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Respected Comrade Tong Zeng:

　　Hello!

　　Recently from the article “History Has Not Forgotten” by Li Peiyu in the 1992 Issue 10 of “Readers Digest” I learned that you, Chen Jian, and others had held high the banner of national justice, traveled far and wide for Chinese civilians who had sustained heavy persecution by the Japanese Army in the Japanese Invasion War, and had written appeal and call for justice letters to Japanese and Chinese government officials. It brought tears to my eyes. I admire your actions and feel extremely grateful!

　　I am a retired teacher in my late years and a family member of the victims who suffered persecution at the hands of the Japanese Invasion Army. In my native place of Yichang, Hubei, my house and properties were burned by the Japanese Army; my uncle, grandma and aunt were killed, raped, or ravaged by the Japanese Army. Deep-seated hatred and anger from the bloodbaths are difficult to reconcile! The Japanese Emperor is about to visit China. Since I’m now in Chongqing, Sichuan, and unable to go to Beijing to petition in person, I hereby specially compiled the persecution details into documents. I intend to get them typed and printed and mail them to central government agencies such as the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, National People’s Congress, State President, and CPPCC, as well as all major newspapers. But first, I mail one copy to you. I strongly demand that the Japanese Emperor and the Japanese government apologize to the Chinese people for crimes committed by the Japanese Militarism in the invasion war and that they offer reparations to victims of the prosecution. Only in this way will it be possible to quell public anger, promote justice, maintain human dignity, effectively punish war mongers, safeguard international laws, and protect world peace.

　　Regards
Sincerely yours

Luo Qiyu

Victim’s family member
1992.10.23
Retired teacher of Chongqing High-voltage Switch Factory

Address: No. 7, Dormitory 137, Hongyan Timber Factory, Southern End of Yangtze River Bridge, Chongqing
Postal code: 630060

Atrocities of the Japanese Invasion Army　Blood and tear never dried even generations later

　　This year marks the 20th anniversary of the normalization of the Sino-Japanese relations. But opening to that often neglected page of the history a half century ago, it forever recorded towering crimes of the Japanese Invasion War. The invasion war waged by the Japanese Militarism broke my family and killed my family members. Like other victims across the nation, I suffered deep traumas. This country’s national enmity and family hatred are not forgotten even today. The time for settlement has come.

　　I. Burning my property, making me homeless

　　I am a native of Yichang in Hubei. I lived in Xiba, Yichang, with a clan of six closely related families in four generations; that’s a lot of people. The old dwellings passed down by the ancestors in Xiba could no longer accommodate all the people. My father, Luo Faliang, aka Yinjie, worked as a salesperson in Wuhan, Yichang, Wan County, for department stores. In 1929, through a clan uncle, Luo Boquan, father spent 3000 silver dollars that he had saved to buy one old fashioned Mao Family’s compound on 156 Waizheng Street in the North Gate of Yichang as an investment for future livelihood. The compound faced the street in the front and adjoined a river in the back. The compound with decorative engravings on its buildings was divided into three sections. Facing the street were two shop fronts; inside the compound was a two-story residence with decorative engravings, three courtyards, two wing rooms, two main rooms, one floral hall, two main halls, and two back rooms (later changed to two big kitchens for use by all residents); there were eight rooms upstairs. If hallways and stairwells were included, it had more than 20 rooms, big or small. Back then, in addition to our immediate family, there were 12 tenants. The total living area was estimated to be above 500 square meters. In 1931, after my father suddenly died of brain hemorrhage in Wuhan, an uncle in the clan, Luo Boquan, bullied us, a widow and an orphan, and occupied the house by force. After four years of extended litigation, in 1938, the court evicted Luo Boquan and returned the house to me. Unfortunately, in 1940, the invading Japanese Army occupied Yichang. They set the house on fire and burned it to the ground. I was made homeless.

　　At that time, I was a girl of 16 or 17. After the Japanese Army occupied Wuhan, my mother entrusted an elder cousin, Luo Qichang, and a younger cousin, Luo Qiding, to take me out of Yichang. In April of 1940, we left our lovely hometown and came to Chongqing where I enrolled in the National Girls High School (Children form disaster areas were exempted tuition). My mother, Ran Mingxiu, still stayed in Yichang. In June of the same year, Yichang fell into the enemy’s hands. My mother, together with other refugees, sought shelter in a British company, Bullerfield & Swire Ltd. She had no time to take anything with her, not even a change of clothes. Soon the Japanese Army set fire everywhere. In a short time, thick smokes billowed and flames leaped into the sky. According to my relatives, who lived in Xiban and saw the fire scene across the river, there were 21 fire sources. Our home and family properties were all burned into ashes!

　　One month later, a refugee zone was assigned. Civilians who hid in the Bullerfield & Swire Ltd were transferred to the refugee zone. Refugees were not allowed to move about freely, forced to work as coolies, and were whipped from time to time. My mother could not tolerate it any longer so she joined an elder cousin, Luo Qiwen, and cousin-in-law, Liu Shuhui, escaped Yichang in 1942. When they were crossing a checkpoint in secret, the cousin-in-law’s child cried. She had to smother her son’s mouth with hand, which suffocated the baby to death. After a long and tortuous trek and several months time, they arrived at a relative’s home in Wan County. My mother was so frightened and exhausted that she was ill for three years, hovering between live and death.

　　II. Killing my uncle, orphan fled to another town
　　My uncle, Luo Fazhong, aka Jingchen, lived at the old house in Xiba. Fearing his wife and daughters might be ravaged by the Japanese invaders, he asked an aunt, Gong Shiluo, to take the 9-year-old elder sister, Luo Xueqin, and the younger sister, Luo Qilin, and hide them under mountain rocks. At that moment, there were shouts outside the gate. As it turned out, a traitor and a Japanese invader came to ask him for young girls. My uncle tried to resist but he was captured, forced to cross the river, and bounded to an electric utility pole on Huancheng Road. His head was put into an oil basket. In the mid summer heat, he was tortured to death in less than two hours. They did not even allow his relatives to bury the body. How can one tolerate or forget such atrocities!

　　III. Raping grandaunt, driving aunt insane

　　My aunt, Luo Maixiang, was widowed at 20 years old. Since she had economic difficulties, she lived at our home. When she heard that the Japanese invaders were coming, she hid herself in an Anglican Church. In groups, Japanese invaders looked for girls everywhere. In the church where there were no young girls, they captured my then fifty-year old aunt. She was very frightened and rolled about on the ground; she struggled very hard until she fainted. Although she later survived, she was already a lunatic.

　　My grandaunt, Ms. Luo, nee Chen, was the wife of my granduncle, Luo Jian. Since she failed to produce any child, granduncle took a concubine. In anger, she cut her hair, became a monk (nun), and lived at the Huangling Temple in Xibazui (now a lookout for the Gezhouba Dam). We called her grandmaster Qin. She lived on begged alms. My mother was her nephew’s wife and they were from the same town. They were very close and depended on each other. When the Japanese invaders occupied Yichang, she thought she was just an old monk (nun) so she didn’t hide or flee. But when the Japanese invaders could not find any young girls, they barbarically raped this 50-60 year old Buddhist monk (nun). After that, she was severely depressed, became very sick and died.

　　The above barbaric atrocities of the Japanese Army are totally devoid of human nature; they have committed unforgivable towering crimes. Any Chinese with any national pride would feel full of indignation and excruciating pain! On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations and the Japanese “Emperor’s” visit to China, for the sake of friendly co-existence of the two countries and the two peoples, and for the long lasting friendship for generations to come, I strongly demand the Japanese government to assume responsibilities of the crimes committed by the Japanese Militarism in the invasion war, to redeem the past shames, to apologize sincerely to the Chinese people, and to offer compensation to the victims of the Japanese Invasion War!

　　Regarding the burning of my home and properties, killing of my uncle, and persecution of my grandaunt and aunt by the Japanese Army, I had written and reported to my organization twice – once when I started working in 1950, and once when I denounced the American and Japanese crimes during the Korean War period in 1951. They both can serve as references. Zhang Qihui and Zhang Qiyu, who lived with me in the same house back then, now living at 89 Xianfu Road, Yichang, and the 80-year old Luo Qiwen, a cousin who now lives at Huangjing Street, Jiangjin County, Sichuan, are also witnesses and can verify my claims.

Luo Qiyu
Family member of victims of Japanese Invasion Army
Retired teacher of Chongqing High-voltage Switch Factory
October 23, 1992

　　Address: No. 7, Dormitory 137, Hongyan Timber Factory, Southern End of Yangtze River Bridge, Chongqing
　　Postal code: 630060