A+Chinese+woman+living+in+NanjingBlock+D+Sem+II+2011

Name: Yang Mei Age: 41 Gender:Female Occupation: Housewife that has been separated form her husband and son but living with her little girl, Ma Li Li, in Nanking. Appearance:I was a beautiful young woman with chesnut colored hair, and I was known for my beautiful smile until we had to live in poverty and my husband, Ma Wei Wei, & son, Ma Sheng Xun, went to other places to earn money and I was left to take care of my daughter. Location: Nanking Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: I am a woman like none other who did not have much voice but looked after my husband and daughter with care. Family: My husband lives in Shanghai, his name is Ma Wei Wei, and my son Ma Sheng Xun is living in Hong Kong. My little girl, Ma Li Li, lives with me in Nanking. Education: My education was very poor because I lived when we still had bound marriages and our feet were bound so that we could not walk. This all changed when my own daughter - was born. But I did not have much education. Languages you speak: Chinese Your main concerns at this time and in life: I hope my daughter receives the proper education that she needs, I also hope that my husband in Shanghai and my dear boy in Hong Kong are doing okay, I am thankful I have them because they are the reason that I am living and that my daughter can grow well.

=Diary Entry #1= December 13th, 1937

This is unbelievable I felt that China was one of the strongest and safest places in the world. The fact that they could be conquered so easily is .... frightening. Nanking, the place I am with my Ma Li Li is not yet invaded. However, I have heard from my husband, Ma Wei Wei, that Shagnhai has been captivated and is no longer safe, I heard this news quite a few weeks ago. I worry greatly about him but he tells me not to worry and take care of Ma Li Li instead. As for my elder son, Ma Sheng Xun, he is a young and healthy man but I have heard that there was a typhoon on the 2nd of september in his region. He has also told me that there were many refugees fleeing to where he had been because of all the invasions of Japan.

But despite my family in the other parts of China, it is Ma Li LI and I that I have the need to write about. I could not bear to let Ma LI Li see the dead bodies lying around especially of our dear friends and neighbors. But I had no choice but to try to keep her from it. In the morning, I took her to the back mountain of our house so we could hide ourselves. I was frightened, I didn’t want Li Li to see my fear but she is a grown girl and very mature for her age. Although I did not tell her much about what was happening, she seemed to understand everything. She was a very intelligent girl and I would have wished for her to finish her education. Instead she chose to help out.

We stayed there for hours, at which point we came down the mountain and saw the aftermath of the Japanese attacks. It was gruesome, it was probably the most bloodiest and the most awful scene in history. There was no distinction all people were equally dead. All we can do is hope that we can survive through this all and not be captured. We do not know how much longer we can hide out and sustain on the little portions of rice, but we must stay strong for my husband and my son who are far away fighting their own wars. We can only hope that we will get through this and our great country will help us and defeat the Japanese.

=Diary Entry #2= February 10th, 1938

I feared that this would happen in the near future. But I hoped that this gruesome nonsense could end. From the incident on December 13th, the events just continued. Many women were taken to camps in January. And it just kept getting worse, I fully understood what the women went through at these camps. I couldn’t let myself or Li LI to go through this pain. We were taken four days ago, and sent to separate camps. I couldn’t bear to imagine what they were doing to Li Li. I cannot imagine how frightened she probably is. I should have fought harder.

When I got to the camp, the soldiers started to torture me - they hit me until I felt like fainting but I was strong. Then I could feel the disgusting touch of the rough hands of the soldiers on me. I fought back but every time I did I got a smack. Every time I protested it was worse. Every time I spoke in Chinese I would receive a blow to my face and my body. I could not understand what they were saying but it was certain they did not want me to be speaking Chinese. To make matters worse, my body was too weak to fight back after some point I couldn’t fight the Japanese soldiers back. I cannot do this anymore, being humiliated not only mentally but physically with my body. These Japanese men are monsters they have no ethical values or respect for us at all. We are objects to them.

At my camp, there was a young pregnant girl who couldn’t have been more than 25. She was raped in front of us, and bayoneted. The blood... How could these soldiers do that, killing a young innocent woman with child. Ethically, that is very bad how could they do that.

I haven’t heard from Ma Wei Wei or Ma Sheng Xun in a whole month because of the conditinons that our country is in. They are probably fighting back being the strong men they are I haven’t heard from Li Li for these past few days. I don’t have any idea what is happening to all of them let alone what will happen to me. I am afraid and I wish this could all end. I hope that we could all survive this.. And if we do survive it, I hope that we can live with what we have lived through.

=Diary Entry #3= December 21st, 1940

I still haven’t head from my girl, Ma Li Li, but I am sure .. and I can feel that she is still alive and she is OK. But this place is really torture. The raping has increased and I don’t know how many people have died, but all those I used to know have died because of these Japanese soldiers. As I watch these young men I know that they don’t want to do this, deep in their hearts they have heart.

But what bothers me the most is the fear that this war will not end, and I will die here never to meet my children or my husband again. I hope they are alive and in better condition than I am. I eavesdropped on the japanese soldiers that were talking, the Japanese have been very successful - this is bad new for us. In one hundred days they were able to capture many colonial powers in East Asia: Indochina, Hong Kong, Indies, Philippines. The South Pacific War was at its peak and the Japanese were at an advantage.

I have heard of a brave man in our Chinese military, we here are forbidden to talk about it but I have heard his name is Chian Kai-shek and all the other chinese leaders!! although he was not able to stop the Japanese we need more people like him to trust to get us out of this situation.

I am not out in the streets of Nanking and yet I am trapped here inside this little camp where the Japanese soldiers pick us out one at a time for their enjoyment. But I have heard from the newcomers that there are millions out on those streets most of them orphans - for they have not heard from their parents - and they are on the streets without food and mourning their hearts out. I cannot believe that the japanese could do this to us. What good is it to them. What good is it for us all to be dead.

We are at the moment, also forced to speak japanese or not speak at all. Every time we say anything in Chinese we would get a beating. Best to stay quiet. I have not heard from my dear boy and my dear husband nor my dear girl but I wish them the best through this, for God is out there and there will be light in this gruesome situation.

=Diary Entry #4= August 10, 1945

WOW!.. I can’t believe it .. I could not believe what I was hearing. The Japanese has finally been defeated. The United States entered the war and bombed Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th. It wasn’t just any bomb but a nuclear bomb. The soldiers guarding our camp has retreated back to Japan to help their country that is in rambles and to return to their dear families. But I have heard the radiation is so great that the bomb had killed millions instantly.

Well, to give a little bit of background information on how the United States joined the war, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and bombed the small island called Hawaii that is part of the United States territory. It affected a few thousand people! This really got the United States going. And finally they have ended this gruesome war that seemed to have no end to. The only wish was for me to find my family and make sure that they were all okay.

I went out into the streets and ran to where Ma Li Li and I had been separated there I found her frantically searching all around. She was much older than the last time I had seen her and she was in a terrible state but to me she was the most beautiful soul on the earth I called out her name and we didn’t say anything for many minutes to feel a loved one beside you is an amazing feeling. We quickly sent a mail to Ma Sheng Zun and Ma Wei Wei, whom replied back that they would be coming in due time to finally be reunited.

I cannot wait until this war is finally over and I will be able to see my family once again, I never want to be separated from my family. We can finally give Ma Li Li the education she deserves as a school girl and continue our life. Our country may suffer a bit economically, but I will do anything to give my child an education and allow us to have a roof above our head and to eat food from the table.