Show n Canton f r ra 1 y t 1 r r s F Fr r s i In a Chinese Spaghetti Factory Prepared by the National Geographic Society Washington D D. C C. Canton seat of ot government of Sun Yat Sen president of the South China Republic which recently fell to supporters supporters sup sup- porters of the rival rIyal Peking government government government govern govern- ment Is the seed-bed seed in which the first Western Ideas sprouted In China Chinn Ideas Ideas which some optimistic observers ers bell believe eye will continue to grow until the he country is as fully Westernized as Japan There are now many centers for the spread of Western culture In China but Canton will always alwa's retain letain the Ule Interest that attaches to the point f entry and probably for or a long time timet time timet t will continue to be the scene of greatest progress It was In 1517 that Canton began h In T ht n. n I I l I I is lIS the uie West vesi in t UKU UI a year just twenty five years after Columbus dl discovered America the Portuguese obtained permission to trade rade with the Cantonese Later the Dutch the English the French and finally the Yankees sent their ships and traders to the city For a time timet It t was the time only city which the authorities author- author ties lUes of China permitted to have intercourse Inter inter- course ourse with the Western barbarians But the Canton door was not kept open pen without a n heavy foot being thrust In n It from time to time Chinese and European commercial and governmental government government- al 1 practices and general customs were so o different that they inevitably clashed lashed when they first met Such heavy eavy trading taxes were levied and ando so o many restrictions Imposed at this treaty keatY port that Fur European traders were almost ruined On their part the Westerners introduced opium against the wishes of the Chinese officials and the general misunderstandings led to wars with England and France As Asa a n result of the time wars Canton was established established more and more firmly as Chinas China's open door Cantons Canton's priority was not alone In trade The first Roman Catholic missionarIes missionaries missionaries mis mis- to China settled In lt 1571 71 at Macao a few miles down the the- river from Canton and ten years later began began be be- gan work In Canton Itself The city too had one of the first Mohammedan mosques to be he among the Chinese and there In 1807 1507 the first missionary to China settled It has since become one of the most Important missionary centers In the country Contact with the Occident Slight racial differences seem to have made the Cantonese to begin with more alert than the Chinese of other regions but the they undoubtedly have been quickened and unel made more progressive pro b by the constant stimulus of ot contact with Westerners during the past years ears A spirit of ot competition tion and emulation was awakened among the merchants and men in public public public pub pub- lic life ute which by degrees reflected reelected itself It Itself Itself It- It self In numerous ways was In the life Ufe of Canton But above all nIl things the Western visitors aroused the curiosity t ty of at the Cantonese with the result that they became the emigrants par pur excellence of ot China Thousands of them have sojourned In the United States and Canada South America South Africa Australia and Europe More lore Important still In recent years ears young Chinese have been returning from th tha United States and Europe after atter a Western college training and anda a n considerable proportion of them have found their way to Canton As fixed us as are the ways of China these ChInese Chinese Chinese Chi ChI- nese who have bave lived under Western stern Institutions or who have bave carefully studIed studied stud- stud led Western ways WD'S have e not failed tailed when they have bave returned to their native na na- live tive city to modify conditions In some some- wise It Is not strange then that from Canton has come on numerous occasions pressure n against conservative conservative conserva conserva- tive Uve Peking for reform and at times revolution Some sort of breach brench between between be be- tween north and south China was Inevitable Inevitable In In- evitable in recent years ears and it was equally Inevitable that Canton greatest greatest great great- est city of the South should lead It Although throughout most of ot the years ealS since the fir first t contact with Europeans the leaden leaen of ot Western Ideas Idea has hus been working In Canton even as recently as os three years ears ago it had done little to lift th time teeming old city of more than a n million souls from its thoroughly Chinese appearance appearance appear appear- ance and customs Its narrow alle alley alley- like streets none too clean hemmed In In by low houses and set off ocr by oy great black and gold and ond black and red signs were the time streets of any typical Chi Chi- acm town through brough them pattered the bare feet of coolies like Uke tho those e of their countless predecessors who whose e calloused calloused cal cal- I loused soles have worn deep channels in the flagstones Al Along ng the river riverbanks riverbanks riverbanks banks are still stille anchored i acrel-i acm ee and acres of ot small brown flimsy hoots boats in each of which a family lives as ns their ancestors did In Ia the time of ot Marco Polo After Canton was vas made the seat of government for the Southern Republic lic lie of China changes in its appearance were rapid In place of the old system system tem tern of government In which the rulIng ruling ruling rul rul- rul- rul ing of the time city was merely incidental to the time government of the province a n carefully worked out municipal government government government govern govern- ment was Vae constructed with all the modern mod mod- modern ern trimmings It might be id idas as ns a sort of combination of the time American AmT AmT- lean ican commission plan with a Capitalistic Capital tl Soviet system A young oung Chinese graduate of two American colleges colle g who had specialized in the study of municipal government was made may may- or With a commission of six department department depart depart- ment heads beads he formed the time executive body Cantons Canton's board of al aldermen ermen who took charge of legislation under the new regime was called the Municipal pal Advisory council Of Its 30 members members mem mem- bers hers ten were appointed by the governor governor gov gov- of the time province ten chosen In a general election and ten were elected by certain groups Including the chamber chamber chamber cham cham- ber of ot commerce the educational as- as n. n doctors lawyers engineers and labor guilds Modernizing the City Ir Id In the few years this his government go lasted It left its mark on ancient Can Can- ton Where only narrow alleys existed existed exist exist- ed el before thousands of houses were razed and broad streets put through canals were filled in to make other I thoroughfares and finally the old city wall crumbling with time the age of centuries centurIes centuries cen cen- was torn down and an encircling encircling ling boulevard constructed on its site The old wall had Its usefulness In death for Its stones were broken up and the time material used to surface the tho city's new streets The Th-c city government government government govern govern- ment of Canton even eYen provided public parks parks parks-a a hitherto unheard of thing for fora a Chinese city to do But though In Ia externals Canton has seen many changes In the past few years ears Its customs cling tenaciously sly The food of a large part of the Canton Canton Canton Can Can- ton populace Is not that of America In the markets one may buy not only the flesh of ot cattle and horses but also also also al al- al- al so that of ot dogs and snakes And an order for cat meat In a n Canton market market market mar mar- ket doesn't mean that the house pet petis is to be fed It means Just what it says The gourmet shopping In Canton Canton Canton Can Can- ton may have the choice of rats tats on the hoof In cages or may ma purchase the more convenient article with Its long curled tall And Ana If It this variety In meats Is not enough he will find for tor sale the flesh of ot lizards and the fins of sharks and by way of meat substitutes ancient eggs and dried oy oy- oy- oy The Time view which one gets of Canton from froni the few high vantage points discloses discloses discloses dis dis- closes a city of ot innumerable low flat fiat topped houses with here and there a tower breaking the monotony Two of these belong to a Christian cathe cathedral catte- catte dral one to a Mohammedan mosque moque and most of the remainder strangely enough h to the shops of Chinese pawn brol brokers ers Time The construction of ot these thew shops In the form forma of towers is said to tobe tobe tobe be in order that the valuables which they contain may be more easily guard guard- ed In late years too a n few office buildings and department stores have been constructed on the American plan and these nt at least relatively to the sea of low dwellings are skyscrapers sky scrapers Canton has been quick to take advantage advantage ad nd vantage of the opportunities that its Its recent boon hoon of wide streets lams bus given Where a l few years ears ago chairs chall's borne on tb shoulders of coolies constituted the time only form of human transportation through h the narrow alleys alles now automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles and amid omnibuses whisk about on the broadways s Of course throughout through through- out much of ot the city the streets still are arc wide enough only for chairs The white residents of Canton for forthe forthe forthe the most part live on an nn island of made land in the river separated from the time Chinese settlements by a wide canal Two wars wan were fought by lY treat beat Britain however largely for th the thed d d- d mission of foreigners to the city elty of Canton proper and some seine few whites take advantage e of this thlu hard earned privilege I I |