World Notes Leisure

"Letting a hundred flowers blossom," said Chairman Mao, is a sure sign of "a flourishing socialist culture." Interpreting the Chairman's thought anew, with a view toward tourism, China is busily establishing golf courses. Ground was broken last week for one in the Valley of the Ming Tombs, 30 miles from Peking, by Politburo Member Wang Zhen. As Wang, 76, chopped away with a wedge on a slope that will soon sprout Kentucky bluegrass, a controversy was simmering over the selection of the site.

Preservationists see a development that will eventually include ski slopes, luxury hotels and a racetrack as a desecration of a historic site. When the course is completed by a Japanese-Chinese consortium sometime next year, the cry of "Fore!" may be faintly heard at the nearby tomb of Emperor Xi Zong, who ruled from 1620 to 1627. Even Xi, who is remembered for turning over power to a eunuch, would undoubtedly relish the stately rhythms of the royal and ancient sport. His modern-day counterparts will surely appreciate a game in which handicaps allow players of different abilities to compete as equals.