'HUNGKING, the provisional capital of El situated 1,500 miles up the Yangtze river in the foot-hills of the great mountain ranges of central Asia, is a city older than Rome, But it was practically unknown to the western world till the giant panda was captured in the bamboo covered mountains to the north and shipped out by aeroplane through Chungking to the zoos of the world, a few years ago. This year aeroplanes and Japanese, not pandas, have brought Chungking to the world's notice, for in the last few months this inland metropolis has suffered some thirty raids, and thousands were killed and wounded Before the work of honey-combing the hills on which the city stands was completed, supplying dug-outs to house perhaps 200,- 000 people.
In the meantime a quarter of the business area has been reduced to ruins.
The Government has done everything possible to compel civilian residents to evacuate the city, but sufficient still remain to crowd the streets. And perhaps they are right to remain, for no other city in China is so well protected by nature and by man to withstand the dread peril from the air. Im Chengtu and all the cities on the Szechuan plain, if you dig down three feet you come to water; dug-outs are impossible to construct.
Being the capital of China, Chun; king has a considerable population of foreigners connected with Embassies fund Consulates, In addition to many businessmen," missionaries, educa tionalists, Journalists and' others. Hence it' may be of interest to hear just what an alr-raid in Chungking like, In general the raids occur fat duke or else on clear nights from About the 10th to the 20th of the moon, which is full on the 18th.
The raiders set out from their base at Hankow, 600 miles down the Yang tze, eastward towards Shanghai. The Chinese Intelligence system is good, and as soon as the Japanese planes eave Hankow Chungking is informed in detail by radio, and all towns and Yook-out posts west of Hankow are on the watch and broadcast radio news of the Invaders. If the planes pass Ichang west-bound it is certain that they are bound for Szechuan, but the frst alarm or "ching pay'
not sounded until they fy over the Hupeh-Szechuan border town of Patung. This alarm is a steady sounding of a factory whistle.. From that time It is about an hour the enemy can arrive over Chungking.
Pirst Alarm when the firt ching pao sounds, all Government oe, banks, busi= mess house, everybody In fact, places there "most valimble' records" and powesslons in_sultcanes," wicker Trunks, ete, always kept at hand, and those re roamoved to places 9¢ safely Inthe: hills"outside the ely oF In dugouts. There. is a. tremendous ely exodus of ears, trucks and buses to country hide-outs_ beyond the city limits, and anybody may" Ma trid stop any mooter vehicle not full and get a D out: private cars, Which safe always full anyway, nee Exempt from this practic, however. This may take Afteen or 20 minutes, 'Than people place passpors, cheque books cath," jewellery and other valuables in small si eases or bret nse tea thermos flack of tea water, and fon, and. the vemalning Population. steams in sow, orderly Froups. through the. atvets' and up the han canyon sider othe NCIC isa ight raid, cletele torches cor candles sre also desirable equip: iment And Tight bamboo stools and if'you are smoker, cigarettes and male hes. And a sprinkling of ellroholla is a wise precaution s mosqul-{oes and every sort of winged pest are Sled with the enemy one. are pre-fant in. huge. numbers. Nobody AMlowed to move an the streets atter the YUrgent™are "blood-curdling Hen—sounds, unt the "All Clear tenerally thee. hours later. Bolweeh the "Urgent" and the actual arrival of the enemy planes there encratiy a tape' of (wanty minutes
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.