Date of letter:1993-12-23
Address of author:Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province
Date of event:1938 and 1940
Location of event:Not mentioned
Name of author:Deng Wenyuan
Name(s) of victim(s):Deng Shuqi (Deng Wenyuan’s father), Deng Wenyuan’s grandmother
Type of atrocity:Murders, Rapes, Others (MU, RA, OT)
Other details:In the spring of 1938, the Japanese implementing the “Burn All, Kill All, Loot All” policy killed Deng Wenyuan’s father Deng Shuqi, raped his 60-year-old grandmother and burnt down his house and belongings. In 1940 the Japanese demolished Deng’s house and used the bricks to build gun turrets. They also killed his grandmother.
Comrade Tong Zeng:
How do you do!
It’s a pity that I learned of the news too late, when a townsfolk gave my younger sister a book called “Doing Xi Nan Bei Monthly” (1991.10, Volume Number 114), on page 12 I read an article:”Non-governmental Claim Tide”, a report on the demand for persecution compensation from Japan by Chinese nationals, written by Li Peiyu. The article is not long, and I read it carefully for three times. I feel you are an honest comrade with personal integrity. Seeing your righteous spirit, within one year you kept moving around the country to drum up support, delivered appeal to the National People’s Congress, and sent letters to the Japanese Prime Minister; relying on the voice of one person, there were echo from millions of the population, which is really admirable.
As a matter of fact, my family is a typical victim family of the Japanese invaders’ ‘Burn All, Kill All, Loot All’ policy. Before the spring of 1938, there were nine persons in my family, including two elder sisters, one elder brother, two younger sisters, parents, and grandma. In the spring of 1938 the Japanese came, they killed my father, and raped my 60-year-old grandma, and set fire to more than 20 houses. My father was named Deng Shuqi, who made a living by doing script and book business; the Japanese set fire to his complete workshop, along with wood materials for building three houses, plus furniture and clothing……everything was gone, After the Japanese left, in 1940, the puppet army began to build outpost and constructed gun turrets; they dismantled our houses in order to take the bricks, my grandma resisted their attempts, for which she was beaten by a low-rank officer, and felt ill and died, My mother remained a widow for the rest of her life, and my siblings were still young, for the biggest elder sister was 13 and the youngest sister was only one at that time.
From 1938 to 1945, we lived with economic difficulty, physical agony, and spiritual anguish, amid social turmoil the masses lived in dire poverty; it was really a period of hard time. When you mention compensation from Japan, we will give you firm support.
Regards
Sincerely yours
Eldest Deng Wenxiu (female)
Second sibling Deng Wenzhen (female)
Third sibling Deng Wenjie
Fourth sibling Deng Wenyuan (Ma Xinren)
Fifth sibling Deng Wenzhen (female)
Sixth sibling Deng Wenyan (female)
1993.12.23
