Date of letter:February, 1993
Address of author:Honghu City, Hubei Provnce
Date of event:1933
Location of event:Honghu City, Hubei Provnce
Name of author:Wan Hengquan
Name(s) of victim(s):Wan Hengquan’s uncle and Yang Lizhen
Type of atrocity:Murders, Others (MU, OT)
Other details:In 1933, when Hubei was occupied, my uncle was killed on his way to Wuhan to make a living. Companions Yang Lizhen were killed and Yang Lijin survived, and all the goods were robbed by the Japanese army. Can I claim compensation agaist Japan on behalf of my uncle?
Comrade Tong,
Hello!
You must be busy with your work these days. Your letter about the campaign launched by you to claim reparations against the Japanese Government for the victims and their losses caused by Japan’s war of aggression. I’m now writing to seek your opinion.
After the Lugou (Marco Polo)Bridge incident on September 18th, the Japanese Imperialist army launched a comprehensive war of aggression against China; from then on, the Chinese nation had been involved in the flames of war. Tens of thousands of Chinese people fell under the butchering of the Japanese Imperialists. After Hubei province had been occupied, my uncle, Wan Shicai, was forced to leave home to make a living. On his way from Honghu to Wuhan, he passed by the town of Xintankou, and was shot dead by the Japanese sentry there. He was traveling together with two other people: only one (Yang Lijin) is alive today he witnessed the murder and can testify to it.
I am the nephew of Wan Shicai, so do I have the right to claim reparations against the Japanese Government? Please let me know in your reply, thank you!
Sincerely,
Fellow Chinese: Wan Hengquan
February, 1993
Details are attached herewith
About my uncle’s death
In April, 1933, my uncle Wan Shicai went with his companions Yang Lizhen and Yang Lijin by wooden boat to purchase fresh fish in Honghu Lake, and planned to sell them in Wuhan. After buying fish in Honghu Lake, to retain freshness, they traveled day and night; in the afternoon of the next day, they already reached Xinkou Town at the mouth of Honghu Lake to the Yangtze River. There, the Japanese sentries embarked on the boat and searched for a while. They did not discover anything, so they took some fish and signaled for my uncle and companions to leave. Then my uncle started to sail and was about to ford the Yangtze River. When the boat sailed for less than 100 meters, they heard the yelling and stopped the boat immediately. But the current was flowing so fast that it was hard to steer the boat to shore. The Japanese sentries thought they were too slow, so they shot my uncle dead. The rest two were also beat to half dead with gun stocks, boots and fists. All the fish on the boat were looted. After the two regained their consciousness, they carried my uncle’s body on the boat and transported it back. My uncle was only 29 years old when he died.
After his death, his son also died from illness. My aunt ran away from home. The Japanese caused the family’s disintegration and irreparable losses. Out of indignation and sorrow, I strongly urge the Japanese Government to account for and indemnify the Chinese people for their suffering from the bloody consequences of their invasion. It is our nation’s attitude and determination to seek justice and maintain peace, and also a punishment for their war of aggression.
Sincerely,
Fellow Chinese: Wan Hengquan
February, 1993
