Turner of Spears

"People," said the tall, amiable Chinese in his Manhattan apartment last week, "are always progressing." In 67 years, China's Feng Yu-hsiang (known to the West as the "Christian General") has progressed at a fabulous pace. These days, a good many Americans who call themselves liberals hail him as a great Chinese democrat.

What is the secret of Feng's progress? Wrote a Chinese newspaper recently: "During the period of 1916 to 1925, he turned his spear backward seven times, at the rate of about once a year." That was a pretty good explanation, except for two points: 1) it dealt with only a small segment of a long and tortuous career, and 2) some might not understand that American for "turned his spear" is "double-crossed."

The Rascal. Feng (rhymes with rung) was born a peasant, entered the Imperial Chinese Army in his teens, was promoted to regimental commander; in 1911, he took part in the coup against the Manchu dynasty. He became a Methodist. He also became the servant of a succession of warlords, to each of whom he proclaimed his loyalty with tears streaming down his cheeks; when a more powerful rival appeared, Feng transferred his tears and loyalties to him. In 1923, Warlord Tsao Kun captured China's government and made Feng a full marshal. Once, when Feng visited his boss, he was met by Tsao's private car. Cried Feng: "Heaven above, how dare I, little rascal, use my lord teacher's car?"

Next year, his lord teacher Tsao was fighting the notorious Japanese-backed ex-bandit and warlord, Chang Tso-lin; Feng calmly attacked the rear of Tsao's armies, imprisoned Tsao, and, for a while, became China's "strong man." He removed the better part of the Imperial City's ancient treasures after putting out the ly-year-old Boy Emperor Pu Yi. He allied himself with Chang. He also married the secretary of the Peking Y.W.C.A. (his first wife, a peasant, had just died).

Then he betrayed his ally, Chang, and then the man who helped him betray Chang. Things were getting a little hot for Feng, and he escaped to Russia. In Moscow, he attended classes in revolutionary technique under Karl Radek. A year later, he returned to China and went about organizing a private army. But when it looked as though General Chiang Kai-shek would beat them, he threw over the Communists and joined Chiang.

The Ham. At this point, the Feng chronicle becomes somewhat dizzying:

1929 (May)--Feng rises against Chiang.

1929 (September)--Feng gives up, is forgiven.

1930--Feng rises against Chiang.

1931--Feng gives up, is forgiven.

1933 (May)--Feng rises against Chiang.

1933 (June)--Feng gives up, is forgiven.

During one of his defections, Chiang threatened to send airplanes against him. Feng's lieutenants were frightened. Feng took them to task as follows:

Q.: Are there more crows or more planes in the sky?

A.: Reporting to the commander in chief--there are more crows.

Q.: Have the droppings from the crows ever hit any of you on the head?

A.: Reporting to the commander in chief--seldom.

Q.: Well then, if the droppings of crows which are more numerous than Chiang's airplanes have not hit you, can you not rest assured that no bombs from airplanes will fall on your head?

A.: Our commander in chief is filled with wisdom. Airplanes are of no account.

Feng was a ham. He loved to play the successful man who did not forget his lowly origins. He affected a coarse cotton tunic, but underneath he wore silk-lined furs. To his guests he served only cabbage and dumplings, but when they were gone, he and his wife dined on chicken and fish. He displayed Christianity--once he baptized a whole regiment with a garden hose --but in 1930 he turned to Buddhism. He was a strict disciplinarian, and when his soldiers were late for drill he made them stand in a corner for as long as they had been late. Once, when he himself was the offender, he cracked down on himself. "Feng Yu-hsiang is ten minutes late!" he bellowed on the drill ground. "Feng Yu-hsiang must stand in the corner for ten minutes." Whereupon he turned his back on his men and stood in a corner for ten minutes.

The Democrat. Fighting the Japanese, he suffered several crushing defeats; to save his face, Chiang gave him ringing government titles. In 1946 Feng told the Generalissimo that he wanted to go to the U.S. to study water conservation and act as good-will ambassador for Chiang. "Whatever you wish, Ta Ko [Big Brother]," said Chiang. Ever since then, Feng has been in the U.S., making violent proCommunist, anti-Chiang propaganda. Cried he of Chiang: "Reactionary . . . dictator . . . traitor ... his rule must be overthrown. . . ."

Last summer Chiang said merely: "Never mind, we must be broad-minded." Said he last fall: "Let him talk. He always did like to talk." But last month the Chinese government ordered his return, informed Washington that Feng's "diplomatic mission" was over. Cried a Chinese editorialist: "Return to China at an early date and repent before Jesus Christ."

But neither the State Department nor Feng did anything about his return. Last week, Feng was still talking and some American liberals were still cheering him as a democrat.

Back in China, people were not so easily deceived. They did not refer to Feng as the "Christian General." They had always called him tao-ko chiang-chun, or Turn-Spear General. But then, most American liberals don't speak Chinese.

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