Nanjing Massacre Documentation Series - Survivor Interviews (Volumes 1, 2, 3)

Author: Zhang Lianhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
8. Oral account by Pan Kaoming
Pan Kaoming, male, 67 years old, retired worker from Nanqi Drive Shaft Factory
Location of investigation: Gaojia Tavern
Interviewer: Jiang Lin
I originally lived at No. 6 Shuangjing Lane. My parents died young. Before the Japanese entered Nanjing, my aunt and I moved to the refugee area in Erliu Lane, Gulou. I don’t remember the exact address. At that time, my occupation was haircutting during the day and pulling rickshaws at night. In December 1937, the Japanese in Nanjing killed anyone they saw, raped women, and committed countless atrocities. On the second day the Japanese entered the city, they broke into my home, didn’t ask questions, and grabbed me. They dragged me to the Overseas Chinese Reception Center and held me there for a day. The next afternoon, around 2:30, they tied me up with a rope and, along with 300 others, escorted me to Xiaoguan Coal Port. To prevent us from escaping, they made us walk in the middle of the road, with Japanese soldiers guarding us on both sides, about one meter away. Around 4:00, we arrived at Coal Port, where they gathered the people and opened fire with machine guns. While the Japanese were shooting, I saw flashes of light and suddenly fainted. Later, dead bodies piled on top of me until I woke up around 9 or 10 at night. Although the moonlight was bright, I still didn’t know if I was alive. I asked myself: Am I human or a ghost? I thought, if the Japanese soldiers shot us with machine guns, how could I still be alive? I might not be human anymore! Looking up, I saw that a few people were still sitting, some tied up with ropes, others not. I said, “Sir, please save me. I’m not dead. Untie my ropes.” After we untied each other’s ropes, we scattered. Some crossed the river with wooden tubs, while others ran to Heji Trading Company. Since I was a local and had my aunt and brother at home, I couldn’t escape. I followed the railway to the train ferry, washed the blood off my body at the riverside, and borrowed a torn piece of clothing from a nearby household. It was already midnight, so I couldn’t move and crouched by the side of a house. The next morning, I walked toward the train station, reached Rhezhou Road, and encountered four Japanese soldiers. They asked what I was doing, and I said I was bringing things for a “Japanese teacher.” They went into the train station, and I went home. They asked if I had a pass, and I said no. They gave me a note saying, “Laborer has been used.” I followed them into Yijiang Gate and went to the Ministry of Railways. When they went inside, I escaped up the mountain along Chaohai Road. On the way, I met an old man and bowed to him, asking for food. He said there were Japanese soldiers everywhere and that I would be executed if I encountered them. I hid until night and went home. My aunt was searching everywhere for me. I told her I had almost died but managed to survive. We cried together.
9. Oral account by Shi Ronglu
Shi Ronglu, male, 69 years old, farmer
Location of investigation: Yanziji
Interviewers: Liu Hu, Jiang Xiuhua
My name is Shi Ronglu. My older brother is Shi Rongming, and he is 72 years old. We are both witnesses to the collective massacre by the Japanese at Dawaizi. Locally, it is also called “Shiji Dawaizi,” which is 7 meters wide and 7 meters deep, located near the current Ciqi Construction Company quarry. In 1937, when the Japanese invaded Nanjing, I fled to the northern bank of the Yangtze River for refuge. Later, because I had no rice, I crossed the river to get some. However, after I arrived, the Japanese blocked the river, and I couldn’t return to the northern bank. I had no choice but to hide at home. One day in December, I witnessed with my own eyes how the Japanese soldiers gathered many Central Army soldiers and civilian civilians from the downstream Baidoushan to the Tiger Mountain under Dawaizi. The 200-acre riverbank was filled with disarmed Central Army soldiers and innocent civilians. At this point, the Japanese soldiers took off the lanyards of the Central Army soldiers outside and tied them together to prevent them from escaping. Then, they raised the Japanese flag as a signal, and three machine guns fired crosswise, killing all the defenseless Central Army soldiers and innocent civilians. Those who didn’t die were stabbed with bayonets. The next day, the Japanese soldiers continued to herd the Chinese to Dawaizi. After gathering them there, they ordered them to carry the bodies of those killed the previous day and throw them into the river. Then, they shot and killed these Chinese again. This massacre lasted for three days, and approximately 20,000 Central Army soldiers and innocent civilians were shot to death.