The strong voice of Shanghai was lifted in jubilation yesterday when a report of the recapture of Fengtai and Langfang by Chinese troops spread like wildfire through the Settlement. French Concession and Chinese territory. Fire-crackers—millions of them—erackled, sputtered, hurtled and boomed to express the joy felt by the native population Over the Chinese victories, Untold thousands milled in streets littered with the remains of crackers, shining eyes devoured the contents of news posters and extras, and ears strained to catch every least phrase of blaring radio broadcasts, Streets and alleyways, with magic suddenness, became serried with flags, and even river life assumed quickly the holiday aspect, with junks and sampans festooned and resonant with pyrotechnics, China's first: city was, in a trice, inexplicably and sweepingly en fete and none remain-td, apparently, who had not been infected by the exuberance of the tour, The agitation, it seemed, started Shortly after 1 p.m. from a focal area in Avenue Edward VII where Chinese newspapers began to issue the report in the form of quickly-off-the-press sheets, Crowds soon gathered outside the newspaper and cable offices there and it took the report mere minutes to mushroom over the city, calling forth jubilant reactions, Up went the national flag, crackling in the off-river breeze, over the Chung Wai Bank ud other tall buildings in Avenue Edward—and soon the whole city wore the red, White and blue colours. Motor-cars sped by draped with flags and with cotton sheets proclaiming the war news in large Chinese characters.
It was the firing of crackers, however, which constituted' the main feature of the celebration, Nanking Road, Avenue Edward VII, Szechuen Road, North Szechuen Road, Honan Road, Canton Road and many other important streets as well as a myriad
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.