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Comrade Tong Zeng:
　　HOW ARE YOU!
　　I am Du Guorui, a staff of Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps Second Automobile Transport Company. About the issue of war compensation, last year I wrote a letter to you with the highest respect. Thanks to your attention, I received your reply letter dated December 1992, the moment I received the letter, a warm flow of compatriotic compassion and support filled my heart. In order to express my respect and support to you, and also to facilitate the compensation for the painful experience of compatriots and their family members suffering from the crimes of the Japanese invasion, recovering from the humiliation as an individual and as a nation, based on the intention indicted by your letter, I contacted my hometown, some villages who had received persecution from the Japanese Army, one after another wrote letter to document their hardships, in the expectation that you would be able to alleviate humiliation for them. Since the villagers had little education, writing down their personal account is a task beyond their ability, so I selected three slightly more legible materials to mail to you, and I returned the remaining. If you need to collect some crime info about the invaders, please inform me via mail. I can contact my hometown, and ask the villagers to write out persecution facts as much as possible; then mail them to you.

　　According to letter feedback from villagers, the time that the Japanese Army invaded Dujiahe Village, Taoyuan County, Hunan, should be between October and November 1943. Owing to my inaccurate recollection, my father’s death time July 1945 that I mentioned last time might be mistaken. I hereby correct it.

　　Wish you all the best!

Du Guoman
93.1.28

Indictment

　　Li Jincheng, male, now 58, residing at Maxing Team, Jiuxi Village, Jiuxi Town, Taoyuan, farmer.

　　Regarding the case of the killing of my father in the winter of 1943, when the Japanese Army frantically attacked Shimen, Cili, Taoyuan, and Changde in our province, the details are as follows:

Li Ruitang, male, killed at age 44, a resident of the First Bao , Jiuxi Town, Taoyuan, Hunan, residing at Lijiayanpo. On November 25, 1943 (October 28 lunar calendar), the Japanese Army marched to our place, my whole family was split up, each hiding in various sites. At around 3 o’clock in the afternoon on that day, my father sent two red potatoes to my grandmother and me, later he went to Shenjia Mountains to look for my mother, just when he walked to a dry dyke west of Zhumuya at Shenjia Mountain, he was discovered by the Japanese soldiers, they shouted at him, my father did not understand what they were shouting about, he was very frightened, and immediately ran towards Shenjia Mountains, just when he ran to the ridge, the Japanese soldiers opened fire at the foot of Majiarong Lizigang. The shot hit my father’s thigh, but he kept running after being wounded, another shot came, this time it hit the waist, at this time my father was carrying a machete in the armpit, it was also pierced by the bullet. At that time he was still alive. Luo Sangu, who was mother of Ren Jingcheng, was hiding nearby, and heard my father was moaning. Because it was a time of chaos due to the war, three days later, my grandmother, my mother and I made inquiries everywhere, we asked a lot of people before finding Luo Sangu, it was then that we learned of my father’s whereabouts, and found the body, it was indeed my father. Later we asked He Zhengshou to carry his body in piggyback fashion to home. There was no salvation ceremony for releasing the soul from purgatory, we asked He Zhengshou along with my elder brother Li Hancheng, and my mother to dismantled my grandmother’s coffin, piece by piece, then carried them to a shaded grove near my family compound, put them together before lowering it into the pit, then put the body into the coffin for a simple burial.

Narrated by Li Jincheng (name seal)
1992.12.28

1 Bao: A unit of community in the Baojia System established by Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty for the purpose of law enforcement and civil control, the system was re-implemented in the Republic of China.

About the Burning of Home

　　I am Hu Juyuan, female, now 59, previously residing at Guantanjia, The Eighth Bao, Jiuxi, my family had 5 members including father Hu Xiangquan, mother Xiao Jinfang, third elder sister, sixth elder sister and me. Later I was married and moved to Duhe Team, Jiuxi Village, Jiuxi Town. It is my long cherished wish to report the details about my father’s forced drafting by the Japanese soldiers and my mother’s head injury when my home was burned by the Japanese soldiers. I had always wanted to report what happened to my family to the government.

　　In 1943 (the 32nd year of the Republic of China), several days before my home was burned, a group of Japanese soldiers came to Liuyi Guantan Taoyuan County, they saw my home had beehive, then they forced my father to give them honey, and carry the honey for them, my father became a porter, later he escaped when cooking meal.

　　Several days after my father left, namely on the morning of October 28, 1943 lunar calendar, after breakfast, a group of Japanese soldiers approached my home and set fire to the house. My mother took us to hide in the graveyard covered with tall thorny grass. Worried about the property in the home, she returned to take a look, but was hit on the head by a Japanese soldier with wood stick. She lost consciousness on the spot.

　　Damages brought by the Japanese Army to my home were deeply engraved on my heart. Demanding the Japanese government to offer compensation is the wish of tens of millions of Chinese victims including myself. I look forward to getting support from the government.

　　Regards!

Du Jinman (name seal)
Hu Juyuan
December 26, 1992
Her husband in our team can be testifier
Taoyuan County Jiuxi Town Jiuxi Villagers Committee Duhe Villager’s Team (Seal of the village Committee)

About my father Zhou Jin being killed and houses burned by the Japanese soldiers

　　Reported by: Zhou yuyan, male, now 76, residing at Shenping Team, Jiuxi Village, Jiuxi Town, Taoyuan County, Hunan Province, farmer.

　　My father Zhou Jin, previously residing at Duhe, Jiuxi Bao Village, Jiuxi Town, Taoyuan County, Hunan Province (i.e. current Xinjian Team of Jiuxi Village), on October 17, 1943 ,lunar calendar, my father and I were captured barbarically by the Japanese Army as “laborer”. At 6 o’clock in the afternoon of that day, my father was released because of his old age. In the evening of October 18, I escaped and returned to home. At 10 o’clock in the morning of October 19, the Japanese soldiers chased me to my home, I hurriedly went to the mountains in the back of our house to hid; in order to cover me, my father ran towards the dike in front of our home, just when he reached the dike, I heard three shots, my father fell to the ground, rolled to the waterfront of the pond, at that moment the Japanese soldiers rushed forward like jackals. Seeing my father was still breathing weakly, they inhumanly stabbed him with bayonets, and stabbed my father to death, my father’s blood turned water in the pond red. “The Devil Soldiers” killed my father, but they were not satisfied, and returned to take away two cows in my home. Then they set fire to three connected tiled houses, along with five shoulder poles of tung oil and ten shoulder poles of rice. All the losses were equivalent to RMB (current price) twenty three thousand yuan. Such heavy disaster and huge losses were brought by none other than the extremely vicious Japanese invaders.

　　In order to demand repayment of this debt of blood, today I hereby report the facts to Mr. Tong Zeng, Du Guoman and related department. In view of the above facts, I sincerely look forward to your assistance.

Narrated by: Zhou Yuyan
December 26, 1992