Ｓｎｏｗ’ｓ Ｕｎｉｑｕｅ Ｃｏｎｔｒｉｂｕｔｉｏｎｓ

——In Communicating to the World About the Chinese Revolution， in Promoting Sino-US Understanding and Better Ties

Part II

When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949， Edgar Snow was one of the earliest and most insistent American voices for US recognition of China’s new government (see Israel Epstein’s speech on Oct.18， 2000). In 1959， he again felt that the recognition of the PRC would lead to the negotiation of disputes including the Taiwan question that were still pending between America and China.

In the 1950s， Snow was one of the many China experts in the US persecuted by Senator McCarthy’s witch hunt of so-called “agents of international communism who sold China to the Russians”， as a result， America has “lost China”. Snow eloquently refuted， he wrote in his autobiographical Journey to the Beginning: “China was not， and could not have been ‘sold out’ by any Americans. China was never for a moment ours to sell it. The Chinese revolution was a product of Chinese history…” Snow’s biographer， John Maxwell Hamilton noted that “Snow distinguished himself from many Americans in recognizing that …other countries could not copy the United States… China and others had to find their own way.” Because of his honest and accurate report on the Chinese revolution and his advocacy of rapprochement between China and the USA， Ed was hunted and suffered all kinds of hardship and had to leave the US and lived out his life in Switzerland.

In the more than two decades of estrangement in Sino-US relations， there were little or no contacts between the Chinese and American peoples. Lack of contacts and exchange of visits between peoples and the media could only breed misunderstanding and suspicion， giving an opportunity for bigots to sow animosity between the two peoples

Ed Snow had wanted to revisit China， and make a first hand assessment of the changes in the intervening years and how they affected the Chinese people in all walks of life. But “the Secretary (John Foster Dulles) managed for years to keep America effectively cut off from any direct news of the great story of the Chinese revolution.” (The Other Side of the River) Ed had not expected that his way back to China “would be blocked” by his own government. “It was only after several years of efforts in overcoming the obstacles imposed by the US State Department， after much haggling with the State Department， permission was finally given for him ‘legally’ to enter China as a writer， accredited as a representative of Look magazine”.

Ed Snow again became the first pre-war resident American correspondent to break the blockade imposed by his own government to visit the PRC and thus he began making his unique contribution to promoting understanding and better ties between New China and the US.

Ed Snow arrived in June 1960 and stayed for 5 months. It was on this occasion that my husband Chen Hui and I made Snow’s acquaintance. We were both working in the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry. As Director Kung Peng’s assistant， I was in charge of organizing and coordinating Snow’s entire visit， and Chen Hui interpreted for him during his interviews with Mao Zedong in Zhongnanhai and with Zhou Enlai both in Beijing and on a trip to Miyun Reservoir.

Snow was warmly welcomed in China. He met all his old friends whom we could locate. He worked out his itinerary and program in China with Huang Hua and Kung Peng. He wanted to revisit places far and wide that he had known under the KMT rule so that he would be able to “judge changes and whether people were faring better or worse”. He also tried to find answers to many hardheaded questions that were on the minds of people outside China， such as the state of the Chinese economy， the relationship between the Party and the people， the relationship between China and the US， is China a Soviet satellite country etc. “With Premier Zhou’s help and with the aid of modern air transport and much improved railway system”， Snow traveled extensively. “In 5 months I visited scores of factories， hospitals， schools， urban and rural commune enterprises， projects large and small—dams， reservoirs， bridges and power plants under construction， steel mills， coal mines， machine-building plants.” “I got close to the Siberian border in Heilongjiang， reached the sea at Dairen， retraced old steps in Inner Mongolia and the Northwest， traversed the Yellow River country and saw Chungking and West China again， spent some weeks in the Yangtze Valley and got as far south as Yunan， on the borders ofBurma and Vietnam. I saw something of nineteen principal cities in fourteen of China’s 22 provinces. My interviews with China’s leaders， from Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai to the youngest cadres， numbered more than 70. And I talked with soldiers， peasants， workers， intellectuals， students， composers， teachers， doctors， lawyers， scientists， journalists， former acquaintances， ex-capitalists， nomads， prisoners， priests， ex-landlords， jailers， union leaders， V. D. specialists， movie stars， poets， Mongols， Tibetans， Miaos， Lisus， Mohammedans， assorted foreign diplomats and one ex-emperor…” “I think I know more about all these people than I could possibly have understood had I never returned to China.” (Red China Today: the Other Side of the River pp.21-22)

Snow gave a very comprehensive report about his visit in the book entitled: Red China Today: the Other Side of the River. It was full of facts and figures， but woven with background information and personal observations and interpretations that gave the readers a long perspective. The book told about the achievements made， and it also discussed some problems and shortcomings that existed at the time， dispelling some myths about China that were current in western media. He was impressed by the fundamental changes that were taking place in areas where he knew. For instance， about the ghost town he saw in 1929， Paotou “has now undergone an astounding transformation， to become China’s main heavy-industry base for the development of the Middle Northwest， and is also a principal political base in Mongolia.” (ditto p.49)“In ten years Paotou had grown from a war-town and famine-ravaged frontier town of 90，000 survivors， to a metropolis of 1，320，000 inhabitants.” “Aside from the big Paotou Steel Mill， one sees lots of factories of some kind and the building of residences， shops， theatres， schools， administrative buildings and public playgrounds.” (ditto p.51). The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was set up as in Tibet and other four autonomous regions that were self-governing administrative bodies under the central government. The national minorities were also represented in the National People’s Congress， the highest legislative power organ in the nation. Language and culture of each minority were preserved and flourished. In Chungking where one used to find many beggars and hooligans in streets， now they were all gone. In Yunan one no longer finds the growing of opium poppies which used to be prevalent. In Shanghai， “gone the pompous wealth beside naked starvation”， gone “the armored ships on the Huangpoo protecting foreign lives and property.” “The Bund where Chinese and dogs were not admitted was turned into a recreation center，” “gone the wickedest and most colorful city of the Orient.” (ditto pp.529-530).

Everywhere people were enthusiastically engaged in socialist construction. Together with George Hatem， the doctor who ventured into the Red Base with Snow in 1936， they reflected: “I was reminded of something overlooked by those who mistake China’s current food crisis as the sum total of the revolution. That is the simple fact that behind all the propaganda stand millions of unknown and unsung men and women who have successfully and devotedly carried out the real work of releasing half a billion people from a heritage of dense ignorance and superstition， widespread disease， illiteracy and universal poverty. The task is far from accomplished， but the foundations of a modern civilization have been laid， with little outside help， and against handicaps to which Americans have made heavy contributions. These foundations will last…China is bigger than any government. Because this government has been doing things for China it has been able to command support even from many who are opposed to communism.” (ditto P.280-281) At the same time， Snow pointed out that there was still a long way ahead for the Chinese people.

During this visit， one topic， which Snow deemed so important as to warrant a separate article in Look magazine before the book was published， was the verbatim transcript of two interviews with Zhou Enlai on China’s policy towards the United States published in full on Jan. 31， 1961. It was the first authoritative presentation of China’s policy toward the United States that appeared in Western media. This consistent position of China was also incorporated in the first Shanghai Communiqué signed during President Richard Nixon’s first visit to China in February 1972. It is the corner stone of normalization between China and the United States.

Zhou separated the China-US issue from the mainland-Taiwan issue and pointed out that they were two distinct issues. “We hold that the dispute between China and the US in the Taiwan region is an international question; whereas military action between the Central Government of New China and Chiang Kai-shek clique in Taiwan is an internal question. So far as the former was concerned， the United States must withdraw its military forces from Taiwan and the Taiwan Straits.” Zhou said that “it is also inconceivable that there can be diplomatic relations between China and the US without a settlement of the dispute between the two countries in the Taiwan region.” Zhou gave a brief account of the dispute between China and the US in the Taiwan region. He said: “After the liberation of China， the US Government declared that it would not interfere in the internal affairs of China and that Taiwan was China’s internal affair. As a matter of fact， Taiwan was restored to the then government of China in 1945， after the Japanese surrender.” “After war broke out in Korea in June， 1950， Truman changed the policy and adopted a policy of aggression toward China. While sending troops to Korea the US at the same time dispatched the 7th fleet to the Taiwan Straits and exercised military control over Taiwan. Beginning from that time the United States started new aggression against China”， which was sternly condemned by the Chinese Government. Later on， the US troops in Korea crossed the 38th parallel and pressed on toward the Yalu River， in spite of warning by the Chinese Government. “The Chinese people could only take the action of volunteering support to Korea in its war of resistance against the US.” “After two years of negotiations an armistice was at last reached in Korea. By 1958 Chinese troops had withdrawn completely from Korea. But up till now US troops are still hanging on in South Korea and will not withdraw. Moreover， the US is still controlling Taiwan with its land， sea and air forces， and the US navy and air forces are still active in the Taiwan Straits. This proves that the US government continues to pursue policies of aggression and war toward China.” (p.89 The Other Side Of the River) In spite of US aggression against China， the Chinese Government “at the very outset proposed that disputes between China and the US， including the dispute between the two countries in the Taiwan region， should be settled through peaceful negotiations， without resorting to the use or threat of force”. This principle must be agreed upon between China and the US in their talks. The second principle that must be agreed upon is “the US must agree to withdraw its armed forces from Taiwan and the Taiwan Straits.” “This is the crux of the dispute between China and the United States.” If US policy aimed at manufacturing “two Chinas”， the scheme would be opposed not only by mainland China but also by the Kuomintang and the Chinese in Taiwan. And it would only tie things up in knots in Sino-US relations. Zhou said that “we believe that a solution to Sino-US relations will ultimately be found; it is only a question of time.” “We do not believe that the people of the US will allow their government indefinitely to pursue a policy of aggression and the threat of war against China.” “There is no conflict of basic interest between the peoples of China and the United States， and friendship will eventually prevail.” (The Other Side of the River pp.88-92)

But it took a decade for the US government to pay more serious attention to what Zhou Enlai had told Edgar Snow in the book Red China Today: the Other Side of the River. In the meantime there was US armed intervention growing into a large scale war in Vietnam that it could not win nor avert its impact on US society. It was only after learning the lessons of the limits of its power that the US Government began to take a new and more objective look at the forces at play in the international arena and to reconsider its policy toward China.

In 1970， Snow visited China for the third and last time since 1960， and became the harbinger of thaw in Sino-US relations by reporting his interviews with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai who gave him the official word “to transmit to the United States the message that US President Richard Nixon would be welcome to visit China， either as a tourist or in an official capacity. This prompted a breakthrough， and Life magazine published two articles by Snow made that invitation known”. (Edgar Snow by Mary Clark Dimond)

. Edgar Snow received a message from Nixon in early Feb. 1972 acknowledging that his “distinguished career is so widely respected and appreciated”. Snow was to have come to China to cover the Nixon visit which began the process of normalizing US-China relations. But illness kept him in bed and he died on the 15th of Feb. the very same week that Nixon was traveling to China.

In 1979， the Chinese government and the US government established diplomatic relations， on conditions that the US should sever “diplomatic relations” and abrogate the “mutual defense treaty” with the Taiwan authorities and withdraw US military forces from Taiwan. The US government recognizes the PRC government as the sole legal government of China…and it acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. In 1982 another joint communiqué on the issue of US arms sale to Taiwan authorities was signed. These developments seemed to match what Snow had predicted and aspired and worked for.

Though many years have passed but it has been the concern of people in both countries that in view of the strategic interest of both countries， PRC and the US government should have a much healthier and better relationship. On the part of China， I think it is appropriate to quote the message of Mao Zedong which he gave Ed in 1960.

Mao Zedong asserts that as long as he is alive China will never resort to international war as a means of settling disputes， but that China will always oppose the export of counterrevolution. “We on our part will shoulder the responsibility of world peace， Mao told me he wished the American people to understand， “whether or not the United States recognizes China， or whether or not we get into the United Nations， we will not defy all laws， human and divine， like the Monkey King who stormed the Palace of Heaven. We want to maintain world peace. We do not want war. We hold that war should not be used as a means to settle disputes between nations. However， not only China but the United States as well has the responsibility to maintain peace.”

One other thing—“For as long as I am alive，” he said， “Taiwan is China’s affair. We will insist on this.”

In this respect， Ed Snow made the following reflections in his last book The Long Revolution: “A world of relative peace between states is as necessary to China as to America.” He also wrote in the last chapter of his book The Other Side of the River: “We must have faith that the American nation also has a better sense of the general direction of history and in the end will have more to say about the future than some of the strategists of the moment. Whether we shall eventually carry (America) onto the higher ground of a victory shared with all men depends upon the ability of our ‘alert and knowledgeable citizenry’ to see beyond immediate selfish interests， and act far more objectively than they have ever been required to do before.”

Edgar Snow had passed away but as Chairman Mao wrote in his message of condolence: “Mr. Edgar Snow is a friend of the Chinese people. He devoted his whole life in making arduous effort for promoting mutual and better understanding between the peoples of China and America and made important contribution. He shall always live in the hearts of the Chinese people.”

The author is vice president of the China Society for People’s Friendship Studies. This article is a speech at the International Symposium “Understanding China: Centennial Commemoration of Edgar Snow’s Birth” on July 19， 2005