Date of letter:1992-07-13
Address of author:Yuci City, Shanxi Province
Date of event:1940-1943
Location of event:Yuci City, Shanxi Province
Name of author:Zhang Zhili
Name(s) of victim(s):Common people in Yuci
Type of atrocity:Others, Other Massacres, Rapes, Slave Laborers(OT, OM, RA, SL）
Other details:Yuci City was destroyed by Japanese during the war time. In 1943, the Japanese army looted our six-armed Guanyin and transported it to Japan. In 1940, 108 people were caught and buried alive. Another 100 residents captured were forced into hard labor, which was so hard that the people tried to escape in groups yet failed and got shot. Women being raped by Japanese also happened now and then.
Comrade Tong Zeng:
I admire you, Chen Jian and Yang Yi so much for your patriotism after reading an article reporting your effort on demanding damage compensation against the Japanese government from China Business News. What you are doing is a great thing and is what old comrades like me want to do for years but were not able to. We support your action and to make joint efforts on it, I’d like to consult you about the scope of civilian damage compensation set out in the International Law. In accordance with the Yalta Conference, Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, Japanese invaders killed 30 million Chinese compatriots during 1931 and 1945 and caused property losses of 500 billion USD instead of 300 billion USD; in 1972, the Chinese government gave up war reparations of 120 billion USD instead of civilian damage compensation of 380 billion USD. I have the following questions:
1. There was a large temple in northeastern of Yuci built collectively by residents of Sitiaojie. It was demolished by the Japanese army and rebuilt as a dormitory for family members of Japanese soldiers during the Japanese occupancy period.
2. There was a large Dongyue Temple in the northeastern of Yuci also collectively by residents of Sitiaojie. It was demolished by the Japanese army and rebuilt as a Japanese shrine to store cremation ashes of Japanese soldiers during the Japanese occupation period.
3. There were a cluster of ancient buildings in Changning Town 15 km southeastern of Yuci, named North Temple Place, including 2 Taoist temples, 2 Buddhist temples and 1 Jade Emperor Pavilion at Beidaochang, and 40 towers at Talin including a bronze statue of Three Heads and Six Arms Guanyin from the Yuan Dynasty, 480cm tall, weighing over 5000kg. The statue of Guanyin, containing grain-size gold sand in it, was moved away by the Japanese army and so was the Jade Emperor statue, 480cm tall, weighing over 5000kg. The temple, collectively built by villagers from 6 surrounding villages, was demolished and changed into a blockhouse to stone and brick. The wood materials in the temple were all demolished to be used as firewood for cooking by the Japanese army.
Similiarly to the North Temple Place, there were another group of ancient buildings 22.5 km southern of Yuci, named South Temple Place, including a same bronze statue of Guanyin. In 1943, the Japanese army moved away the statue and 3 1.5-meter-tall bronze Buddha statues built in Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty respectively. Both the two groups of buildings were collectively built by local residence’s financial contribution. Are they in the scope of compensation? And the other two places in Yuci? The Japanese troops that occupied Yuci were Yoshino Troops.
There are many cases about Chinese civilians being killed by the Japanese army. In 1940, the Japanese army once captured 108 people in rags and buried them alive in a large hole in southeastern Yuci. Chinese traitors reported that those people were spies of the Eighth Route Army. In the same year, a large group of Japanese soldiers captured over 100 residents in suburban and rural areas and held them outside the East-West Station of Yuci. They worked as forced laborers there, moving military supplies and valuables plundered in China. But they ate food for pigs and dogs and were often beaten badly. Three iron fences were installed around the place and one fence was electrified. The laborers couldn’t stand the torture and tried to escape together. Only 3 or 5 people got out alive. Most of them were all shot dead. Their bodies were either eaten by military dogs or buried in a large hole. There are many cases like this. Many villages, all villagers were killed, including the livestock.
There are countless cases about Chinese women being raped by Japanese soldiers. My hometown Dongchangning Village was occupied by the Japanese army. There often be 3 or 5 Japanese soldiers barging in a local house, where they would kick out other family members, close the door and gang rape the women. Shigeta Village and Huangxin Village in the mountains over 25km away from Yuci were the villages in Yuci that suffered most during the war. Many people were innocently killed. There was one time that Japanese soldiers captured women during a raid on the mountains. Over ten soldiers gang raped them and then bayoneted or shot them to death. Usually when they saw young women, they highjack them to their camp at Baidian, Huangxin and gang raped them. 10 days later, the villagers had to ask traitors to say nice words for them and had to pay large sum of ransoms to get the victims back. These women were tortured so badly out of shape as a human. The above facts were part of what I know. Please tell me if the temples collectively built by local residents could be compensated in accordance with the International Law, and whether the people who were innocently killed (not in a military action) and the women who were raped (some are dead, some are still alive and the lineal relatives of some are alive) are eligible for demanding compensation. If evidence materials are required, we have to obtain them in the mountains areas. Could you help us obtain the evidence? We are just 3 elderly people and 1 young worker. To tell you the truth, we have a low income and are not financially capable of doing that. So, we need a sponsor, an organization or individual. We can successfully obtain the evidence materials just with a little fund.
Best wishes to your work.
Culture News of Yuci
Zhang Zhiyi (Personal seal)
July 13, 1992
