Date of letter:1993-04-26
Address of author:Yongqing County, Langfang City, Hebei Province
Date of event:1942-02
Location of event:Daqing River in Hebei Province
Name of author:Li Xi’en, Li Shuhuai
Name(s) of victim(s):Li Xi’en, Li Shuhuai
Type of atrocity:Slave Laborers（SL）
Other details:My father and I went to Daqing River of Hebei Province to visit relatives, but encountered the mopping up of the Japanese army. They caught us to the concentration camp where there were many captured Chinese labors. After we were escorted to Japan by the Japanese soldiers, we dug caves every day. We were treated cruelly by the Japanese foreman every day, did not have enough food and clothes, but did heavy work. We strongly urge the Japanese government to compensate for the cruel and inhuman persecution to Chinese labors.
Mr. Tong Zeng:
Hello!
I’m a victim captured by the Japanese Army to work as slave labor in Japan. When I read relevant articles on newspapers and magazines published by the central government and your reply letter, I felt deeply moved after studying them and sincerely thank the correct stance adopted by our country and foreign policies and their great concern for the victims, so that our grievances buried for as long as 47 years can be redressed, and that today we are able to claim compensation from the Japanese government. I hereby deliver a written summary of my persecution process for your perusal; I look forward to seeing your reply.
Thank you!
Li Xien, Li Shuhuai (name seal) father and son
1993.4.26
Petition
Demanding the Japanese government to offer salary compensation for Chinese slave labor victims
China only abandoned war compensation between governments, but it has never given up civilian damage compensation. During the eight years of occupation of large tracts of land in China by Japanese Invasion Army, wherever they went, they burned, killed, and looted, captured civilian slave labors. Those captured were sent to Japan to work as slave labor, and we two were among them. We still remember the pain we suffered because it was indeed a miserable experience. In the February spring of 1942, we two were planning to see a relative when the Japanese Army happened to be carrying out a mopping-up campaign in the region north of Daqing River in Hebei Province, and captured both of us. Many other commoners were captured by the Japanese Army and sent to Tanggu Concentration Camp. Boarding a steam ship from Tanggu to be sent to Tsukino Village, Tone County, Gunma Prefecture in Japan, we disembarked at Gokkan Railway Station and walked to a mountain gully about 6 li(1 li equals approximately 0.5 kilometers) in the south, where we were forced to work as slave labor for four years. Everyday we were forced to dig cave which was over 30 li(1 li equals approximately 0.5 kilometers), and was for constructing hydraulic power station. The slave labors received vicious treatment, working in the cave day and night, and were fed bran balls. Everyone was bony thin due to chronic hunger. In winter we had no cotton-lined coats, in summer only a 3-cun(1 cun equals 1/3 decimeter) wide loincloth. With no shoes were given, slave labors had to work in naked body, lived in large shed with no sunshine, less than 1-chi(1 chi equals 1/3 meter) high plank bed, which was wet and intolerable; despite the heavy workload, we were fed swine food. The Japanese foreman held stick and whip to beat us like beating cattle and horse, and cursed slave labors as Bakayarou, bastard. Many slave labors were beaten to death by Japanese foreman, others were frozen to death, or starved to death, or smashed to death when working in the caves, some committed suicide due to maltreatment, and numerous others who tried to escape were captured and gnawed to death by hounds. The Japanese foreman cursed the slave labors as slave of foreign nation, and deserving hound. After four years of living in hell, the casualty was high: some had broken back or legs, some were blind in both eyes; most of us were deaf because of dynamite explosion. Among the 400 plus Chinese slave labors, only 100 persons survived by the end of 1945 when Japan surrendered. The above is a brief account of my experience; we will discuss details when we meet.
I strongly condemn the inhuman cruel persecution toward Chinese civilians by the Japanese Invasion Army, and demand the Japanese government to offer compensation for salary and physical injury to Chinese victims.
Four years of salary should be USD 40000 each, personal injury and spiritual trauma USD 10000, father and son two persons totaling USD 100,000.
Those still alive who had worked together with us in those years include:
Li Wanzhong: No. 6, Row 42, Second Machinery Dormitory,
Dunhuafang, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province
He Chengyan: Laoyoutun Village, Bieguzhuang, Town,
Yongqing County, Hebei Province
Song Shuzhi, Shizhuang Village, Matou Town, Anci District,
Langfang City, Heibei Province
Liu Shuge: Shangwuzhuang Village, Sanshengkou Town, Yongqing County, Hebei Province
Wang Yongyi: Dengjiawu Village, Houyi Town, Yongqing County, Hebei Province
Chinese slave labor victim: Father: Li xien Son: Li Shuhuai (name seal)
Qianliuwuying Village, Bieguzhuang Town, Yongqing County, Hebei Province
April 26, 1993
