What Americans see isn't there arid what they don't see is what matters as the Communists pull the wool over their eyes
Chinese Communist propaganda addressed to Americans is multifaceted and skillfully engineered so as to influence the various strata of public opinion. The Red Chinese propaganda machine employs a number of means and approaches to accomplish its task—each approach depending on the identity of the American target. The American tourist in mainland China is showered with friendship and shown a society that purportedly works like a Swiss clock. Students and scholars, on the other hand, must live in a "war-like" atmosphere fraught with fiery anti-American expressions. Businessmen are doused with visions of profits emanating from a sea of one billion people and purportedly representing the world's biggest potential market for American technology. Government officials are told of benefits to be gained by playing the "Red China card" against the Russian bears to the north. No group of American visitors to Red China is treated the same as any other.
I first became aware of the many faces of Chinese Communist propaganda while visiting the mainland in 1980, first as a student and later as a tourist. Students are made to feel that Red China and the United States are irreversibly opposed in ideological and sociological struggle. The feeling engendered is that the two are really at war, and this in the physical sense. After study at the university ended, I joined some of my colleagues in mainland travel. We thereupon suddenly found ourselves in a bewildering new world.
The change of status from student to tourist means that the war is over and friendship has begun. It is fun to be a tourist. One is treated not only as a friend but royally. In my case memories of political indoctrination drills began to blur and fade away. Then, upon thoughtful analysis, confusion set in. What, after all, do the Chinese Communists want? War or peace? With realization that the experience is contrived comes the challenge to get to the bottom of the seeming Chinese Communist contradictions.
When I began to study the attitudes and experiences of other Americans, I discovered a maze of Chinese Communist propaganda approaches. In each case the intention is to use the American in accordance with his status while capitalizing on his expectations and inclinations. Let us turn first to a group of Americans visiting mainland China for the first time.
American tourists on the mainland hope for the ultimate adventure. They want to get to the heart of the ageless Oriental mystique that has fascinated Western societies since Marco Polo. The average tourist is apolitical and interested in seeing the Great Wall rather in spending his time snooping around for flaws in the social structure.
Most tourists expect to be treated like kings. After all, the trip is expensive and everyone wants his money's worth. The Chinese Communists rise to the occasion. They try hard to provide for the needs of foreign guests with hospitality that begins upon arrival.
Tourists are greeted at the airport by a guide who will be with them throughout their stay. Invariably the guide speaks excellent English and uses polite phrases which Americans rarely hear these days. He smiles continuously and tries to establish close relationships from the outset. Luggage is no problem. There is plenty of manpower and porters are everywhere to help you with your luggage. Buses are ready and other details are arranged with minimal inconvenience. Once the tourist is aboard the bus, the propaganda spiel begins.
Although the guide is rattling on about how Mao saved the people and built the "new China," the tourist can look out the window for his first glimpse of the countryside. From the airport to Peiping, tourists can see a lot of what mainland China is all about. The countryside is not developed. Unsophisticated visitors are surprised to see how many "ancient" aspects of Oriental life remain unchanged. They are excited by the sight of water buffaloes plowing the fields, toiling peasants in straw hats and mules pulling carts. Meanwhile the guide is reaching the present and the "four modernizations," and promising rapid progress in years to come. There are apologies for the life 'beyond the window. The Americans aren't really listening. What's outside the window is more interesting.
Arriving in Peiping, visitors can see that one city is much like another. Peiping has high rises and a traffic problem. Checking into the hotel is easy. Everything has been taken care of. There are servants everywhere to help. The cafeteria offers Chinese or American food.
On the second day, arrangements have been made for visits to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and museum of history. At the Forbidden City, the tourists may be awed by the sight of ancient China. But the guide is busy showing them the spot where in 1972 President Nixon spoke with Chou En-lai about American friendship. She repeats over and over again that Nixon went on these same tours but with Chou En-lai as his personal guide. Instead of giving the number of workers that it took to build the city wall, the guide notes that more than 300,000 Americans have visited the Forbidden City in just six years.
The Americans are told that friendship with America is nothing new.
"Why couldn't we come to China before that normalization stuff occurred?" asks one curious tourist.
"Normalization was necessary because our governments had overlooked the wish of our peoples to have good relations based on traditional friendship," the guide replies. "As you can see, we have overcome the obstacle and the great American people can come freely now."
"Did you know that Nixon is not very popular in the States these days? " one man observes.
"Yes, we are aware that President Nixon has had problems. But we are thankful to him for being the first American president to realize that the government should not interfere with our friendship," the guide replies.
"Boy, this gal sure is bright, ain't she, Marge?" one man says to his wife.
By the end of the day, the general attitude of the Americans is one of good feeling toward the hosts. Any prior animosity for Communists is forgotten. Some have even forgotten that mainland China is still a Communist country. The Americans are impressed by the tokens of friendship and pleased with the guide's apparently frank answers to their questions.
The third day is devoted to visiting an arts and crafts factory, glass factory and commune. At the factories the Americans see smiling workers and hear tales of progress in industry. At the glass factory, physical conditions look bad but the workers seem happy. Every once in a while a worker stops and talks to one of the visitors with the guide translating.
"I am sixty-two years old an' I ain't never seen so many smilin' workers buhfore," says one tourist. "Ain't nobody like this back in the States, I'll tell ya that much."
The group goes on to the Evergreen Commune, specializing in green vegetables and fruit, in the Peiping suburbs. After an orientation session comes a first look at communal life. At first everything appears to be in good order. Buildings are modern, streets are paved and people are well dressed and appear to be healthy.
"Let us see if one of the people will let us go inside his home to take a peek at his lifestyle," the guide suggests.
After poking her nose in one of the doors of the two-story brick apartment building, the guide reappears to tell the Americans that the occupant, a Mr. Wang, has agreed to invite them in.
"Come on in, everybody, don't be shy. Mr. Wang is a very proud man. He has worked hard over the years to earn his living in this commune. He now lives pretty well. Come on in," she urges.
Since the invitation appears to be spontaneous, many of the Americans are hesitant to enter the house on such short notice. Curiosity wins out, however, and they me inside the small apartment. The place is clean and they see a fan, television and radio. There is even a bathroom. Most are surprised that life in a commune could be so different from what they had heard or imagined. It turns out Mr. Wang is a friendly guy who loves to tell his story to foreigners. Speaking through the guide, he relates a tale of how as a young boy he was owned by a mean landlord but was saved by Mao and the Communists. He goes on about how life in the commune has gotten better and how he has retired to a life of leisure watching television and playing with his grandchildren.
The Americans are impressed by Mr. Wang's story and respond to the relative calm of life in the commune. There are no Communists running around whipping people into submission. Nobody is starving. Everything is well organized to handle an immense population at the basic level.
Out in the fields the Americans are treated to tomatoes, grapes and green apples. While the guests scramble for more of the delicacies, the guide rattles on about communal life and the newly installed water pump. Everything is fine; the web of grotesque controvery surrounding the communal system is never mentioned. No comparisons are ever made with the capitalist system. Stuffed with fruits and vegetables, the Americans are loaded onto the bus for the trip back to the hotel.
"You know, Marvin, these ka'munes ain't half bad after all," says one man from West Virginia. "Chiner's just got plain too many folks so maybe they have to live like that in ka'munes. Ain't such a bad life any ways. "
"Yeah, Mr. Wang was a downright friendly 'ol cuss, wasn't he? Sure pity him in some ways, but looks though he's a doin' fine nowadays," Marvin says. No one even learns that this commune is unique. Mainland China has no other like it.
The last morning in Peiping is set aside for a visit to a Young Pioneer Camp. It is similar to a summer camp in the States but with important differences. First, the Chinese Communist version is involved in political indoctrination rather than outdoor activities. Second, the youngsters are on their way to becoming Komsomolskayas and then Communist party members when they reach adulthood. The Young Pioneer movement marks the basic beginning of participation in the Chinese Communist party. This is incredible considering that the Pioneers are 7 to 10 years old.
Flags waving and with smiles in abundance, the children at Camp No. 10 outside Peiping are greeting their third group of Americans so far today.
"Aren't they simply adorable!" cries one woman.
"Oh, I wish I could take one home with me;" says another as she reaches out to accept the paper American flag offered her by a child.
The youngsters line up on both sides of the walkway leading into the campground and begin to wave their flags again (Stars and Stripes in one hand, starred red emblem in the other).
"Goo' afer'noo, American friends!" they shout in unison.
Sight of friendly children overwhelms most of the tourists. Some with tear-stained eyes begin to feel one worldish. The kids pick a guest to hold hands with as the Americans are led on a tour of the grounds.
These are all the basics of a summer camp: workshop, fishing pond, cafeteria, dormitories and athletic fields. The group members don't appear to notice the statues and pictures of Mao to be seen everywhere; they are too busy playing with the youngsters. Many of the tourists don't see any ugly implications when the guide tells them the workshop is a great place for the young Pioneers to use their imaginations but that they must paint by numbers, stitch by numbers and do everything else according to instructions laid down in a manual written by Lenin 70 years ago. Young people must learn to act alike so society will be more harmonious. Most Americans are unaware that individual imagination is essentially outlawed under Chinese Communist practice.
After the tour, the children put on a variety show for the guests, including dancing, singing, acrobatics and the like. They wind up by chanting their A B Cs and asking the Americans to join in singing some famous American kiddie songs like Where is Pumpkin?
The mood is that of a party. These Americans have not had so much fun in a long time. The children's songs have brought back memories of long ago. This visit to the Young Pioneer Camp has been a highlight of the tour. Gifts are exchanged and the group boards the bus.
"I can't wait to get back to Dayton and tell Norma and Harry about this. It sure beats their African Safari stories from 1975," says one Ohio woman to her husband as the bus rolls along the gravel road on the way back to Peiping.
Back at the camp, the children are refurbishing their uniforms and flags for the next wave of American tourists. "The Day Is Long but the Task Is Honorable" says the poster on the cafeteria wall.
Day 4 finds the tour group ready to leave for another city. Some of the Americans have been changed. They think of all they seem to have learned. There is no sign of animosity between Americans and mainland Chinese. Communists do not appear to be wicked oppressors. Life in the commune is bearable. What's the matter with Senator Goldwater and Jesse Helms, anyway?
Behind this lies the Chinese Communist conclusion that American tourists are a gullible lot. The average mainland visitor is no expert on Communism and cannot see through the falsehoods in the Red Chinese propaganda showcase. In many cases, he never questions the bonafides of the communes and factories visited. He has no idea that the commune he saw is a set-up designed to hide the ugly reality of communal life elsewhere on the mainland. The Evergreen Commune is one of tens of thousands of communes and also the only that American tourists will ever lay eyes on. The same applies to the utopian factories. These things cannot be taken at face value. But few visitors smell a rat, no matter how many of them they are exposed to.
The Young Pioneer Camp which makes such a big hit with American tourists is phony. Communists utilize the youngsters at Camp No. 10 in a final big effort to push American tourists over the brink of sentimentality. The appeal of laughing children is universal and those at the camp have been carefully trained to put on an unforgettable show for the softhearted. They entertain up to six groups of tourists each day. Yet every visit is made to appear fresh, if not spontaneous. There are few signs of boredom on faces of the children. After all, they are trained actors presenting a political drama and doing a highly successful propaganda job.
Upon returning to the States, I found a wealth of evidence to show how astutely the Chinese Communists have played on the sentiments of American tourists. I found Americans from all over the States are returning from mainland trips with stories of friendship, progress, competent organization and good accommodations. The favorably impressed American tells others and the latter pack bags to go to see for themselves. From the Chinese Communist point of view it is almost too good to be true. Their propaganda has succeeded beyond expectations.
The American tourist serves a dual purpose for the Chinese Communists. First, he supplies large amounts of badly needed foreign exchange. Second, he unwittingly becomes a walking-talking tool of the Chinese Communist propaganda machinery in efforts to influence U.S. public opinion. Every American tourist should somehow be made aware that he is being used and that another sinister reality lies behind the mask of Chinese Communist friendship for the United States. Subsequent articles will deal with the Chinese Communist propaganda approaches to students and scholars and to government officials and businessmen.