By Jennifer Heldt Powell

and Alvin Powell

Special to the Gazette

Chants of ''Free Tibet!'' and ''One China!'' greeted Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Saturday morning as thousands of demonstrators jeered or supported the controversial leader in the first visit to Harvard by a Chinese president.

An estimated 2,000 to 5,000 demonstrators lined Cambridge Street near Memorial Hall, restrained by metal barricades and a row of Cambridge, Harvard, and State Police, both mounted and on foot.

Demonstrators' chants rose from a forest of banners and signs, echoed off surrounding stone walls and crept into Memorial Hall, where Jiang spoke. Many Jiang supporters were Chinese students studying at area universities while opponents represented diverse groups with three main messages: free Tibet, improve human rights, leave Taiwan alone.

Under gray skies, pro- and anti-Jiang demonstrators stood shoulder to shoulder, sometimes shouting at each other from just inches away. At one point a Buddhist monk surrounded by a group of pro-Jiang students jumped up and down shouting ''Free Tibet! Free Tibet!'' while the students shouted back ''One China! One China!,'' referring to China's position that both Tibet and the Republic of China, also known as Taiwan, are legitimate parts of the giant communist country.

The heated exchanges led to some shoving matches, but police said there were no arrests or reports of violence during the nearly five-hour demonstration.

The rain that threatened to dampen the event held off for several hours but finally let loose shortly after Jiang's motorcade left around noon.

Opposition Counters Jiang

It was still raining an hour later when a crowd of about 500 gathered to hear Chinese dissident Harry Wu's warnings about trusting China's communist leaders.

Wu, speaking from the steps of the Memorial Church, cautioned listeners against believing that China's economic liberalization will be accompanied by political and social change.

The Chinese dissident, who spent 19 years at forced labor in 12 Chinese prison camps, also raised the specter of a revitalized China, fortified by economic gains, becoming a new military threat in the next century.

''History has repeatedly taught us that appeasing dictators does not bring peace or prosperity to the citizens of that country,'' Wu said. ''The Chinese communists are masters of manipulation and deception. . . . China wants Western money, advanced technology, management skills, and market share in order to modernize and fuel its military buildup in preparation for the inevitable confrontation that it must face on the road to becoming a world superpower. The West must accept this reality.''

Though he warned against trusting China's communist system, Wu said Jiang has the opportunity to end that same system, much as Mikhail Gorbachev did in the former Soviet Union.

''(Jiang) could be the gravedigger for communism in China,'' Wu said. ''If he does this, then I would suggest that Harvard ask him back to give him an honorary degree.''

Wu's speech was sponsored by The Harvard Salient, which began planning the counter-speech shortly after the administration announced Jiang's visit.

''We did it to send a message to Jiang, to say he couldn't come to Harvard and be embraced,'' said Editor Kevin Shapiro, '99-'00.

Diverse Protesters, Diverse Messages

The two events attracted a diverse crowd made up of young and old, students and professors and citizens of several countries, including the U.S., China, Taiwan, and India.

Supporters of the visit were mostly Chinese students studying in the U.S. Several said they came to support Jiang because they are proud of their country and of the economic reforms that have been made in recent years.

''We want to show our love and support for China because all of us are Chinese,'' said Junfeng Wang, president of the Chinese Student Scholars Association at M.I.T., which had about 200 members waving both Chinese and American flags at the demonstration. ''We want to see economic growth and more education.''

Wilson Chu, a Harvard postdoctoral student from China, came to observe the morning's demonstration with his wife, Esther, and their 1-year-old son Michael. He echoed many demonstrators who said Jiang's visit was important to foster U.S.-China relations.

''I think it's very important in terms of mutual understanding between the two countries,'' said Chu. He is studying medical biology and plans to return to China.

Those opposing the visit backed a variety of causes. Kalsang Phuntsok, a Cambridge resident whose family fled Tibet in 1959, said he will keep pushing to get China out of Tibet.

''We're trying to send a message to President Jiang Zemin,'' Phuntsok said. ''Stop the killing of the people of Tibet, stop the tortures and release political prisoners.''

About 100 students from the Harvard Republic of China Student Club protested Jiang's visit. China should stop thinking that Taiwan is a renegade province and stop pressuring the international community to isolate the island nation, the students said.

''Taiwan would like to join the international society but China always pressures countries saying, 'You can't be friends with Taiwan or we won't trade with you,' " said Yi Chou, a member of the club and a Harvard doctoral student in physics. ''With 21 million people in Taiwan, we have the right to join international society.''

William Schreiber, who received a Harvard Ph.D. in 1953 and retired as an M.I.T. professor in 1990, said it was a disgrace for Harvard to welcome the Chinese president. Jiang is introducing the same ''robber-baron''-style capitalism that has oppressed American workers, Schreiber said.

''Welcoming this murderer to my alma mater is a disgrace,'' Schreiber said.

Several demonstrators said it was good to have the opposing groups exchange viewpoints, although tempers occasionally flared on both sides. Sometimes the exchange amounted to one group chanting ''Shame on China!'' while a Chinese student yelled back, ''You know nothing!''

That student, Andrew Chen, said Americans should learn more about China.

''We have basic human rights,'' said Chen, a Yale economics student who came to Boston to support Jiang. ''The situation in China has improved. It takes time to build a democracy. In China, if you obey the law, no one will kill you, no one will make you disappear.

''There is much misconception in the American people,'' said Chen, who plans to return to China and become a businessman when he graduates.

Just an Average Day

Though demonstrators were shouting and waving signs just outside, there was no sign of turmoil inside Harvard Yard, which had been closed to the public. People posed for pictures by the John Harvard statue as if nothing unusual was occurring. Freshman Parents Day continued as planned.

John Nevin '01 tossed a football while waiting for his folks to arrive, but he still had an opinion about Jiang's visit.

''I think it's good that we're opening relations,'' he said. ''I don't think you can get anything done unless you talk. I don't agree with his policies, but I think we need to keep talking.''

While most demonstrators clustered around Memorial Hall, a few made their voices heard at the other end of the Yard, standing along Massachusetts Avenue across from the Harvard Coop.

A cluster of people held handmade signs with black lettering saying ''Free Tibet.'' A sign to welcome Jiang was strung on Harvard's black iron fence.

Brian Shea, sitting in a wheelchair, held one end of a large red sign with the words ''Long Live the People's Republic of China.''

A few people yelled at the sign holders. One woman even exchanged obscenities with them. But others, including many holding Chinese flags, stopped to have their pictures taken in front of the sign, sponsored by the Workers World Party.

''We're out here as a counter presence to any anti-China stuff,'' said Shea, a Brookline resident who works as an independent living consultant for people with disabilities. ''We were expecting all these foaming-at-the-mouth types, but we've gotten a lot of support.''

He said Americans should concentrate on improving human rights in their own country and not worry about China.

''Whatever internal problems the Chinese have, that's for the Chinese to solve,'' he said. ''We're out here to say not everyone in the U.S. buys that capitalism equals freedom.''