A Reporter's Odyssey In Unseen China
LEAD: If John F. Burns's stay in a Chinese prison was unpleasant, what about the grave consequences that faced his Chinese companion, Zhang Daxing ('A Reporter's Odyssey in Unseen China,' Feb. 8)? Mr. Zhang spent more than two months in jail, with his whereabouts kept from his family for much of that time.
If John F. Burns's stay in a Chinese prison was unpleasant, what about the grave consequences that faced his Chinese companion, Zhang Daxing ('A Reporter's Odyssey in Unseen China,' Feb. 8)? Mr. Zhang spent more than two months in jail, with his whereabouts kept from his family for much of that time.
It is true that Mr. Zhang made the trip of his own free will, but those of us in Beijing at the time, contemplating our own trips, knew better than to include Chinese nationals in our plans. The worst that could happen to us was deportation. A local Chinese person would face much sterner measures, possibly affecting the course of his life.
What bothers me most is that Mr. Burns's odyssey ends with his being escorted to the airport and handed a ticket to Hong Kong, but Mr. Zhang remained behind. Somehow the high drama of Mr. Burns's experience pales in comparison to the reality Mr. Zhang was left to face alone in China.  DAVID RICHTER  Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies  Washington