Recollections of my early years in China

From 1947-49, I lived in Tsingtao, China. Although under the age of six, I still have memories that will remain with me for a lifetime. I often wonder if what experienced there could happen in our country? Here are some issues that took place during the late 1940s — just before the collapse of the mainland Chinese Nationalist government:

Disrespect for the rule of law: Back then, this concept became capricious. As an example, one day my mother and I were stopped in our black ‘41 Plymouth at a downtown intersection. A policeman on a pedestal was directing traffic. To my right were two figures — a rickshaw operator and a Chinese military officer. They appeared to be in an argument over fees. The rickshaw boy began tugging on the officer’s sleeve. I believe he was saying something like, “gei wo qian” or “pay me!”

The policeman observing the conflict calmly walked over, pulled out his revolver and shot the rickshaw boy in the head — leaving his horrid remains lying on the street. He then resumed his traffic duties as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

A country divided: A civil war was raging between the Nationalists and the Communists. By 1949, the Communists had succeeded in driving the free marketeers to the island of Formosa (now Taiwan).

But the mainland under Mao Zedong did not become his predicted socialist paradise. Instead, millions starved or were persecuted by the Communist regime. Things did not improve until the 1970s when the Chinese government realized the advantages of a capitalist market and began commercial trade with the West.

Gap between the “haves” and “have-nots:” During the late 1940s, this divide had reached extreme points, coupled with a small middle-class squeezed in the center. I remember how the golf course in Tsingtao was groomed. Several hundred women would get on their hands and knees. Each was given a pair of scissors, and according to my mother, paid one penny per day (about 11 cents at today’s inflated rates). People were so poor they did not consider this as cruelty but were happy to receive the paltry sum.

Crime had reached uncontrollable levels :We lived in a house on the bay surrounded by barbed wire. Armed guards were posted around the perimeters at night. When my mother parked our car downtown, our “houseboy” would sit on the hood to prevent pilfering of the vehicle’s parts.

The value of human life became meaningless: One fall day, my father was flying on a C-47 (DC-3) with the Chinese military. Except for the pilots, the Chinese flew these planes without seats and doors. While cruising at 10,000 feet, a soldier got up to look out the back door opening. At that point, a fellow soldier kicked him in the rear. The unsuspecting trooper plunged to a freefalling death. Human life had become so valueless that the victim’s fellow soldiers thought the murderous act was hilarious — including the Chinese officer in charge.

Currency inflation from runaway government spending was unmanageable: My father sold our eight-year-old Plymouth for $2 million in Chinese money. He might as well have given the vehicle away for what the currency was ultimately worth.

Corruption of government officials was common and went unpunished: These people were strictly out for themselves. In the late 1940s, the U.S. government gave the Chinese defense ministry planes and other equipment to fight the insurgents. A person responsible for armament distribution sold the equipment to the Communists, pocketed the money and skipped the country.

Persecution of those who saw things differently: My older sister remembers our houseboy pleading in desperation: “Please, Little Missy. Take me with you to America!" He knew the Communists would show no mercy and kill anyone who had worked for, or associated with Americans. Wong had harmed no one. He simply had done what was necessary for him to ensure his family’s survival.

An attempt to destroy the country’s cultural heritage: From 1966 to 1976, students and others, inspired by mob rule and communist ideals, tried to eradicate any connection to the country’s historical past. But there is an ironic twist to this story: In the 1980s when the Chinese realized the error of their ways, my mother, a docent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, taught many young Chinese visitors their history. It was not given to them in school — only Marxist/Maoist propaganda.

So, are there any similarities to what is happening in the United States or the Western world today? Perhaps nothing to this extreme — at least not yet, anyway. But if history has taught us anything, it is that all great countries rise and fall. Most people never see it coming until it is too late.

Let’s hope younger generations understand their history and avoid various fatal mistakes made by those in the past. Truth is, no nation is immune from its own suicidal ignorance. Steve Hansen is a Lodi writer.