china WW2

[Don Palmer]

I wish to correspond with elderly chinese people who were children in northern China during the Japanese occupation. Or, people who remember stories told by elderly people about this period. I am compiling a book of international remanisances of this period.

Don Palmer.

[Long Zhiren]

Good luck.

I doubt if you'll encounter any on this forum. Both of my parents were such children. Only my father's old enough to remember anything substantial and I doubt if he'll ever get on this forum. He was born in 北京 in 1932, a year after the Japanese took Manchuria. He grew up in the family of a 國民黨 officer which soon moved by retreat, first to 南京, then to 重慶, back to 南京 as WW2 ended, and then back to 重慶 as the civil war got worse and then to 台灣 and finally to 美国 by himself. Many Chinese consider WW2 to have begun in 1931.

[Don Palmer]

dear Long Zhiren,

thank you for youi reply to my message.I am compiling childhood accounts of ww2 for publication as a book. I have many accounts from people of all nationalities of this period, but find it impossible to get chinese people to talk to me about this. I would like to find chinese poeple with whom I can correspond.I am prepared to contact them by Email. or letter, or even go to china, or elsewhere.

If the book is successful there could be some money in it. Each contributor would receive one share, the person whose idea it is would receive two shares, and I would take five shares as I would do the editing and arrange publication.

Can you suggest chinese people I could contact.

thank you again fot your interest,

Don Palmer.

[Long Zhiren]

Don,

How come you can't receive private messages?

I'll check with my dad on your behalf. He may be available by email. He's deaf now but he reads/writes fine.

I remember him sharing on a few occasions of his experiences in both the 1932-1945 WW2/civil war time period and the 1945-1950 civil war time period.

His brother is six years younger and lives in Taiwan. His English is not so good and probably doesn't remember quite as much.

His older sister is in Chongqing and doesn't speak any English. I'm sure that she can tell you more.

I know a fellow in Maryland who is a bit older and from the Canton province. His English is quite good. He's on travel in China as we speak.

I think you're running out of time. These people are all getting quite elderly now. Their parents could have told you a lot more but they are all gone now.

[Don Palmer]

Dear Long Zhiren,

Forgive this late reply, but I am computer incompitent. I want very mush to continue this enquiry, and I wpould to contact your fathrt and friends. i do not understand how to send private messages via he chat room. the controler sent me a meaaage saying I did not have an account. I dont understand that.

My Email address is

donalddumpling9@aol.com

My Telephone noumber ia

0208 946 8540

but how to phone from the USA Idont know.

how can I contact you? Don.

[Ian_Lee]

Don,

I have heard a lot of stories during the Japanese Occupation period in Hong Kong from my parents.

And those are real stories that are experienced by them.

My father told me that during the occupation period, Japan implemented curfew very early in the evening. But a lot of people still had to come home late to make a living.

He told us that at every intersection, there would always be a Japanese soldier on-guard goose-stepping with bayonet. The people who went home late always hid in the dark at the street corner and tried to cross. Once he and two other guys tried to cross an intersection and decided to wait until the guard soldier faced and walked the other way opposite to them.

My father was the last one. So when that soldier turned and walked the other way, the first guy in the group ran as fast as he could across the intersection. When my father ran a quarter of the way, suddenly he heard a loud gunshot. He was so scared that he ran back to where he hid.

After a while, he sneaked at what had happened.

That soldier was still goose-stepping. The first guy was nowhere to be seen. My father guessed he had made it. But the second guy was lying unmoved in the center of the intersection!

[bhchao]

He grew up in the family of a 國民黨 officer which soon moved by retreat, first to 南京, then to 重慶, back to 南京 as WW2 ended, and then back to 重慶 as the civil war got worse and then to 台灣 and finally to 美国 by himself.

My father was also born to a 國民黨 officer. After graduating from Huangpu, my grandfather was one of those 國民黨 soldiers fighting in the streets in the Battle of Shanghai. He also followed the KMT to 重慶 (where my father was born), back to 南京 and finally 台灣 like your family.

Since my paternal grandfather was within the KMT rank-and-file, he had to go to Taiwan ahead of the rest of his family. At first my paternal grandmother thought of leaving my father's two younger sisters on the mainland because there were not enough boats to carry the rest of the family to Taiwan. She had to bribe the person in charge of running the boats so everyone in the family can make it across to Taiwan.

My father said that he and his sisters could have become Red Guards had they not gone to Taiwan.

My paternal grandfather never told me about what the Japanese did in China. But my maternal grandfather did (He went from Shanghai to Taipei as a civilian).