A+Chinese+civilian+living+in+Nanking+1

Name: Xia Jin-mei **(Research: usual names of time)** Age: Gender: Female Occupation: Schoolgirl **(Research: Possible?)** Appearance: Location: Xianqu areas. **(Research: geography of Nanking and areas around it, movement of Japanese soldiers)** Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: **(Research: Normal life of Chinese girl during 1930's, adjust for Nanking if needed; Chinese civilians' views on foreign nations; importance of values)** Always in charge of taking care of her younger sister. Unfortunately, she is not very happy with this. She is constantly being reprimanded for daydreaming. (Therefore) She has silly dreams of marrying a handsome foreigner and running away. (Therefore) She is trying to learn English, aiming for missionary-ran colleges despite her dislike of studying. Chews on her nails when she is nervous.

Family: An older brother, a younger sister, mother and father. **(Research: What kind of jobs were in the city, usual housing environment, usual size of families, was it usual or unusual for a woman to have a job)** Education: ? **(Research: Educational system of China in 1930's; gender ratio of said system; did girls have equal opportunity as boys?; what kind of future could girls expect)** Languages you speak: Chinese **(Research: Would it have been possible for a young girl to learn a foreign language in school or through other methods?)** Your main concerns at this time and in life: She is worried about advancing Japanese army, but Portrait (an image that you and we can live with):
 * (Research: How Chinese civilians viewed advance of Japanese army)**

August 15, 1937- September 12, 1937

Wonderful news! I met an American today. She was in Old Ling's shop, asking about the wares. She seemed to speak good Chinese, for a foreigner. She had blonde hair and pale skin. Other customers were staring discreetly, but I was the only one who actually talked to her. She was surprisingly nice, and said that she was wife of a missionary. We talked a little, and I was very impressed by her Chinese, although she had a strange accent. I asked about America, and the colleges they worked in. I heard all sort of wonderful things. I've now decided that I will go to a missionary-ran college once I graduate from public school. Then, I had a great idea of asking her for an English name. She suggested Sarah or Jane at first, but I like the way name Julia rolled off her tongue. I was very happy with the name, so I made sure that Old Ling gave her fair price on items. I told Tao about my little adventure, but Tao is being insufferable again. She said that it was foolish of me to just walk up to a foreigner like that and start a conversation. Besides, she said, why would I need an English name? I told her that I would need it when I moved abroad. She snorted and said that I would marry an old fool that mother arranged for me, and never would go abroad. It's all those silly ideas clogging up your head, she said, that makes you forget your numbers and burn rice. I slapped her. Tao is forgetting her place. Just because people think she is pretty and smart, she thinks she can boss her older sister around. Besides, if I went to America, I would not have to hear Aunt Chi speaking about her dead husband year after year, and I would not have to endure Uncle Mao who never speaks and smells like mushrooms. I would not have to deal with Tao's demeanor either.

+ There was loud noise coming from outside. I was scared and hid with Tian-yu under the table. When father returned, he said that Japanese planes had dropped bombs in other parts of the city but would not let us go and look.

+I am getting used to air raid shelters now. The shelter is a horrid place, dark and damp. I tried to spell out my new English name, but I can't make them look right. So instead I imagined someone taking me away from here. He would have fair skin and blonde hair, but perhaps smaller nose than other foreigners. "Oh, Julia," he'd say. "You are the girl of my dreams! Will you not come and be my wife?" We would live in a big house in America, and I would have lots of silk clothes and jewelry. I would send letter to my family talking about my great life, and Tao would weep, being married to an uneducated lumberjack. "Why did I insult my sister so," she would say. "Now she is living a life of grandeur!"

+Aunt Chi came along today. She said that we should flee before Japanese arrive. She looked very worried, and spoke in hushed voice and kept looking around as if she expected something to jump out from shadows. She told us that there were rumors of defeat and bloodshed from other regions, and that their next target was Nanking. Many others are supposedly planning to flee as well. Aunt Chi is already gathering up her things; she wanted to know if we will join her tomorrow. My mother shook her head after Aunt went back. Mother says aunt is being paranoid, and the soldiers have promised to protect this city from all attacks. Besides, we can't leave my father's store or grandfather's land. I'm glad that we don't have to leave.

December 6, 1937

Japanese soldiers are here! The Japanese soldiers surrounded our city and dropped bombs on us. Our forces seem to be in a bad shape. I fear for our future.

+Japanese troops are pouring in! Uncle Mao, seeing some of our soldiers fleeing, ran to the Gate. We couldn't leave; Father was not home, and sound of fighting too intense for us to venture outside. When we looked out the window, several buildings were aflame, including Old Ling's shop.

+Mother, looking very pale, told us to go to the Gate. There's sound of gunfire everywhere. She told us we would meet later, when she Father came back. Tian-yue started crying, and Tao and I had to shush him and coerce him with sweets.

+We saw some young Chinese soldiers threatening men at gunpoint. They have realized that their uniforms are marking them as targets, and are trying to hide in civilian clothes. We also saw a woman with blood running down her face, running and screaming. She yelled that the Gate was locked, by those cowardly pigs called military. She then fell over and screamed even more. She was obviously mad.