China: War Scare

China is in the throes of massive war preparation. Under the banner "Prepare for war and natural disaster," Chairman Mao Tse-tung has ordered hundreds of thousands of city dwellers to be shipped off to the countryside as part of the Shu-san (literally, "to disperse") movement. For months, the Chinese have been dismantling and dispersing factories, digging bomb shelters and trenches and stockpiling food.

The Peking government recently imposed a 20% to 24% "war preparation" tax on peasants' crops, in addition to the 16% to 18% the state normally takes. In towns in...

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