k FOREWORD XV
TO
Generalissimo himself covering the period of his
captivity (which appears to have been written more
for official purposes), are the chief publications of
first-rate importance relating to the Sian episode.
Madame Chiang's story in particular is full of personal
interest, and contains—upon impeccable authority—
some interesting revelations about the reaction to
the coup in Nanking. But there should still be room
for a fuller account of events whose course was so
dramatic, and which seemed at the time so baffling
and inconclusive.
In the chapters that follow I have tried to tell the
story of Sian as a direct narrative, hoping to recapture
something of the original atmosphere of suspense.
I have put it in the form of personal history for a
number of reasons (not least because it was easiest
to write that way), I happened to be the only foreign
journalist to reach the "rebel capital" during nearly
three months of blockade: so—for what it is worth—
these pages have the value of an eye-witness account
of one part of a revolutionary movement. The first
section of the book, which some may consider un-
necessary, describes a journey into Shensi across a
front of civil war. Here, at least, I should like to
express my gratitude to the Chinese companion
without whose help that journey might never have
been completed.
In so slight a sketch one can only suggest some of
the outstanding problems that confront the Chinese
people at this present stage. But Sian, as I saw it,
brought together some of the most interesting
elements in Chinese society, and in an atmosphere
of tension which heightened the characteristic
features of each group. If this book can throw light