美国顶级记者回忆：徜徉在毛时代的中国

译者按：

为了报道1972年尼克松总统的破冰之旅，美国新闻界的各位大佬摩拳擦掌争先恐后。一些媒体总裁、副总裁、执行制片人等，为了能加入访华媒体团，不惜冒充音效师和机修工。

所有美国顶级记者都到场了——来自《华盛顿邮报》、《纽约时报》、《时代周刊》等的记者，还包括Walter Cronkite(沃尔特·克朗凯特）在内的著名主播。普利策奖获得者James A. Michener  (詹姆斯·A·米切纳) 也在场。纽约时报的Max Frankel （马克斯·弗兰克尔）对此事件的报道获得普利策国际报导奖。一百多位访华媒体人员中有三位女性。 

尽管有时差，在这一星期，为了向全世界介绍这一事件，所有的记者每天差不多工作24小时。所有的记者无一例外为周恩来总理的风度所折服。

阅读这些顶级记者们的历史记录，仿佛身临其境，怦然心动；半个世纪，山川巨变；历史的潮流，势不可挡。忍不住翻译几篇，中英文共赏吧。 

总统此行让美国记者获得了二十多年来第一次亲身了解中国的机会。在没有报道尼克松活动的时候，《时代周刊》 Hugh Sidey 视察了一所中学，Jerrold Schecter 参观了北京的一家百货公司和解放军的一个师。下面是他们的报告：

第二十六中学

一座30英尺（译者按：9米多）灰色的毛泽东雕像坐落于北京第二十六中学，这是一所五年制学校，拥有3,080名学生和毛泽东的精气神。站在斑驳陆离的灰色建筑的门口，是微笑着的、精心安排行程的主人。参观者穿过寒冷、黑暗的大厅后（只有房间里有暖气，没有电灯），和往常一样，第一件事就是喝茶。

毛在墙上。他的语录到处都是。42岁的王崇基（音译）以前是军人，现在是学校革命委员会副主席，他带着灿烂的笑容主持会议，并经常提到毛泽东。他的方式是学校的方式，他的想法是学生的想法。在王招手示意下，我们走过冰冷的大厅。

没有噪音。倒茶的学生，大概12岁或13岁，退后靠墙。有一个学生面带微笑。少数人佩戴红色臂章，表明他们是红卫兵。王为自己的管理感到自豪，不断催促他的客人多去看看。

首先是化学课。毛再次从墙上注视着一切。学生们像机器人一样坐着听老师分析钙的含量。他们背诵，在命令下翻阅书籍，好像士兵一样在执行近距离训练。没有人无精打采，没有人将眼光从老师身上移到客人身上；没有不必要的噪音。像一台台机器，但孩子们的表情融化了那一刻的严厉。他们善良、热切、尊重、开朗、热情。这里有生命的气息，虽然王老兵正在试图尽最大的努力去控制自由的灵魂。

在他们学习内燃机的物理课上也是如此。美术课稍微柔和一些。年幼的孩子们看着老师用毛笔描绘树枝和松针，然后在他们的桌前弯下身子，用小手开始作画。

英语课上，毛泽东的全面影响击中了在场观察者。 

“我们爱毛主席”，黑板上写着：“我们伟大的领袖……红太阳……在我们心中……爱……最好……为……工作……想想……忠诚。” 桌子上放着八年级英文书的第一课。“毛主席万岁万万岁。毛主席，您是我们心中的红太阳。我们是太阳花。太阳花永远朝着红太阳。我们日日夜夜想着你。祝您长寿。” 

“谁会用英语背诵？”老师问。所有的手都举了起来。他们像机枪扫射一样进行双语训练。王脸上发光。老师俯身拿起一张毛泽东的彩色照片放在黑板上。“你们看到了谁？”她问。全班齐声用英语喊道：“我们敬爱的领袖毛主席。” 

这真的是英语课吗？一位客人向翻译提出问题。他们之间有一些讨论；然后她简单地回答：“是的。”

现场有一点悲伤，有年轻人参与其中似乎有些柔和，夹杂着也许西方人并不能真正理解的模糊感觉，这可能是一路走来的必要步骤。有谁真的知道？但穿行在那些阴暗的大厅中，高亢的声音在身后回荡，让人内心一阵颤栗。

学校有自己的微型晶体管工厂。在粉刷成白色的小房间里，孩子们蹲着，坚定不移地、默默地把一些小东西放在一起。一位参观者问一个15岁的女孩，她毕业后想做什么。“我希望成为无产阶级革命精神的接班人，”她说。她拿着一本打开的毛泽东的小红皮书。是的，是的，提问者说，但她想怎么做呢？“我想做对人民有益的事情，”女孩回答。

他知道这一点，参观者坚持问，但具体来说，她想做什么？“我想做党要我做的事，”女孩回答，或者至少翻译是这么说的。一位参观者开口: “如果我们在美国问这个问题，她会说她想长大结婚。”答案被翻译成中文，它有了一个奇怪的效果。女孩们庄重的表情瞬间消失了；她们笑成一团。

王战士继续微笑。有人问，他是否打算用他的晶体管打入市场并与日本竞争。王挺直腰板。“因为毛主席的英明领导和社会主义制度，我们决心不仅要赶上日本，而且还要超越日本。”

有学生在学习针灸和理发。导游解释说，理发师过去一直被看不起，但现在不是。小男孩被教导不仅要学会剪头发，而且还要自豪地剪头发。在一个房间里，一个女孩在帮忙修鞋；据王说，她就是一个特别的例子。以前修鞋是个丢人的行业，姑娘们“不喜欢鞋子的味道，但现在才发现，臭的就是资产阶级思想，最好闻的是毛主席的思想。” 那个大约14 或 15 岁的女孩，头一直埋在旧鞋上，重重地敲打着鞋底。

再次走入凛冽的寒风中，这群美国人沉默着，绕过毛主席的魁梧身影，列队上了公共汽车。这一切会留在那些年轻人的脑海中吗，特别是如果他们中的一些人后来进入了真正的世界？没有答案。会有疑问，但也有高中时的新鲜记忆，就像大约3,000个零件的计算器一样。第二十六中学全方位地沉浸在毛的思想中。

东风市场

东风市场是一家几乎覆盖了北京东部一个街区的百货公司，它讲述了北京的日常生活：饮食习惯、时尚潮流、流行偶像、饮酒习惯和性别角色。

与往常一样，毛无处不在。他的作品以五种语言出售。整个柜台摆满了主席各种姿势的海报，从延安的年轻时代到横渡长江。有在稻田里的毛，穿着军装的毛，被士兵和水手拥护着的毛。 

中国青少年不崇拜像披头士这样的流行英雄，而是转向革命性的京剧明星——尽管也有马克思、列宁、恩格斯和斯大林的肖像，以供不那么艺术的人使用。尼克松和周恩来一起看过的芭蕾舞剧《红色娘子军》的主题音乐在扩音器上响起，许多年轻人戴着白色外科口罩以防止病菌传播，悠闲而有礼貌地穿过商店。售货员彬彬有礼；中国人从不推搡。

就像Lifebuoy一样。肥皂柜台至少有十个不同的品牌，包括一个红色盒子里的上海“早早（音译）”肥皂，看起来很像美国老品牌Lifebuoy。

上海相机厂的中国相机看起来与 Rolleiflex（85 美元）或日本 Canonet（54.50 美元）一模一样。像 Rolleicord 一样的珠江反光相机售价 110 元，约合 50 美元——对于每月工资为 56 元（25.45 美元）的普通工人来说，这几乎是两个月的工资。

中国对农业和轻工业的重视在消费品领域显而易见。虽然款式很基本，但没有多余的装饰，有很多种类和颜色。有儿童连衣裙、灯芯绒、一系列束腰外衣和连衫裤套装。年轻人有红色、绿色和粉红色的头巾和斗篷。

在中国市场上，家居用品部分远远优于俄罗斯商店，但远低于美国。和美国的咖啡壶一样，中国人也有很多款式的热水瓶。水可以一整天保温，从而节省燃料。与俄罗斯商店不同的是，中国人的刀具、叉子、勺子甚至黄油刀种类繁多。它们的价格从 12 美分到 21 美分不等。

黑色灯芯绒制成的鞋子很便宜，售价为 1.20 美元或 1.98 美元。还有更昂贵的皮鞋。酒类柜台有各种各样的葡萄酒，最贵的一瓶 2.90 美元。

除了海报、卡片和漫画书（充满革命英雄的图画故事）以外，最受欢迎的是收音机柜台。那里的年轻人、男孩和女孩排队查看收音机，从售价 8.65 美元的简单中波收音机“东方红”到售价 72.50 美元的三波段、八晶体管熊猫牌收音机。

药品柜台提供各种针灸针，12½ 英寸（译者按：31厘米）的针灸针价格从 1.95 美元到 5.80 美元不等。类似阿司匹林的中国畅销药物，称为安乃近。没有避孕药，但药剂师提供了一大片药，里面含有十片杀精片。最受欢迎的避孕药是预防药，有三种大小，一片一分钱。中国人也有镇静剂，英国化的流行名称为“弥尔顿”。标签称它们为止痛药。这些药片每片一分钱，无需处方即可获得。药剂师说，它们不畅销。这里还提供各种胃制剂和消化剂。

食品柜台摆满了熏制、罐装和新鲜食品。食品罐头是一门高度发达的中国艺术；苹果、桃子、樱桃和核桃在色彩鲜艳的罐头中闪闪发光。鸭子堆得很高。熏制和压制的鸡肉售价为每 1.1 磅 70 美分。有香肠、腰子和排骨出售。饼干柜台挤满了好吃的东西，正值隆冬季节，还有新鲜水果，苹果、橘子、梨苹果、菠萝和橙子。

玩具柜台是商店中最令人失望的部分。只有简单的塑料玩具和带刺刀的木枪，售价 65 美分。一架四引擎喷气式客机，看起来非常像泛美航空公司的 707，包装盒上印有类似于泛美印章的标志，售价 4.70 美元。

中国的优先事项显然是农业和消费品；重工业仍将在很长一段时间内走上前列。与此同时，中共并没有剥夺消费者消费，与革命等同起来。作为消费者，中国人的口味不拘一格，尤其是在衣食方面，虽然没有特别突出的款式，但越来越丰富多样。作为革命者，中国人可能是纯粹主义者，但作为消费者，他们喜欢多样化。

第 196 师

行驶两个多小时60英里，沿着平缓的平原，村落和田野连绵不绝，与拉着化肥车的小马驹擦身而过，来到解放军第196师司令部袁村。第 196 师在1937 年由游击队组成，与日本和蒋介石的国民党作过战，然后在朝鲜与美军作战。

一个 30 英尺高的毛主席塑像占据了基地入口处，一位解放军交警挥舞着手中的绿旗和红旗向我们致意。附近的部队在列队；他们练习用AK-47自动步枪射击，用橡皮头刺刀互相刺杀，大喊“提高警惕！”

迎接我们的是42岁的该师副师长邝玉智（音译），他就群众分工工作及其在生产劳动中的作用进行了有力的讲演。

我们听说了三大纪律（一切行动听指挥；不拿群众一针一线；一切缴获要归公）和八项注意（说话和气；买卖公平；借东西要还；损坏东西要赔；不打人骂人；不损坏庄稼；不调戏妇女；不虐待俘虏）。邝没有直接提到美帝或社会帝国主义（俄罗斯人），但他的语气是强硬的。“世界大战的危险依然存在，人民应该做好准备。帝国主义及其走狗的本质不会改变。”这一切都被茶、橘子、苹果和糖果冲淡了。

游览开始。第一站是基地俱乐部，副师长在这里讲解该师的历史，该师已经消灭了了包括“日本人、国民党叛徒和美帝”在内的38000人。

外面，士兵们正在练习兵法，他们都穿着宽松、明亮的卡其裤和带着红色肩章的束腰外衣。中国军队没有军衔，至少军服上没有军衔。从师长到士兵，所有人的着装都一样。每个连的军官都和他们的手下住在一起，“即使是我们师长，每年也要像普通士兵一样在连队呆一段时间。每个士兵马上就知道谁是上级，包括师团长。”

一名教官带领新兵穿着带衬垫的防护服进行刺刀练习。每边六个人的队伍来回冲撞，大喊大叫，红着脸，满头大汗。另一组练习拆装一个 82 毫米的武器。另一位教官与一个小组讨论如何摧毁一辆 M-47 美国坦克，使用比例模型并用清晰、硬朗的语调大声喊出他的课程。

所有的解放军士兵是服役两年的志愿者。他们每月只收到大约 3 到 4 美元的零花钱。该师按照毛主席的指示，自己生产粮食。我们看解放军战士们将大豆加工成酱油、豆沙、醋和豆腐。该部门还自己种植水稻并饲养 900 多头猪。一切都符合其自力更生的目标，正如邝副师长所说，“减轻地方负担”。整个生产保证了基本的质量。没有精致的生活必需品——米饭、肉和酱油。

我们参观了该师自己的小型制药厂，该工厂生产治疗胃病的药物、阿司匹林和一种由山楂和蜂蜜制成的消化糖。在一些房间里，士兵往玻璃小瓶中装上黄色药物，然后妇女们用喷灯封口。操作简单干净。大多数操作都是手工完成的。

午餐供应给来访的媒体。当被问及核战争的威胁时，我们的东道主邝副师长避而不谈，只说：“我们的领导人说，我们中国人不喜欢和美国人民打仗，放心，我们不会先进攻的。”我们发现邝副师长曾在朝鲜作战过。他怎么看美国大兵的战斗力？ 

“老实说，” 他回答道，“虽然美国大兵的火力是有的，但他们的战斗力与他们的火力不匹配。”

之后，在鸭肉、糖醋鲤鱼、红烧肉、饺子、卷心菜和蘑菇、啤酒和波特酒的拼盘中，心情变得柔和起来。敬酒用的是70度的烈性茅台酒，话题转向战争哲学和军事战略。中国核战略在过去三年发生了怎样的变化？邝副师长没有回答。不答复可能证实，在军队中推动建立拥有核武器的现代技术军队的人与遵循毛主席的智慧并保留人民军队的人之间存在激烈的争论和斗争。

午饭后，邝副师长的手下表演了节目，其中包括一个部队寻找鸡蛋的小品，鸡蛋是当地农民的礼物。他们不让收礼物，但最终达成妥协，交换了一套毛主席语录和一封感谢鸡蛋的信。

Excursions in Mao's China

The President's trip gave American correspondents their first opportunity in more than two decades for a personal look at China. When not covering Richard Nixon's activities, TIME'S Hugh Sidey inspected a secondary school and Jerrold Schecter visited a Peking department store and a division of the People's Liberation Army. Their reports:

Secondary School No. 26

Behind a 30-ft. gray statue of Mao sits Peking No. 26 secondary school, a five-year institution with 3,080 students and the driving spirit of Mao. At the door of the gray building, weatherworn and flaking, are the smiling hosts who have arranged the tour meticulously. The visitors trudge down the cold, dark halls (heat in the rooms only, electric light nowhere) and the first thing, as usual, is tea.

Mao up on the wall. His sayings all over. Wang Chong-chi, 42, a former soldier and vice chairman of the school's revolutionary committee, presides with a broad smile and constant reference to Mao. His ways are the school's ways, his thoughts the students' thoughts. Wang beckons and walks off down the cold halls.

No Noise. The students who have been pouring tea, age 12 or 13, step back against the wall. One smiles. A few wear the red arm bands that designate them as Red Guards. Proud of his operation, Wang keeps hurrying his guests on to see more. First comes a chemistry class. Mao looks down from the wall again. The students sit like robots listening to the teacher talk about analyzing the content of calcium. They recite like soldiers, turning to their books and back again on command, as if executing close-order drill. Nobody slouches, no eyes stray from the teacher to the guests; there is no unnecessary noise. It is like a machine, but the harshness of the moment is softened by the kids' faces. They are kind, eager, respectful, cheerful, warm. There is the scent of life about the place, even though Old Soldier Wang is doing his best to regiment the free spirit.

It is the same in the physics class where they are learning about internal combustion engines. Art class is a little softer. Younger children: they watch their teacher draw a branch and pine needles with an ink brush, and then they bend over their desks, their small hands brushing away.

English class is the place where the full impact of Mao hits an observer. "We love Chairman Mao," is chalked on the board, and below this are the lines: "Our great leader . . . the red sun ... in our hearts . . . love . . . best . . . work for . . . think of . . .be loyal to." On the desks are the English books opened to Lesson I for the eighth grade. "A long, long life to Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao, you are the red sun in our hearts. We are sun flowers. Sun flowers always face the red sun. We think of you day and night. We wish you a long life."

"Who will recite in English?" asks the teacher. All the hands shoot up. Like bursts of machine gun fire they go through the bilingual drills. Wang glows. The teacher leans over and picks up a color picture of Mao and puts it on the board. "Who do you see?" she asks. In unison, the class shouts back in English, "Our beloved leader Chairman Mao." Is this really an English class? One of the guests puts the question to the interpreter. There is some discussion; then she answers simply, "Yes."

There is a sadness about the scene, mellowed by the fact that youngsters are involved, also by a vague sense that maybe Westerners don't really understand, that this may be a necessary step along the way. Who really knows? But walking down those dark halls, with the high voices echoing behind, one feels an inner shudder.

The school has its own miniature transistor factory. In small, whitewashed rooms, the kids hunch over the tiny things, putting them together in silence, with determination. A visitor asks a 15-year-old girl what she wants to be when she graduates. "I wish to be a successor to the revolutionary spirit of the proletariat," she says. She carries an open copy of Mao's little red book. Yes, yes, says the questioner, but how does she want to do that? "I want to do what is beneficial to the people," the girl responds.

He knows that, replies the insistent visitor, but specifically just what does she want to do? "I want to do what the party wants me to do," the girl replies, or at least that is what the translator says. One of the visitors speaks up. "If we had asked that question in America, she would have said she wanted to grow up and get married." The answer is translated and it has an odd effect. Instantly the somber expressions of the girls vanish; they laugh among themselves.

Beat Japan. Soldier Wang continues to smile. Is he going to get into the market with his transistors and compete with Japan, someone asks. Wang straightens. "We are determined we will not only catch up with but surpass Japan because of the wise leadership of Chairman Mao and the system of socialism."

There are students learning acupuncture and hair cutting. Barbers had been looked down upon in the past, explains the guide, but not now. Young boys are not only taught to cut hair but to do it proudly. In one room a girl helps repair shoes; she is a particular example, according to Wang. Shoe repairing was a shameful trade in the old days, and girls "did not like the smell of the shoes. But they have come to realize that what smelled bad was the bourgeois thinking. What has the best smell is the thinking of Chairman Mao." The girl, about 14 or 15, keeps her head bent over the old shoe, pounding on the sole.

Out in the cold air again, the group of Americans grows silent, passes around the hulking figure of Chairman Mao and files onto the buses. Will it all stick in those young minds, particularly if some of them later do go out into the real world? There is no answer. There is doubt, but then there is also the fresh memory of a high school purring like a calculator of some 3,000 parts. Mao has things going all his way at No. 26.

The East Wind Bazaar

A department store covering nearly a full block in eastern Peking, the East Wind Bazaar tells much about the daily life of Peking: its food habits, style trends, folk heroes, drinking habits and sex roles.

As always, Mao is everywhere. His works are on sale in five languages. An entire counter is devoted to posters of the Chairman in various poses, ranging from his youthful days in Yenan to swimming the Yangtze. There is Mao in a rice field, Mao in military dress, Mao surrounded by soldiers and sailors.

Instead of pop heroes like the Beatles, the Chinese teen-agers turn to the stars of the revolutionized Peking opera —although there are also portraits of Marx, Lenin, Engels and Stalin for the less artistic. The theme music from The Red Women's Detachment, the ballet that Nixon saw with Chou, blares over a loudspeaker as young people, many with white surgical masks over their faces to prevent the spread of germs, walk leisurely and politely through the store. The sales help is remarkably courteous; the Chinese never push and shove.

Like Lifebuoy. The soap counter offers at least ten different brands, including Shanghai "Zaozao" soap in a red box that looks suspiciously like the old American brand, Lifebuoy.

Chinese cameras look exactly like the Rolleiflex ($85) from the Shanghai camera factory or the Japanese Canonet ($54.50). The Pearl River Reflex camera, built like a Rolleicord, costs 110 yuan, or about $50—almost two months' pay for the average worker whose wages per month are figured at 56 yuan ($25.45).

The Chinese emphasis on agriculture and light industry is clearly evident in the field of consumer goods. There is plenty of variety and color although the styling is basic, without frills. There are children's dresses, corduroys, a range of tunics and boiler suits. There are red and green and pink hoods and capes for youngsters.

In the Chinese bazaar, the housewares section is vastly superior to those in Russian stores but way below those in America. Like coffee pots in the U.S., the Chinese have many styles of hot-water thermos bottles. They keep water warm all day, thus saving on fuel. Unlike Russian stores the Chinese have a full range of knives, forks, spoons and even butter knives. They range in price from 12¢ to 21¢.

Shoes made of black corduroy are cheap and sell for $1.20 or $1.98. There are also more expensive shoes made of leather. The liquor counter features a wide variety of wines, the most expensive $2.90 a bottle.

Penny Pills. The most popular section after the posters, cards and comic books—filled with picture stories of revolutionary heroes—is the radio counter. There young men, boys and girls line up to inspect radios that range from a simple medium-wave set for $8.65 called "The East Is Red," to a three-band, eight-transistor Panda brand set for $72.50.

The drug counter offers a variety of acupuncture needles, from $1.95 to $5.80 for a 12½-in. model. One bestseller is the Chinese equivalent of aspirin, called Analgin. There are no birth control pills, but the pharmacist offers a book of ten spermicide tablets. The most popular contraceptive is prophylactics, which come in three sizes. They cost one Chinese cent each. The Chinese also have tranquilizers, which are called by the anglicized popular name, "Milton." The label calls them a pain remover; the pills cost a penny each and can be obtained without prescription. They are not a big seller, the druggist says. Also available is a variety of stomach preparations and digestives.

The food counters are loaded with smoked, canned and fresh goods. Food canning is a highly developed-Chinese art; and apples, peaches, cherries and walnuts sparkle in brightly colored cans. The ducks are piled high. Chicken, smoked and pressed, sells at 70¢ for 1.1 Ibs. There are sausages, kidneys and spareribs for sale. The cookie counter bulges with goodies as does the fresh fruit display of apples, tangerines, pear apples, pineapples and oranges—all in the middle of winter.

The toy counter is the most disappointing part of the store. There are only simple plastic toys and wooden guns with bayonets for 65¢. A four-engine jetliner, which looks very much like a Pan Am 707 and has an insigne on the box similar to the Pan Am seal, costs $4.70.

Chinese priorities are clearly agriculture and consumer items; heavy industry will still be a long time in coming to the forefront. In the meantime the Chinese Communists are not equating consumer deprivation with revolution. As consumers the Chinese have eclectic tastes, especially in food and clothing, which is growing in abundance and variety, although still not in distinctive styling. As revolutionaries, the Chinese may be purists, but as consumers they enjoy variety.

The 196th Division

Riding for more than two hours and 60 miles east of Peking along the flat plain that moves in an endless wave of villages and fields, past small ponies pulling fertilizer carts, we come to Yuang village, headquarters of the 196th Division of the People's Liberation Army. Formed in 1937 from partisan contingents, the 196th fought against the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang, then in Korea against U.S. forces.

A 30-ft.-high statue of Chairman Mao dominates the entrance to the base where we are waved in by a P.L. A. traffic policeman snapping green and red flags in his hands. Near by the troops line up; they practice firing their AK-47 automatic rifles and butt each other with rubber-tipped bayonets shouting "Heighten vigilance to our motherland!"

We are greeted by the vice commander of the division, Keng Yu-chi, 42, who lectures forcefully on the work of the division among the masses and its role in productive labor.

Tough Line. We hear about the three disciplines (obey orders in all your actions; do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses; turn in everything captured), and the eight points for attention (speak politely; pay fairly for what you buy; return everything you borrow; pay for anything you damage; do not hit or swear at people; do not damage crops; do not take liberties with women; do not ill-treat captives). Keng makes no direct mention of the U.S. or of the social imperialists (the Russians), but his line is tough. "The danger of world war still exists, and the people should be prepared. The nature of imperialism and all its lackeys will not change." All this is washed down with tea, tangerines, apples and candy.

The tour begins. First stop is the base club, where the vice commander explains the history of the division, which has killed 38,000 men including "Japanese, Kuomintang traitors and American imperialists.".

Outside, the soldiers, all in baggy, bright khaki pants and tunics with red collar tabs, practice the arts of war. There are no ranks in the Chinese army, or at least none are worn on uniforms. All dress the same, from division commanders to privates. The officers of each company live with their men and "even our division commander must spend time each year in the company as an ordinary soldier. Every soldier knows immediately who is the superior, including the division and regimental commanders."

Only Basics. An instructor leads the recruits in bayonet practice with padded protective clothing. Teams of six men on each side lunge back and forth at each other shouting, red-faced and sweating. Another group practices taking apart and setting up an 82-mm. mortar. Another instructor conducts a discussion with a small group on how to destroy an M-47 American tank, using a scale model and shouting his lesson in clear, hard tones.

All the P.L.A. soldiers are volunteers serving two years. They receive only about $3 to $4 a month in spending money. The division, in accordance with the words of Chairman Mao, produces its own food. We watch P.L.A. men working to process soybeans into soy sauce, bean paste, vinegar and bean curd. The division also grows its own rice and raises 900-odd pigs. Everything fits into its objective of achieving self-reliance and, as Vice Commander Keng puts it, "lightening the burden of the locality." There is a very basic quality about the whole operation. The necessities of life with no refinements—rice, meat and soy sauce.

We tour the division's own small pharmaceuticals factory, which produces medicine for stomach ailments, aspirin and a digestive candy made from crab apples and honey. In some rooms, women close glass vials with a blow torch as soldiers fill the vials with yellow medicine. The operation is simple and clean. Most of the operations are done by hand.

Lunch is served to the visiting press. Asked about the threat of nuclear war, our host, Vice Commander Keng, hedges and says only, "Our leaders said that we Chinese people would not like to engage in battle with the American people. Rest assured we will not attack first." We find that Keng served in Korea. What does he think of the fighting ability of American soldiers? "Speaking frankly," he replies, "although the American soldiers' firepower is something, their fighting power does not match their firepower."

Then amid platters of duck, sweet and sour carp, braised pork, dumplings, cabbage and mushrooms, beer and port wine, the mood softens. Toasts are offered with fiery 140-proof mao-tai, and the conversation turns to the philosophy of war and military strategy. How has Chinese nuclear strategy changed in the last three years? Keng does not reply. The nonresponse may confirm that there has been a fierce debate and struggle between those in the military who would push to produce a modern technical army with nuclear weapons and those who would follow the wisdom of Chairman Mao and retain a people's army.

After lunch, Keng's men perform an amateur hour, including a skit in which the troops find eggs, a gift from the local peasants. They are not allowed to accept gifts, but finally reach a compromise and exchange a copy of the quotations of Chairman Mao and a letter of thanks for the eggs.