.d. *-{N dio zh| zud WAng DAli: Qitguo. LibiEn de jiinzhir h6n war, until liberation before this Wang Dali : (Flarre) go. Inside architecture very iB€.+ ;di, Lti nk rE ;rlL qlngzhEnsi E ff, , )f" k iLl+ ffi d iiir yijing pd iin h6ngwCi. guEng shi libiidiin jiil y6u mosque already wrecked land) old magnificent, merely prayer hall just have APRIL 1982 71 a ,i E. +i )i-. r$ EI r^,1 A Notes liirbli pingfingmi. QiAngbishing kEzhi l. Niujie Mosque. 600 square mete$. Wall on carved The mosque is called this because it is located +h f,t + ,4 on Niu (Ox) Street in a neighborhood where many *fr! *.fA i * " jlngm6i de Aldb6w6n Gil4njing. Chinese Muslims live. elegant Arabic language scriptures. Koran 2. Acertaintimestressed byshi. . . de k ... a1. 4u" a'l'r ,\ * nr- 1 ++ This sentence structure is often used to stress Cdnguin de r6n yeo tud le xid that something happened at a certain time. Te Visiting people should take off shoes shi zu6tifln l6i de 4LLB+n+6i ([t was yesterday 'Ihe t frv it+. he came). character shi €, but not de 6t, is e6i n6ng jinqu. often omitted in both statements and questions. then can enter. Zhd zud qingzhEnsi (shi) yiqidnnidn yiqidn xi-fljiin zath, T Ei.n ttr" r* *\ + 4u. de iits,i4 +(ft)-t 1-rtfrfr*-af (This mosque Yu6 Hirn: Xiirxingqi ni pdi w6 ldi cinguin was built a thousand years ago). John: Next week you accompany me come visit ,4t The negative form is to place bir 6 before shi ,k,*t 4X ,(- fr and shi cannot be omitted. Te b[ shi zu6ti6n yi ci, hio ma? Jlntiin m6i y6u {, ft l6i de ,ft (He comeyesterday). one time. all right? Today not have T ks? f-*a1J did not flt One cannot say Td bri zu6tidn l6i de 4t k*61. I'ii ! " shijiin le. Everyday Expressions ^af time l. €+ li{nni6n year after year Lkfi, T v.(. &.+ viffi lidnnidn zdihu[ng famine year after Wdng Dirli: K6yi. year Wang Dali : All right. €++r( li6nni6n fEngshdu burnper harvests ' year 4fler year Translation 2. .{a 4 xinfdng believe in, be a foilower of xinfing Yisildnjiio follower John: What is the place we just passed? li +if $ ":*. be a of Islam Wang Dali : A nrosque. John: I thought it was different from the Buddhist 4i +1tr,4k xinfdng F6jiio believe in Buddhism temple we visited last time 3. E l+, h6ngrv€i magnificent, grand jiirnzhri Wang Dali : Yes. They are different in structure, layout and ft'{xra 'fi hringwEi magnificent architec- decoration. This one is Islamic in architec- ture tural style. +q"&Z1fi guim6 h6ngwEi on a grand scale. John: When was this mosque built? Exercises Wang Dali: It was first built in 996 A.D., so it has a history of nearly a thousand years. Through years of l. Briefly describe the Mosque on Niujie Street. war. by the time of liberation it was in pretty 2. Writethefollowingsentences usingtheshi. . .de bad shape. construction and then change thern into nega- John: Have religious activities been held here since tive sentences. liberati on ? (t) Wang Dali : Yes, in China all nationalities are equal and ,\1e80++ f E. there freedorn of religion. This mosque N.++)& is Q) [, &#i r " was rebuilt after liberation. Now Muslims come (s) *"LEtatx,.lnA ,-il t; ! here every day for religious services. " +, 3. Read the following passage: E John: Are many people in China followers of Islam? e 4 l-lv,t" 1-{ , f6it-+ lf i,t ! at nL l+ + , lVang Dali: They are mainly the Hui people, but also some # people of other nationalities. is,trrLr++ fy"ftr,&att B T trr* +8. F h, *tfi n a 4 tr\ John: Have you ever visited the mosque? {E7(-r+ iLEiL+++AHJ,a.ffi d6t. a.1?iit !.*- " tr Wang Dali : Yes. The architecture is magnificent. The hl#fri("*t. i*.E+d,l€f a\ iLs96+, 4l,n lL L E prayer hall alone covers 600 square meters. v|.d : -L++h1rtfr *-l " *-fi"hki.fi" 4X-46ilk"" ::. On its walls are beautifully carved quotations fbilt*+ffi *.rf,?ideiLft 411Fifi+4y4+tLfi A, i from the Koran in Arabic language. Visitors " 1 lk, E)v,fi Al el A$ r,li8g d . hdve to take off their shoes before they can $#{r *+)ta;* lL enter. Correction )t." John: Can you accompany me to visit it next week? In the Janirary 1982 Language Corner, Lesson i3 /_1 We don't have time today. (p.78), the characters in the 4th Chinese of 4 +sI line H Wang Dali; Certainly. the seocond column should be XE. E ffi 72 CIIINA RECONSTRUCI'S Two-Sided Embroidery Many kinds of embroidery go back thousands of years in China. One type, however, using rich and subtle sbades of wool to create three-dimensional pictures, was originally adapted from Italian techniques and brought to China in the lgth century. After liberation, othe.r innovations evolved rapidly. Notable was a technique of double-sided embroidery which shows the same picture on both sides. Recently, it was followed by an even more exacting method of creating a different picture on each side. Subject matter includes animals, birds, flowers, fish, Chinese scenery and famous paintings. The embroidery above, showing a dog on one side and a rabbit on the other, was displayed at a recent national exhibition. It was created by designer Xu Xunying, a Master of Handicrafts at Changzhou's Handicrafts Research Institute. fq-r It K ++ f, * tl; Ii n ::l r in :,i Chinese Women's Team Wins .lrl World Volleyball Championship I ,:j a ,s fl n n o e ar '5 =. G A ;! r-'. 1.r J o ti -;.':,. t( ':: .. p !=. .i .l @ ,t" ];l::,r ,-. @ iil Year of the f)og o ii ::.r, g t :', l, o ii {t @ .l::_ c ij ;o 9. .:jl.r -. o, 3 P .1.>-;L T '1.. ot -- 1- I .r , -.. {,1 ot 111 olot o-l Il i" .r "' ol iir::--. r.i ,i I .; a-r -. r. 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