Date of Letter:1992-07-05
Address of Author:Xi’an City, Shanxi Province
Date of Event:1938-1939
Location of Event:Linqu County, Langfang City, Shandong Province
Name of Author:Zhang Zaizhong
Name(s) of victim(s):Zhang Lexin (Zhang Zaizhong’s grandfather), Zhang Zaizhong’s father, etc.
Type of atrocity:Slave Laborers, Murders(SL, MU）
Other Details:My hometown was Linqu County, Langfang City, Shandong. On the New Year’s Eve, 1938 and during the 7th lunar month of 1939 respectively, the Japanese slaughtered my hometown, when my grandfather Zhang Lexin was killed and my father was forced into hard labor in a Japanese company. He was beaten, legs broken, yet left untreated and died. I personally witnessed that for practicing using bayonet, the Japanese sharpened their weapon before piercing it into the spine of a coolie planing wood. The blood actually splashed onto the Japanese soldier’s face.
Mr. Tong Zeng:
Hello!
It has been learned that you have submitted “Proposal for Chinese Civilian Claim Toward Japan” to the National People’s Congress. As a family member of the direct victims during the Japanese invasion period, I want to sincerely express my whole-hearted agreement and support.
My hometown is East Panyang Village, Panyang Town, Linqu County, Shandong Province. Japanese invaders twice massacred my hometown on the New Year Eve of 1938 and in July 1939 on the lunar calendar. In July 1939 on the lunar calendar, when they intruded on my family for the second time, my grandfather Zhang Lexin (back then 71) stood in the way of the Japanese soldiers to prevent them from looting my home, the Japanese solder hit my grandfather’s forehead with gun barrel, which peeled off his forehead skin to cover up his eyes, he died instantly. This tragic incident engraved in my young mind the Japanese invaders’ “Burn All, Kill All, and Loot All” policy.
In December 1940 on the lunar calendar my whole family fled to Northeast China, my mother died on the way, my father worked as laborer for the then Manchuria Chemical Co., Ltd in Dalian, he broke his leg during work, the factory refused to give medical treatment, and he died after over a dozen days. I was only six, my elder sister was nine, both of us became orphans.
Once, when I was watching the Japanese soldiers practicing with bayonet fighting in front of the gate of the Chemical Factory, I personally saw a Japanese soldier was sharpening the bayonet, after he finished the job, he flipped the blade with his hand, and turned to thrust the bayonet into the back of a bare-chest coolie who was planing wood, the blood splashed onto the face of the Japanese soldier.
The Japanese invasion brought huge loss to our country: More than 20 million people died, the loss amounted to nearly 300 billion US dollars.
We must demand repayment of towering crimes and the debt of blood committed by the Japanese invaders against Chinese people. Activate Chinese people’s self esteem and patriotic spirit!
I’m the eldest grandson in direct lineal descendant of Zhang Lexin, I also request to become a signer of “Chinese Civilian Claim Case against Japan”.
Regards
Yours faithfully
Zhang Zaizhong
Production Section of Shanxi Precision Alloy Factory
July 5, 1992
Note: ①Manchuria Chemical Co., Ltd is now Dalian Chemical Plant
② In 1965, in order to support the Third Front construction, I was transferred from Dalian Steel Factory to Xi’an
