Date of letter:1993-08-16
Address of author:Yiyang City, Hunan Province
Date of event:1944
Location of event:Yiyang City, Hunan Province
Name of author:Wan Youxiu
Name(s) of victim(s):Wan Youxiu’s husband
Type of atrocity:Others (OT)
Other details:One day in the spring of 1944, the Japanese soldiers were coming into our village, so the villagers had hidden in the mountains in advance. At that time I just gave birth to my child. When transferring to another place, my husband and I were found by the Japanese soldiers. My husband was caught, and I immediately fainted after a sharp knife was stabbed into my chest. After coming to life, I held my child and climbed to a family on the mountain; but my child soon died, and my husband has not been seen or heard from thereafter.
Respectable Mr. Tong:
How have you been?
After reading the article Claims for Civilian Compensation Against Japan Are Under Way in China from Hunan Women’s News of March 25, I wrote a letter to the editorial department of the press applying for compensation against Japan as my husband Meng Hailian was captured by the Japanese army in June 1944 and his whereabouts are still unknown. Then, I received a reply from reporter Zhou Huiyu. Afterwards, I wrote another letter to the press asking about the signature thing, but I haven’t received a reply yet. I wonder if the big event of civilian claims is still ongoing, so I hereby make an application to you who launched the event for your review.
My heart still bleeds when I recall the memories. The past bloody scenes of what happened 50 years ago are still fresh in my mind and will remain in my mind until I die.
I was in the spring of 1944. To make a living, I followed my husband Meng Hailian to Zhubotang, Yiyang to grow tobacco. On June 11 of the same year, I gave birth to our first child. Soon after that, word spread in the village that “The Japanese soldiers are coming soon.” The news was like a bomb that stunned the entire village. The villagers left their houses to hide in the mountains. My husband also hired someone to carry me to a high mountain. My child was just born, so it was inconvenient for me to move. Besides, I left home in a hurry and didn’t take anything with me. After struggling in the mountain for three days, I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. My husband Meng Hailian wanted to move me to another mountain where more people were hiding, so he hired a young man who then lived at Yuejiaqiao Village to carry me. But when we just walked to the fields at the foot of the mountain, we were seen by a group of Japanese soldiers. They came at us, grabbed Meng Hailian carrying me in the front and began kicking him. Then, they tied him up with a rope and took him away. The young man who was carrying me at the back rolled into the fields while the Japanese soldiers were capturing my husband and ran away under the cover of rice shoots. I heard my husband’s sad cries, which were like knives cutting my heart. Then I blacked out. I didn’t wake up until late in the afternoon when my child was crying weakly. Looking at the dying child, I was so sad that I wanted to kill myself. But my husband was just taken away and I didn’t know whether he was dead or alive, so I decided to live despite the pain. I slowly crawled to a house on the mountain, holding the child with one arm and was taken in by a kind woman. They laid a mat on the floor and provided us with a bowl of rice and green pepper for each meal. My child left me due to illness and hunger. I just wanted to die early as my heart was already dead. But the hope of meeting my husband made me decide to live, so I survived for a few days before my family came and took me to live with them. I cried my eyes out and had the same dream and hope one day after another until 1945 when Japan surrendered. Those who were captured gradually came back home. My hope was ignited again. I waited and waited, but my husband never came back. I dreamed of our reunion several times, shouted and woke to find that I was still alone. For decades, I’ve kept the memories in my mind and never thought that there would be a rescuer like you. Now, my life is difficult. I demand a compensation of 10,000 USD against the Japanese government. Please tell the Japanese government that the Chinese people hate the invading Japanese army so much that even killing them won’t make the hate go away.
Wish success to the claims for civilian compensation against Japan in China.
Best regards,
Zeng Jiachong Group, Hongqi, Daquan, Yiyang
Wan Youxiu
August 16, 1993
