Mr, Owen Lattimore, editor of radic Affairs" and a leading authority on the history and culture fof Manchuria and Mongolia, spoke fon "The Importance of the Frontier Regions of China" last. Wednesday at the tifin meeting-of the Pan-Pacific Association held' in the Metropole Hotel, Mr. L. T. Chen presided and introduced the speaker, who was, he said, one of the very few foreigners who read: both Chinese and. Mon-gollan literature.
In his address, Mr, Lattimore visualized the return of the trading feentres of the world from the sea coast to the Interior. Self-contained continents, he said, would hold an advantage over Powers with dominions dotted over different parts of the world. In particular he referred to the importance the frontier r of China, namely Mongolia, Sin) and neighbouring tracts of would have in the future, areas in question were at the point ff balance In that vast mast of land forming Europe and Asi "The Speaker said that the invasion of Manchuria by the Japanese had had a marked effect on Chinese in~ terests, which were now turning from the coasts to the Interior and 80 emphasizing the Importance of a continental land power.
Mr. Lattimore said it was not to shift inland to the centre of [gravity of China, was the! frontier regions of China, and the mere fact that the Central Government sent a man of Dr. Sven Hedin's ability to report on the possibilities fof motor roads and future railway ines in these regions, showed that the Government was alive to the situation.
These frontier regions, the speaker said, were inseparable from the his tor¥ of China, as their early history cannot be understood without refference o China. Yet while China was linked with Mongolia, Tibet, Central Asia, and Turkestan, the inhabitants were not Chinese and were very conscious of their own separate being. China and. these frontier regions were inseparable and yet Another Important consideration, the the speaker said, was the geography cal one and pointed out that few people realised to-day how revolu-Yonary the discovery of America by Columbus was. For it changed the whole history of the world and emphasized the Importance of sea power. To-day the reverse was taking place and the tendency was for large Self-contained countries, which fact was shown by the rise of Soviet much a change of interest reversion to the Ideas of th before that of overseas penetration of China, when in the period of the Tang Dynasty the northern frontier regions of China were Important trading centres, and places such os Turfan corresponded to Shanghai and Tientsin of to-day. Important cities had their own separate, fore lin quarters and concessions as is proved By" discoveries made In the desert, still in. fine preservation, of documents written In over twenty differ ent languages. The trades routes Were from north to south for centuries, but with the advance of over seas penetration the flow of trade moved to the coasts.
Situation tu Hand To-day the tendency was for me terest, both economical and_polltical,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.