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Mr. Tong Zeng:

I really admire your righteous actions to pursue justice for the large number of compatriots who have been victimized by the Japanese invaders.

Over the past 48 years, the Japanese government displayed not a slightest trace of regret, not to mention compensation. Today, it invaded us economically. Its economic prosperity is inseparable from invading and plundering us. We will never forget their atrocities and the losses we have sustained. According to international law, civil compensation can be listed on agenda any time. Therefore we are fully entitled to demand compensation from the Japanese government. Recently, the newly elected Hosokawa government began to admit that the war waged by Japan was an invasion, and set up a compensation fund of one trillion Japanese yens. However, this amount is tiny compared with what Japan ought to compensate. We will continue to fight!

My hometown is at Hepu Tong’ao Village, Shanhe District, Huanggang, Hubei. During the resistance war against Japanese invasion, Wuhan fell to the enemy’s hands. The Japanese invaders occupied Huanggang, and organized multiple “mopping-up”, “cleaning up the countryside” campaigns. Many of our houses were burned to ashes by the Japanese Army. They also looted countless valuables. During the occupation period, they arbitrarily imposed land rents, requisitioned labor without paying salary, and forced several decent women in our clan to commit suicide (this can be corroborated by our clan’s family genealogy). After the Japanese invaders surrendered, the KMT government once organized registration of lost properties and fortunes, but it ended up with nothing definite.

Although half a century has passed, I still strongly demand the Japanese government to compensate fully for our loss, with interest over the past 48 years, plus an open apology to the Chinese people. I want to demand justice for my family and other victims of my country! We have to preserve the dignity of the ancestors! I will give full support to your action, till we achieve complete success!

Regards.

The highest salute!

Tong Jian
September 23, 1993

PS: Considering that you are working for the interest of the whole nation, and you have no governmental support, I specially attached a few stamps, so as to facilitate future communication, and it also represents a little support from me.

In 1938, the Japanese Invasion Army set fire to all the houses at Tong’ao Village, Gunzihe Town, Huanggang County, Hubei Province. The following are the signatures of some of the victims:
Tong Jian Tong Qiyi Tong Lisheng Tong Qingzhang
Fu Shouzao Tong Jinshan Tong Huashan Tong Xiumin
Fu Shoucheng Tong Qibo Tong Jincheng Tong Qianjin
Tong Qizhi Tong Huashan Tong Youshan Tong Qixian Tong Shoushan

Mr. Tong Zeng:
Hello, I hereby send you signatures of some of the victims of Japanese invaders in villages around my hometown (Huanggang, Hubei). What other things do I need to do? Please advise me. My son Tong Jian (now in university) really admires you. I also attached his letter to you.
Wish you a peaceful autumn.

Tong Mianzhi
September 30

PS: Our clan with surname Tong living in Hubei is now compiling family genealogy. Our ancestral home was in Jiangxi. Around the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty we relocated to Huanggang in Hubei, now I’m the 20th generation descendent. What is your native place? Where is your ancestral home? Are you also compiling genealogy now? Looking forward to your reply.

A Combined Biography of Heroine Sun Ruren and Fengjiao

In the past when reading the history of heroines, in particular Zhang Shuming jumped off cliff and Han Jiuying jumped into cesspool, I couldn’t help but feel awed and hold high esteem for them. Today when learning of the deeds of Sun Ruren and girl Fengjiao in our clan, one would not feel surprised. Sun Ruren was the wife of Mr. Ziyi, and Fengjiao his niece. Both of them understood the principles of righteousness, for which all neighbours respected them. In 1938, Wuhan fell into the hands of the Japanese invaders. The enemy frequently raided our villages, committed numerous crimes, and looted everything. When Ruren and Fengjiao heard of the news, both felt indignant, and they vowed to each other: We are feeble women and could not join the army to save the nation. If the Japanese came we would certainly fight with them till death. As it turned out, the Japanese indeed came to their village. The heroines then moved to the side of the village and sat beside the pond. Someone advised them to look for a hiding place. They said this was the place where they would die a martyr. Soon the Japanese came, and wanted to rape them. Both Ruren and Fengjiao jumped up and wrestled the enemy to the ground, then beat them very badly. More enemy showed up, and they were immediately overwhelmed. They still fought on until exhaustion and committed suicide by jumping into the pond. This happened on December 15 of that year. After the Japanese retreated, people far and near heard of the news. Everyone felt astonished and awed. Since the July 7 Incident, our nation was invaded by the Japanese, and thousands of miles of territory were fallen to the enemy’s hands. People were scared of their ruthlessness and dared not fight them, some even yielded and became traitors. The heroines would not stand the humiliation and fought with all their strength till death. Their courage is admirable. Just like the past Prime Minister Wen Tianxiang in the Song Dynasty and Cabinet Minister Shi Kefa in the Ming Dynasty, who died honourably fighting foreign invasion. Both the heroines had neither their official titles nor any power associated with the titles, but their deaths are more illustrious than the deaths of these two nobles, and more comparable to Zhang Shuming and Han Jiuying. On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of their deaths, this article is hereby written to record their honourable deeds, so as to commemorate their selfless contribution to the nation one day in the future, which will also glorify our clan.

The 15th day of the Second Month of Spring, 1946
Zao Nan Jing