Guy's Books and Thoughts

This is a detailed look at the �long march� by the Communists in the 1934. It might also be known as the �long retreat.� The author decided to retrace the steps of these marchers. She also talked to survivors of the march

One of the things which caught my attention was the non-weapons issues to which Mao devoted himself. Mao had thought about being either a teacher or a journalist. Interestingly enough the Communists did engage in education and �journalism.� They established schools and printed a daily newspaper. I suppose education was one way of winning the hearts and minds of the peasants. It was also a form of indoctrination. And to reinforce that indoctrination was the party newspaper. Another important issue which the Communists valued was communications. Their wireless operators were in constant communication with each other. In addition they could read the wireless messages of their Nationalists enemies, even when the enemy changed the code. In a way the Communist readings of their enemies code, reminds me of the American/ British reading of the German and Japanese codes. So bullets, guns and other physical weapons are not always sufficient to win a war. Good intelligence and good morale also make a difference. Good public relations also helps. Edgar Snow�s book RED STAR OVER CHINA gave favorable press to Mao, which may have aided in Mao�s eventual victory.

I don�t think many of the recruits joined the Communists because of the abstract ideology. I think in many cases they joined because they wanted a better existence. Recruits were promised material blessings such as being able to eat duck or pork everyday. But the trouble with these redistribution schemes is that they are not focused on the means of production. Sure one can kill a duck or pig of some �rich� landowner and �redistribute� it to some poor person. But once the duck or pig is eaten, then what? The Communists were not the only ones seeking to improve the life of the Chinese people. Christian missionaries also tried to help. The author relates the story of China Inland Missionary, Rudolf Bosshardt who had been captured by the Communists and held for ransom. Page 90 of Ms. Yushun�s book caught my attention. One of Mr. Bosshardt�s captors ridiculed his belief in God saying that he came from monkeys and that evolution was a fact. Yes, Darwin had impact even in China. In spite of the differences in beliefs some sort of friendship occurred. Mr. Bosshardt knew how to knit with the wool that was captured, using some old chopsticks. And this talent resulted in many requests for socks. Eventually the ransom amount was lowered and Mr. Bosshardt was released. He later wrote book about his experiences entitled THE RESTRAINING HAND. About 50 years later one of his captors, now a general made a search for Mr. Bosshardt, and reestablished contact with him. When Mr. Bosshardt died in 1993, this general sent a message of condolence to his family.

This book points out certain factors I should have been aware of. For instance, she points out that Chiang not only fought against the Communists, he also fought against provincial warlords. These warlords would sometimes help the Communists over Chiang. While I do not share the author�s enthusiasm for the marchers, I must admit the author has certainly done her homework in providing an informative account.