Date of letter:1993-04-22
Address of author:Fengjie County, Chongqing City, Sichuan Province
Date of event:1939
Location of event:Fengjie County, Chongqing City, Sichuan Province
Name of author:Huang Wenhua, Huang Wenlan
Name(s) of victim(s):Huang Yuanru, Huang Peishan (Huang Wenhua’s relative)
Type of atrocity:Air Bombings (AB)
Other details:After 1937, Sichuan became a focus bombing area of Japanese. Countless corpses were floating in the Yangtze River, which became a horror sight in my memory till today. In 1939 when the Japanese bombed Fengjie County, my sister and I hid under the desk and survived, while my father Huang Yuanru and brother Huang Peishan were killed and my mother disabled in the bombing. That’s why we claim compensation from Japan.
Mr. Tong Zeng:
I’ve read the article titled Pursuing Justice Against Japan by Yang Liwen from Weekly Digest, which mentioned that you launched a signature program of demanding compensation against Japan by Chinese civilian victims. I was so excited that I couldn’t clam down for a long time after reading the article. The memories of my family’s suffering come back to me again. We firmly support the program and are determined to participate in it.
My family lived in Yuwanggong Street, Fengjie (Kuifu), Sichuan (now No. 56, Jiefang Road, Yong’an, Fengjie, Sichuan). After 1937, Chongqing, Wanxian, Yunyang and Fengjie of Sichuan became key targets to be bombed by Japanese planes. There were so much blood and corpses floating in the Yangtze River. I still remember those horrifying memories.
At about 9 a.m. on May 12 in the 28th year of the National Republic of China (namely 1939), Japanese planes hovering over Fengjie dropped bombs and incendiaries for over one hour and destroyed more than half of the city. There were thick smoke, collapsed houses and corpses everywhere. What a tragic sight. My younger sister and I were placed by the adults under a big wood table with quilts on it and we survived. But our father Huang Jiuru (deputy director of a factory for the poor) and eldest brother Huang Peishan were killed in the bombing. We couldn’t even find their whole bodies. Our mother Huang Xunhui was seriously injured with several shrapnel and wood residues in her arms. Now, she is hunchbacked with permanent disability. My family’s 10-room house, including 3 shop fronts and a 7-room quadrangle at the back, covering about 200㎡, was destroyed by a bombing along with all property in it. Everything became a pile of rubble. The bombing caused my family to fall apart. But after China won the anti-Japanese war, Japan didn’t make any compensation, which is not allowed by reason or the international law. I demand a compensation of RMB 430,000 yuan against Japan based on our losses.
In the old society, my poor widowed mother and we kids begged for living. It was not until in 1949 when China was liberated that we started a new life with the care of the People’s Government of Fengjie.
Now, I am a retired primary school teacher, my younger sister is a manager of a catering service company and the president of the labor union. Mr. Tong Zeng, thousands of civilian victims of my county are gathering together to respond to your signature program thanks to the guide of the article Pursuing for Justice Against Japan from Issue 644, Weekly Digest of February 3, 1993. Let’s stand up and fight for our benefits. Thank you for pursuing justice for us victims and our ancestors. Please continue to guide us in future action, direction and procedures.
Best regards,
Huang Wenlan, Huang Wenhua
April 22, 1993
