Date of letter:1993-08-01
Address of author:Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
Date of event:1939-07-05
Location of event:Leshan City, Sichuan Province
Name of author:Luo Zongzhe
Name(s) of victim(s):Luo Zongzhi(Luo Zongzhe’s cousin)and Luo Zongzhe’s family
Type of atrocity:Air Bombings (AB)
Other details:On July 5, 1937, 37 Japanese aircrafts bombarded Leshan County with bombs and fire bombs, and destroyed many houses and buildings. My house was also burned to the ground in the bombing. Some of my family members were burned to death, and survivors were rendered homeless. Then I saw a lot of wounded people whose feet and hands were missing. I would like to seek justice from the Japanese government and strongly require the Japanese government to compensate me for all the losses of my family.
Pursuing Justice Against the Japanese Government
The Japanese government brought a severe disaster and pain to the Chinese people during its war of aggression against China that is hard to describe with words. Our great losses caused by the war cannot be measured and expressed with simple figures. When I read articles about comfort women and forced laborers from newspaper, I cannot suppress my pain and anger. I must shout out that we have to pursue justice against the Japanese government.
I am a direct victim of the war and a witness of the crimes committed by the Japanese army. On July 5, 1939, 37 Japanese planes bombed Leshan County. By dropping incendiaries, they destroyed structures on main streets such as Yutang Street, Dongda Street and Tuqiao Street and burned down many houses and buildings. According to partial statistics, over 3,600 people were killed and more were injured in this small county. Japan’s war of aggression against China has caused grave pain and suffering to Lushan people. I witnessed that my family’s house was bombed and burned down and my relatives were burned to death. My family was forced to live a vagabond life.
I was born at Luogongguan, which was opposite to the theatre in Dongda Street, Leshan, Sichuan. My ancestors left us about one to two hundred houses. My father Luo Yiqing was a poor Xiucai (one who passed the imperial examination at the county level in the Ming and Qing dynasties) and made a living by teaching. He died in the winter of 1938. After his death, my 8-member family including my uncle, aunt, mother and five siblings lived on rent. Unfortunately, our houses were bombed to the ground by Japanese planes on July 5, 1939 and all property was burned down. My poor elder male cousin Luo Zongzhi was burned to death in the street like a black small cat. My elder female cousins Luo Zongxiao and Luo Zongsong embraced their dead elder brother and cried their hearts out. My mother and we five siblings also cried bitterly. My cousin Luo Zongzhi was then a young man of 19 years old. When the air raid alert rang, he asked us (the elderly, women and children) to go first. According to our neighbors, he was injured, got crushed by the house pillar and burned to death.
I was then 11 and saw many wounded people without feet or hands and with blood on their heads or faces. Some people had their intestines out, some were taken out from a water tank or ditch and some people were so stewed that their hands and feet would break even touched. How tragic! I remember that we wore only short-sleeved clothes and my brother Luo Zongzhang wore no shoes. After Japanese planes bombed Leshan, my family lost everything. Then, my 8-member family began to live a vagrant life. Over 10 days later, my uncle died of hunger and coldness. At that time, my youngest sister Luo Zongmin was only a little over 3 years old; we carried her by turns to escape from danger. I remembered our siblings suffering from malaria. Indeed, misfortunes never come alone. We lived in extreme poverty. I and my younger sister Luo Zonghui went to the field many times to pick up rice and wheat and make them into pancakes for meals. What a severe disaster and pain that Japan’s war of aggression against China has brought to my family and Leshan people! It’s been over 50 years, but the crimes committed by the Japanese army will not be forgiven by god. As a victim and witness, I demand justice and compensation against the Japanese government for my family’s losses.
Luo Zongzhe
August 1, 1993
Room 5, 3rd Floor, 2nd Unit, 2nd Building, No. 34, Wenmiaohou Street, Chengdu, Sichuan
List of the three generations of my family (about over 80 people)
Luo Zongzhe: His son Mao Jian, daughter-in-law Bai Yulan, granddaughter Mao Ling, daughter Luo Ping, son-in-law Xia Zongyun and grandson Xia Xiangyu.
Elder brother Luo Zongzhang: His wife Zhou Shuzhen, their children Luo Sheng, Luo Feng, Zhou Tiejun, Luo Jin and their grandchildren Luo Zhi, Zhang Luo, Luo Sansha, Luo Tianyuan and daughters-in-laws Ke Xiaoming, Gao Xiaojun and Yang Xiaoqing.
Elder Sister Luo Zongjun: Her children Luo Xiaolong, Luo Xiaowei, Luo Yujia, Luo Xiaomen, her grandchildren Sun Luoxiang, Luo Yang, Zhou Hong, Luo Yangyang, her sons-in-law Zhou Tianfu and Yang Zijiang, her daughters-in-law Yang Mingping and Wu Jingya.
Younger sister Luo Zongmin: her husband Chen Ji, son Luo Xun and Chen Xiaojian, daughters-in-law Zhou Xiaoqin and Zhou Jiahui and grandson Luo Yu.
Younger sister Luo Zonghui: Her children Tian Xiaoyin, Tian Xiaohua, Tian Lijia and Tian Xiaochong, daughters-in-law Wang Chaoxian and Song Wen, sons-in-law Zhao Tielan and Yang Guanjian, grandchildren Tian Han, Zhao Qing and Yang Ruoyu.
Elder brother Luo Zongwen: His wife Luo Maochi, children Luo Zeqi, Luo Zesheng, Luo Zeyuan, Luo Zeguang, Luo Zedu, Luo Zeming, Luo Zeyuan and Luo Zecheng. Over 10 grandchildren. Sons-in-law Wang Juesheng, Wang Heng, Zhang Sicheng and Li Wuwen.
Cousins Luo Zongyi, Luo Zongli and Luo Zongsong and they have over 10 children.
Luo Zongzhe
August 1, 1993