Date of letter:1992-10-10
Address of author:Xinyang County, Xinyang City, Henan Province
Date of event:1940-10-22（lunar calendar）
Location of event:Xinyang County, Xinyang City, Henan Province
Name of author:Yang Daiyong
Name(s) of victim(s):Yang Boshu (Yang Daiyong’s father)
Type of atrocity:Murders (MU)
Other details:On October 22, 1940 on the lunar calendar, my father carried a jar and passed Japanese stronghold watchtower and was used by them as a target. His leg was broken, finally he was thrown down from the watchtower and smashed to death with stone. After father died, my mother led us to live a hard life. When I read news paper reports and learned you were demanding compensation for victims, I felt very excited and I support you and your compensation cause.
Lecturer Tong Zeng and Director Chen Jian,
I have read the article “History Is Not Forgotten: A Report of the Chinese People Demanding Reparation from Japan.” This article is published in Reader’s Digest (Issue 10, 1992; it is a reprint from Jinhua Daily, June 30, 1992). I am a victim of Japanese aggression in China during WWII. Before reading the article, I did not know how to seek justice. Your efforts have helped me seek justice for my suffering during Japan’s invasion of China.
Below is what happened to me as a victim
In 1940, my family was a poor peasant family and lived in Pianzitang Village, Liulin Town, Xinyang County. On lunar October 22, 1940, my father, Yang Boshu, carried a large pot to Danggushan, Xinyang County. When he passed Shibantan, Liulin Town, Xinyang County on his way back, two Japanese were practicing shooting from their watchtower; they used my father as a shooting target for their practice purpose. They shot my father in his leg. My father did not die on the spot. Then, the two Japanese soldiers came down from the watchtower; using stones, they smashed my father to death. Then, they left.
Back then, my family had 6 members, including my father, four young children, I was only 8, the oldest among the four children. The whole family lived a poor life by farming. After my father’s death, my mother, who was unable to do heavy work as she was pregnant with my youngest sister, had to take care of four young children. We lived a miserable life. My mother cries bitterly every time we talk about the past. The trauma that the Japanese military force inflicted to my family cannot be fully described in a few pages.
I would like to join your signature campaign to seek justice and to demand reparation for my family’s losses. Please let me know what certificates or procedures are required. Thank you!
Best regards,
Dictated by the victim’s son Yang Daiyong
Written by the victim’s grandson Yang Dongling
October 10, 1992
Address: Yang Daiyong, Xinyang Tea and Fruit Company, Henan Province
