COASTAL ROADS OF KWANGTUNG AND HAINAN BEING DESTROYED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700070240-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 19, 2011
• Sequence Number: 240
• Publication Date: July 3, 1952
• Content Type: MISC

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700070240-6
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
SECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
COUNTRY China
SUBJECT Transportation - Highways
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED Hong Kong
DATE
PUBLISHED 11, 22 May 1952
MIS oocuxhT CONTAINS ISrOSIpiON ur(CTxe Txa SATIONAL C[IfAn
Or .T -NI.o SunS 117111 ToC NUNINA 01 .rIONMa Att SO
AN111 . Al A10...O. In nANSN1aOx ON .a .TEATIUN
OT ITS 001x. II ANT 101111. Al 0NA-To1I01O rrNSON IS PRO.
NUITSO @T" 11t. NVtOOOCTION 0I T... TON- IS noxINrtao.
CD NO.
DATE OF
DATE DIST. I J, 1952
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
COASTAL ROADS OF KWAN(71'UNG
AND HAINAN BEING DESTROYED
It is reported that many of the highways along the coast and lead-
ing from the coast of Kwangtung and Hainan Island have been destroyed
or are being destroyed on official orders as a defense measure due to
the fear that the Nationalist forces may attack, the mainland.
KWANGTUNG COASTAL ROADS BEING DESTROY2' -- Hong Kong, Using-tao Jih-pao,
22 May 52
Canton, 21 May (special dispatch) --The Highway Construction Joint Com-
mission of the Kwangtung Military District and the Kwrngtung People's Govern-
ment was established in Craton on 15 November 1950. Its function is to direct
the construction of all the important highways in the province and to determine
and execute the policy and operational plans pertaining thereto. For example,
the commission mobilized the students in the civil engineering courses of the
Chung-sheer, Ling-nan, Kuang-chow, and Kuo-min universities and the Tien-yu In.
dustrial College to participate in highway construction in connection with over
100,000 peasant laborers. In this way, the construction or reconditioning of
the important highways in all parts of the province was completed in March 1951.
Since then, the policy has been changed. Since March 1952 the hasty de-
struction of important coastal roads, but not of all the interior trunk high-
ways, has been going on. This action has been taken as a precautionary measure
against an attack on the mainland by the Nationalist forces. Fearing lest the
Nationalist troops might advance inland by the highways, the authorities have
not hesitated to sacrifice the labor and materials used in building the roads,
and are now demolishing than.
In the region of the mouth of the Chu Chiangthe section of the Pao-Hui
highway (Pao-an--Hui-yang) from She?tIou-chiao to Hui-yang has been destroyed
and rendered impassable. Portions of the roads along the coast from Tang-chia-
wan in Chung-shan Hsien, through Yai-men in Hsin-hui Hsien, Tu-hu and Na-fu in
T'ai-shan Hsien, Cha-p'o in Yang-chiang Hsien, Shui-tung in Tien-pal.Hsien, and
even as far as Chan-chiang, have all been destroyed in spots, so that they are
little more than quagmires, and cannot be considered as roads.
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
STATE: j AIR NSR6 DISTRIBUTION
ARMY MY AIR FBI I T
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Sr
CONFIDENTIAL
At present, with respect to three highways in Kwangtung which have inter-
national connections, the situation is as follows.
1. Canton -- Chung-shan highway, which connects Canton and Macao. This
route starts from Canton, passes through Ta-liang, Yung-ch'i, Kuei-chou, Haiao-
lan in Chung-shah Hsien, Ch'ang-chou, crosses by bridge to Shih-ch'i, and
thence to Macao. This highway has not been completely destroyed; only the
eastern ffouthernn end along the coast has been destroyed. The western 5orth-
ern end is stil] usable by tracks, buses, and military vehicles.
2. The Canton -- Shen-ch'unn highway, which connects Canton and Hong Hong.
This route is still open all the way through. During the Siuo-Japanese war,
this higW ay was used extensively for the transportation of munitions from Hong
Kong inland. At present, this road is not only being destroyed, but is being
widened by 2 (English) feet, so that in case the Canton -- Shen-ch'uan railway
line should be bombed, highway transportation by truck would be possible.
3. The Canton -- Vietnam highway. This route starts from Canton, passes
through Ch'ang-sha in K'ai-p'ing Hsien, Yang-chiang, and Tien-pai, to Tung-
haing in Fang-ch'eng Hsien, where traffic can cross the border to Vietnam..
This highway
has not been destroyed; trucks transporting munitions are using it unceasingly.
Concerning central Kwangtung, although portions of the roads in Hsin-hui,
T'ai-shan, K'ai-ping, En-ping, Ch'ih-ch'i, and Yang-chiang hsien have been
destroyed, the following sections have not been destroyed:
1. Chiang-men--Hui-ch'eng--Ssu-shah-chin-hsu (in K-ai-p'ing Hsien)-- Ts'-
ang-ch'eng -- Esin-hsing
2. Tan-shui-k'ou (in K'ai-p'ing Hsien)-- Ho-ch'eng -- Sha-p'ing
3. Tu-hu (in T'ai-shan Hsien) -- Ch'ih-ch'i-ch'eng
4. Yang-chiang -- Yang-ch'un -- T'ien-t'ang in Hsin-hsing Hsien
All the others along the coast have been destroyed, including, specifi-
cally, the road from Kuang-hai (112 48, 21 58) through Hai-yen (112 38, 21 53),
Ta-yang, and An-ho.
In the Tung Chiang region, the main lines are those that connect Canton
with the Han Chiang valley. The first of these is from Canton through Hui-chou
(Hui-yang) and Hai-feng to Swatow. The second is from Canton through Tseng-
ch'eng, Po-lo, Hui-chou, thence northeasterly to Mei-hsien. Of the Tung Chiang
region highways, the longest is the one from Hui-thou through Tzu-chin to Wu-
hua. The next longest is that from Hui-chou to Hai-feng. Another highway
starts at Swatow and passes through Hsing-ning, hei-hsien,P'ing-yuan, and
across the provincial boundary to Hsun-wu in Kiangsi. Of these four highways,
the last three are still intact; but certain portions along the coast of the
road from Hui-yang through Hai fang, Lu-fang, to Swatow, have been destroyed.
The important highways in the Hsi Chiang region include the road from
Canton through San-shui to Kao-yao, which divides there, one fork going from
Kao-yao through Te-ch'ing to the confluence of two branches of the river at
Feng-ch'uan and Chiang-k'ou and thence to Wu-chou in Kwangsi; the other fork go-
ing from Kao-yao through Yun-fou to Lo-ting. This main trunk line and its two
forks as yet have not been destroyed; however, portions of some of the less im-
portant roads along the river between San-shui and Kao-yao were destroyed re-
cently.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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With respect to the Pei Chiang region, the most important highway is that
from Canton to Shao-kuan (Ch'u-chiang). At Shao-kuan~the road divides, one
fork is the Shao-Yu road which passes through Shih'-hsing and Nan.hs.ung and
on to Ta-yu 'in Kiangsi. Another fork. is the Shao Lo road which pro-
ceeds straight northward through Lo-ch'ang and Ping-shih and on into Human
Province. Next is the Shao-Ning road, from Shan-kuan eastward to Hsing-ning.
These main roads have not been destroyed, but portions of several smaller roads
along the Pei Chiang have been destroyed. Among these are the Ch'ing-Fo road
(Ch'ing-yuan -- Fo-kang), the Ying-Hen road (Ying-te -- Han-kuang), and the
Ying-Yang road (Ying-te -- Yang-shan). Where highways are close to the railway
they have not been destroyed.
As for the southern section, Chan-chiang is considered the starting point
First there is the Chan-Tung road, from Chan-chiang, through Sui-ch'i, Lien-
chiang, Ho-p'u, ChIn -hsien, and Fang-ch'eng to Tung-hsing on the border opposite
Mang-chieh (Mon Cay) in Vietnam. This highway joining Kwangtung and Vietnam J3
intact. But the coastal road from Tien-pai through Mei-mao and Wu-ch'uaa as
far as the Lei-chow peninsula, is almost entirely destroyed. There are only a
few places on which motor vehicles can run; at other places only enough of the
road is left for use by single track vehicles such as bicycles.
REPORT DEMOLITION OF HAINAN COASTAL HIGHWAYS -- Hong Kong, Hsing-tao Jih?pao,
11 May 52
Hai-k'ou (special correspondent) -- There are three main north-south motor
roads in Hainan, the east, west, and middle, totaling 1,397 kilometers in
length. After repair by the Communist government :n August 1951, they were all
in good condition. Helen roads, repaired and usable, amount to 667 kilometers
Previous to the change-over to the Communists, a coastal road around the island
has been built.
At present, in view or the stormy international situation, with the circu-
lation of reports that the Nationalists are planning to make a counterettack
on Hainan, on 20 April 1952, the Communists authorities, began to destroy the
coastal highway, reducing it to the condition in which it was during the war of
resistance against the Japanese. This is taking place in 12 hsien as follows:
Wen-ch'ang, Ch'iung-tung, Lo-hui, Wan-ning, Ling-shui, Ai, Kan-en, Ch'ang-
chiang, Tan, I.in-kao, Ch'eng-mai, and Ch'iung-shan, at places where the highway
is close to the seashore.
The method of demolition is to dig trenches, several feet wide and deep,
across the road at intervals of 20 to 50 feet. Every so often, according to
the lay of the land, defensive bunkers are being built. The people are mysti-
fied by this action, and rumors are rife that it must be for the purpose of
defense against imminent attack by the Nationalists. At present, only the in-
ternal highways are passable for motor traffic. Import and export activities,
as well as urban and rural interchange of goods, are seriously affected.
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