THE year Chiang Kai-shek was born, a youth named Sun
Yat-sen left Canton for Hongkong to study medicine. The
trip marked the start of a revolutionary career which led
to the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty, the establish-
ment of a republic, the martyrdom of Sun Yat-sen, and
ultimately to the supremacy of the Chikow-born Chiang
in a new and revitalized government.

While the youngster was growing up, a series of catas-
trophes fell upon the Middle Kingdom. China, which had
regarded itself as the greatest, wisest, richest, most civilized
nation on earth, was subjected to repeated pressure by
foreign nations who used warships and cannon balls when
the Manchu rulers showed the slightest hesitation in grant-
ing their demands for territory, concessions, and the sacred
right to sell opium to the Chinese people.

The process came to a painful climax when China went
to war with Japan in 1894 and took a sound beating from
the 'dwarfs of the eastern sea.'

Probably the result made not a vast amount of difference
to the bulk of the Chinese population, but it had a pro-
found effect on world history. The Chinese were eventually
pushed out of Korea by the Japanese, who then proceeded
to lead a frenzied international race to grab loose parts of
the once-great empire.

Britain had started the process with the Opium War,
culminating in the first of the 'unequal treaties' which

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