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CHINA VISIT:

Most participants were able to visit the neighbouring province of Guangdong (Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian & Burmese could not joined). The visit was co-sponsored by the HK Christian Council and in Guangdong; the team was hosted by the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee.

Group picture in Guangzhao

Guangzhou (Canton city) was the primary base used by the team. It is a historical visit since the WSCF-HKCC team was the first ecumenical student/youth delegation ever to visit Christian friends across the Hong Kong border.

Guangzhou, in many ways, is not the ideal place to pick up the vibrations of socialist reconstruction in Ching. One reason to substantiate it is the proximity to Hong Kong. Visitors from HK using the rail route use Guangzhou as the first entry point and the influx of tourists has left some visible differences in the mood of the city. To us going from Hong Kong, we felt it was another part of Hong Kong sans tall buildings and plus a million bicycles! Nonetheless it was a historic visit that opened new avenues of contacts with Chinese Christians. It was also an important pedagogical experience for the participants to see and

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Sunday Service in Guangzhao Local Church

learn from first-hand experience the socialist experiment in Asia. Despite the misgivings some may have on the socialist development in China, it is still a relevant and bold experiment that other Asian countries can hope to relate to.

The visit albeit characterised by a plethora of visits to churches and congregations left plenty of room from questions and clarifications. A visit to a commune, a factory, schools, the university and dialogues with people provided ample opportunities to raise questions on the new emphasis in China being termed by sceptical scholars as "Socialism with a Capitalist tail".

The group particularly pursued the questions of freedom of religion and other democratic rights, the visible growth of individual traders especially in Guangzhou city, the role of trades unions and participation in ideological debates; and on the new emphasis of "private businesses".

It would be presumptuous to attempt to answer them here in a few lines. The group was repeatedly told of the importance of looking at these questions in a historical perspective particularly with reference to the havoc created during the era of "Cultural Revolution". Many wrongs of that era are now being corrected and there is a surge of creativity and enthusiasm in New China.

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When we pursued the question of individual traders in the city, we were able to discover that not all products come within the purview of 'free enterprise'. What was allowed to come to the city were the "non-staple" foods like vegetables, meat, fish, poultry and eggs which are also perishable items. These marketing outlets which act as a supplement to the socialist economy takes away the wastage and spoilage created by the employment of a large network of sales outlets run by the State. The principle of "walking on two legs" is applied in this case. There is flexibility in minor affairs like this and as a book on China's economy states: "monopoly by State commerce without

Rush-hour in town

leadership by State commerce be beneficial. Capitalism cannot run rampant as long as the socialist economy enjoys absolute predominance".

The reflections of the team members further led to the examination of the socialist economy and people's rights in China. The group had to resort to the use of official state publications to find answers to a number of questions. What emerged as the dominant concern was the new quality of life of the people in China. It was accepted that a certain amount of economic equality was achieved, but there are many other areas where New China has still to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The role and position of women in China is one such question. The strong feudal ties and mentality has given rise to the phenomenon of "female infanticide" in the light of

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School Children at the Kindergarten

China's strict family planning policies. While there is political and economic liberation, there are still miles to go on the cultural front. An overall evaluation of the "visit to China" from a micro perspective of Gangzhou and neighbouring villages created the distinct impression that mass poverty and malnourishment are totally absent. These are some of the maladies other Asian countries are still combating despite three decades of "development" planning. This visit also gave the positively for action for social transformation to some participants who thought that if a large nation like China can change the relations of production in favour of the people, then other nations can. But much needs to be done before that and it was this realisation and determination that some left for home with.