Date of letter:1992-12-08
Address of author:Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province
Date of event:1937-12-12
Location of event:Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province
Name of author:Zhao Bin
Name(s) of victim(s):Zhao Zhiguang (Zhao Bin’s father) and many soldiers
Type of atrocity:Nanking Massacre (NM)
Other details:My father was one of the Nanjing Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum guards. On December 12, 1937, the Japanese soldiers came to the Mausoleum, in which they burned, bombarded and killed the guards. From December 12 to 15, total 26 guards including my father were killed. The Japanese army had an inescapable responsibility for the harm to my family, so I require the Japanese government to compensate.
Respectable Tong Zeng:
I’m so glad and excited to receive your reply. I am glad because I can get care and support from capital Beijing as a victim of Japan’s war of aggression against China. I am excited because you and a group of scholars are working hard to pursue justice for millions of victims and defend national benefits. I’d like to send our highest regards and gratitude to you for your hard work on behalf of other millions of victims.
I am sending you the letter (detained by the Public Security Bureau of Nanjing) I sent to the Japanese embassy in China before the visit of the Japanese Emperor to China in this August as well as the magazine Law and Life. I am also providing historical data about all guards (among whom, Zhao Zhiguang is my father) of the Prime Minister Cemetery Guards Brigade being killed by the Japanese army. Please make a timely reply after reading the letter. Thank you.
Civilian victim
Zhao Wenmin
December 8, 1992
Respectable Ambassador:
First of all, please allow me to begin the letter with the memorable 1937 when Japanese imperialists launched a war of aggression against China, in which they committed unforgiveable crimes and caused a grave disaster to Chinese people. This historical conclusion has been publicized by the Japanese government and other countries, so I don’t need to provide facts.
I am a civilian victim of Japan’s war of aggression against China. My father was a guard with the Nanjing Prime Minister Cemetery Guards Brigade, so he guarded the cemetery of founding father Sun Yat-sen year after year until December 12, 1937, when the invading Japanese army trampled the shrine of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, a great figure of China and even the world. They burned down Zijin Mountain, bombed Zhongshan Mourning Hall and killed the guards. All 26 guards defending the cemetery were killed by the Japanese army in 4 days from December 12 to 15.
After my father was killed, my mother took me, a new-born baby, to flee around and beg for life in the war period. We experienced much suffering that couldn’t be described with words. The Japanese army surrendered 8 years later. My mother didn’t know whether my father was still alive. She waited and cried, got ill and died at only 30. Thus I became a homeless orphan. But I kept looking for my father for over 40 years to realize my mother’s last will. Finally in September 1990, I found my father’s whereabouts at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall by consulting the historical data about 16 guards including my father Zhao Zhiguang being killed by the Japanese army.
Japan’s war of aggression against China destroyed our land, plundered our property and caused insufferable pain to the Chinese people by breaking their family apart. The invading Japanese army committed too many crimes to mention.
During the Japan-China Joint Statement on the normalization of diplomatic relations in September 1972, the Chinese government gave up the request of war reparations against Japan with a broad mind to maintain a friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples for generations to come. But the Chinese government didn’t give up compensation to civilian victims. War reparations are different from victim compensation. The current Japanese government should give a reasonable compensation to Chinese civilian victims by carefully considering the feelings of Chinese people and the big picture of a friendship between the Japanese and Chinese peoples in accordance with international conventions and humanitarian principles. I am just one of millions of Chinese victims. My father was a guard of the Nanjing Prime Minister Cemetery and innocently killed by the Japanese army, and my mother died because of that. The Japanese army took two lives of my family. I grew up in the war from a baby and my spiritual suffering cannot be compensated with anything. The Japanese government is undeniably responsible for the disaster caused to my family. Therefore, I demand a compensation of 200,000 USD against the Japanese government. I will establish a monument for the 26 Sun Yat-sen cemetery guards cruelly killed by the Japanese army to make the Chinese people never forget history. I also need the money to improve my remaining life and treat my spiritual trauma. I should get what I deserve because that’s the only inheritance my parents left to their only son at the price of their blood. Mr. Ambassador, please forward this to your government and give me a reply. At last, as a victim of the war, I’d like to send my regards to Mr. Ambassador and your prime minister and the Japanese people and warmly welcome your emperor to visit China. Thank you.
Chinese civilian victim
Zhao Wenmin
August 1992
Circular of the Cemetery Guard Office on July 1, 1935
This Guards Brigade bravely defended the cemetery in the winter of the 26th year of National Republic of China. As it was vastly outnumbered, the guards entered the city to fearlessly resist and fight with the enemy. Unfortunately, the city fell and the guards were sacrificed. We mourn these patriots. Relevant departments shall carry out an investigation and notify the relatives of the victims. Apart from a separate circular, a list of victims is provided below. Relevant departments shall submit true evidence materials (provided by colleagues or relatives) by July 15 for our report. Please avoid delay in this urgent matter.
Attached is a list of the sacrificed soldiers (Material seal)
This is a photo of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. My father Zhao Zhiguang is the 9th from the right.