[h1]Shaanxi Province[/h1]

	The valleys of Shaanxi province passed through the window. Over verdant chasms speckled with villages beneath fell in and out of view as the train passed through the long ancient mountains of the Chinese interior. Erupting from the mountain's beds and breasts sprung countless trees. Immense explosive black clouds of birds flew smudged against the cold mist as they made their migrations south. Faded and ancient rested the villages among the boughs of emerald budding trees. Riding above them the train sailed along as a ship at sea on its long aqueducts and precarious cliff roads. Unaware to Shin Yu, he was on his way to Xi'an; he believed he was on his way to Nanjing. But hypnotized by the oceanic waving of the train he had not noticed he had long left the Yangtze valley and was headed to more ancient, northern parts.

	Yu found it very easy to nap on these long trains, and he regularly passed into a heavy sleep between stations. He had generous space in the seats, and he used them as much as he could. Fellow riders would not bother him. And those that would did so at his invitation and opening of conversation. He could stretch himself out and lay slumped in the hay stuffed leather cushions. He had done well to find a seat such as this. In this way, he believed he could go on a long ways and he idled himself to nap, to watch the passengers, and to sip his tea.

	He looked across from him. He had a traveling partner in this leg. The car was not very full, but the other man had sat himself down long ago. Between then and now they had not spoken much. Yu suspected it would be that way for the rest of the voyage. The other man was far better dressed than he, tightly cute, if casual. The collar of his under shirt lay folded up over the collar of his suit jacket. Breast partly unbuttoned. The entire demeanor framed a rosy if wide face, marked by uneven stubble of black beard and a messy head of it that obscured his face. The rest of it was hidden behind a newspaper, prior he had been reading a book.

	Looking at the paper, Shin Yu became enamored with the article open to him. He leaned in close to read it, focusing on the characters before they became obfuscated and disorganized on the page. It was a profile of a man in the election. He had been dimly aware of the election. He only knew so much of it as the Communists who came to his village espoused. He considered the name. Hou Tsai-Tang, it sounded familiar. He believed he knew him. He leaned in to read.

[center]	Standing at a long and lanky near two meters, with his unkempt black hair and distant eyes one would not think that Hou Tsai-Tang was the man the Kuomintang had some ten years prior painted as an almost-villain. In his usual black suit coat and quiet demeanor he presents himself more as a college professor than a politician or anti-democratic mastermind. Yet however he none the less holds at his vanguard a rapidly expanding base heading into the election, making Hou Tsai-Tang and the Communist Party behind him the surprising black horse charging into the lead in an election otherwise believed to be a duel between the liberal Progressive Party candidate Huang So-Weng and standing conservative Kuomintang president Li Su.

	But in the days since the revolution the Communist Party has not been inactive. While notably absent from the elective space, except for a few provinces the Communist Party has none the less been busy rousing rabble in the cities and countryside. Involved with union organization and the poor farmers of the countryside they have turned out a sizable base in many contested districts of the country. Had they not decided to directly run, the party could have used its assets directly or indirectly to frustrate the election efforts of the Kuomintang or the Socialist Parties. But their entrance into the elections has shifted the calculus and in the short free history of China many observers and election officials are looking ahead into what they are already calling an election of the century.

	But to begin understanding the present Communist Party, we must understand Hou Tsai-Tang.

Tsai-Tang has not been candid with speaking of himself, though has not shied away from answering questions or calls from comments. Associates near him have also been free to answer any inquiries.

	Born in 1909 to a small merchant family in Tianjin, Tsai-Tang would have what he has described as a “quiet life”. His father was able to afford a modest education for himself and his siblings, but in the desperate years after Yuan Shikai and the faltering stability of the Northern Regime his family left for the south. Though he has not explained how or why he separated from his family and ultimately found himself living in worker's housing in his mid to late teens. He was however, committed to his continued education and working with American missionaries worked to receive grants to study abroad. And this is how he would arrive to America.

	Contemporaries who knew him from those days credited his ability to study in the Beautiful Country to his studiousness. Although he failed his application for the Boxer Indemnity Fund the first time he preserved and won it on the second bout. Sailing abroad to America he managed to escape the tumult and humiliation of the War Against Japanese Aggression.

	By his own account, Hou Tai-Tang settled into America expecting to quietly go about his studies. Moving in with relatives in San Francisco he began his studies at the University of California: Berkley. He made agreeable marks, and was well into his studies when he got his first whiff of politics outside of Asia. Mixing with the people of Chinatown, San Francisco he crossed paths with America's Asian-rights movements that had sprung up in America's festering political scene prior to the tumult of the mid 30's. Intersecting the nation's labor movement he became involved in the country's union movements through the International Worker's Of The World.

	It is in this milieu that Hou Tsai-Tang met his current wife, the New York born Lady Emma Liebermann. According to her accounts as printed in Xi'an based socialist magazine Women's Progress! she and Tsai-Tang connected slowly, meeting first by accident at a San Fransisco rally and over time finding each other on and off UC Berkeley's campus in and out of student affairs. Emma, who was in California in part to represent the IWW in their partnership with California's longshoremen's unions was also doubling as a student at the same university studying mathematics and literature. As the two's paths intertwined more and more their relationship grew and the two conspired together in their activities to produce a broad united front for labor and social activism across all of America's races and working class.

	However, their dual mission was not to be, and the opening of the grand national purge of leftist and progressive opposition to the Lindbergh administration now known as the Great Cleansing hampered and complicated their actions, as well as being an open invitation for America's reactionary organizations to enact a pogrom on the country's non-white, and working class communities to stifle and terrorize any opposition to the anti-democratic regime. For their credit, Tsai-Tang and Emma threw up what resistance they could in rallying the community, but the strength of reaction even within California was too much and the pair made the fateful decision to leave for China. Organizing what was left of their political ambitions they rallied an exodus for China, where the hope was that the war with Japan aside there would be much more opportunity and safety in Republican controlled China.

	On Tsai-Tang's return into China he was conscripted as an officer into the army and was organized into the 2nd Center Army as an engineer officer, following from his education in America in the same field. His service to the Republican cause was commendable and oft recognized in all the engagements he was in. Through the course of the war he made the rank of colonel.

	At war's end is when the young Colonel Hou Tsai-Tang made his existence known for the first time among the greater national populace. Acting on a rumor that President Chiang Kai-Shek was considering continuing to run, and with the defeat of the Japanese had his eyes set on crushing the Communists, Tsai-Tang led an expedition on the headquarters of Kai-Shek himself, and having arrested him demanded his resignation and the closing of the provisional war-time constitution of China and to allow China to come to peace. Enraged, but if outplayed Chiang was obliged to do so as his esteem among the government collapsed. Fulfilling his duties, Tsai-Tang withdrew and resigned his post soon after.

	Tsai-Tang's near coup of the military presidency of Chiang-
[/center]

	The news paper was closed and refolded, ending Shin Yu's reading. He was startled by the sudden flurry of the paper. He was shot back into his chair and the man across from his looked up perplexed and concerned. “I'm sorry,” he said cordially, “I didn't realize you were reading that.”

	“No, no. It's my fault. I'm sorry.” Shin Yu nervously replied, looking the man in the eyes and away to the window. “I should have said something.” he added meekly.

	The other man laughed. It was a friendly laugh, “Don't be too hard on yourself.” he said. With a light tap of the newspaper against Shin Yu's knees he handed the rolled up paper to him. “You can have it. I was done reading it anyways.”

	“Oh, no. You shouldn't.” said Shin Yu.

	“No sir, I insist. I'll just throw it in the trash when we get to Xi'an.”

	“Xi'an?” Shin Yu asked, suddenly afraid and confused. Suddenly his brain began to swim in the now nauseating rowing of the train. He looked out the window. These were no long Nanjing mountains, and the landscape was beginning to open up to a wide river valley below. Just below the rhythmic thumping of the train and the staccato clicking of the wheels over the track he could hear the bursts of wind against the cars.

	“Yes, Xi'an. Why?” the other man said.

	“Oh, uh- I was. Uh- I was ah- I was going to Nanjing!” Shin Yu exclaimed, his voice breaking.

	“Oh dear, Nanjing? That's way back south! Did you fall asleep on the ride?” the other man was clearly concerned for the young man across from him. He leaned in, crossing his hands together in front of him.

	“I... I don't know. Maybe.” Shin Yu said, suddenly embarrassed. How could he be so stupid? He didn't remember what happened. Or if he could, he was too ashamed of himself to admit he did. He nervously whipped his hands through his hair. “But... Maybe it doesn't matter. I wasn't going there for any reason. It was- it was just to, ah- just to travel. I wanted to see the capital.”

	“Still though, it'll cost you some more money to get back. Are you fine?”

	“I'm sure I am. I'm sure.” Yu began riffling through his pockets. What was he going to do? He couldn't say for sure. He felt like he was in a cold sweat.

	“Tell me, where are you from? Your accent isn't north of the River.”

	“Hunan.” was all Shin Yu answered him. This amazed the man.

	“You've really come far.” he commented. After a moment he went into his bags, and before Yu could find his wallet he had out and in his hand a small number of folded bills.

	“I really would not feel right thinking you're stranded.” he said in a fatherly tone, “So I want you to have this. I don't know how much you have, or how much it'll be to get a ticket all the way back home. But in good spirit, I don't think I can leave you abandoned here. You've been a good riding partner.”

	Shin Yu was shocked, and astounded. “Excuse me?” he said, looking up with his own collection of cash barely out of his pocket.

	“I mean it. I'm sincere. On good principle, I can't walk away and abandon you.”

	“Uh- Thanks. But, isn't that a lot to do?”

	“Don't sweat it. I got a good salary. I can drop a little now and then.”

	“But, I really don't want to inconvenience you!” Shin Yu pleaded. He was only being polite. He was hastily calculating how much more money he had left in time, and he saw the money held out before him. And he could not pass it up, not like the newspaper. He could find another in the trash, like the man said. But he couldn't make a fool of himself.

	“No, it's really all fine. Take it.” said the man.

	“I suppose, I guess I could. If it's not too much.” Yu choked out.

	The man smiled as Yu took the money and pocketed it. Nodding, he said, “So why were you going to Nanjing to begin with?”

	“I wanted to see the capitol.”

	“Oh, that is an admirable pilgrimage.” the man said with a deep laugh, “But, I guess you didn't fail at things too much. You're still going to a capitol.”

	“I am?” Yu asked.

	The man nodded, “Xi'an was China's ancient capitol on and off throughout history for many centuries. It was were the most ancient dynasties had their home. The city is still rich with their signs and memories.”

	“Oh, neat.” said Yu in a vacant tone, “So, why are you going there?”

	“I'm an archaeologist. I work for the Nanjing National University. Very recently a find of great importance was discovered just outside Xi'an and I asked if I could not go for myself to stake out the situation! From what we have received it all points to the Qin!” he was smiling wide, his voice rose and he spoke straight from his heart, “This is all the moment that defines careers, and begins them.” he continued with a laugh, “So I knew for myself and my colleagues we have bright futures ahead. It is only a matter of staking it out, and surveying the field of discovery. This is a good time for us. A splendid time for China more-over!”

	“To be honest, I'm not that excited.” Shin Yu said truthfully.

	“How so?”

	Yu shrugged, “I suppose I, uh- I suppose I just never studied history.” shamefully he said.

	“Then I am sorry.” the man said, “But if you are in a position to care: perhaps I would be interested in seeing what was found? Our partners in Xi'an are holding a special exhibition of the artifacts found. Perhaps you can go and see them? It might change your mind.” he said with a wide anticipating grin.

	“Maybe.” Yu said, “maybe.” he looked out the window again. Distant and gray among the trees and fields the sprawling modern city of Xi'an came into view along its gentle gray river. At their distance, the city's ancient walls stood prominent. Fields and hills of spring forest green enclosed it. Yu wondered just what was there. And he wondered about home. And about time.