Shanghai, Sept. 8. THE ferry boats take you pleasantly from Shanghai to 'Woosung-in peaceful days. But the ferry-boats are idle. Kaochiao, that' Brighton of Shanghai in enwryo, has to peer across an empty beach to the troubled Yangtze where ships in strange sort loiter, hustle, speed now this way now that with never a hint of joyousness about them. Now that the} Whangpoo, from the Customs Jetty to its junction with the Yangtze and beyond, is fringed with dark-grey and black warcraft the journey for civilian travellers is tricky and mysterious. The familiar stopping places are closed. It is doubtful whether you could land even on the Shanghai and Hongkew Wharf. If you could you would have to return by the way you"came for you could not penetrate to the vacant taxi-booth and order a car. Nor would it come if you did. So there, within sight of the Cathay Hotel, you would be as much in the war zone as if you were in Paoshan at the moment.
AIL sorts. of, craft worry their way down "the They have" missions They. fly fags and courtesy the way to foreign warships ud somehow oF other they it's their qua of gunfire, Sputer'of machin haps a bullet's whir Indleates that saudi uses algo tin-hats, The trouble that no-one fa likely to use ether at down the are to be stilt draws "liner heve discharging her cargo and passengers for Shanghai.
"Thus the Journey reached the point Jat" which return had to. be. made [Again came the confused picture of Peaceful "green elds, well-known suburban pleasances, destroyed struc-tres and activities intended spread the scope of destruction. Into the waning light of the Tatish afternoon the journey developed. As the ihouette of Shanghai, black against of the sun, again came' was "aiteult to supe perceived that residence there has its Glsadvantages, "the poster becomes @lorlousfourish of optimism. Empty shells of factories and godowns pathetic sights. The Shanghai and Hongkew Whart Is warworn yet, baby a couple of days would put since the morning had ically changed that silhouette at [some point. 'But_no when' the Poo-{ung Point' was reached. despite. the booming and bombing and whirring heard as the ship sped through the sprayshooting waters, Shanghai teem Jed serenely itself, except for th thes of brown sandbagging on. the una Tous state, As for the Yukong ole welcome to visitors iddiod "by shot, enough trip from the point of view Jot the seeker after rest and relax tion. It "was "depressing to hi who could realize. what. stagnation was' there revealed," what" destrucing. Village has toi miseries of 1992—only more so. Bi Defore that point is reached it ts Ampossible not to shed a tear over the Civic Centre the graceful root of which has been fretted as if' a gig tantle saw had been at work and at work without any sense of symmetry] for design. Clouds of smoke around] the Centre showed that fighting ws pregreing there The Wine On appear ave had. the world, but an unquiet, Hidden stretch of water. whereon "only placid portent was. the poor blackness of what once was ive. humanity os it floated down stream, bearing marks of savagery yet Itself at peace. ace
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.