Twenty Two (2015) - full transcript
An estimated 200,000 Chinese women were forced into prostitution by the Japanese army during WWII. Only 22 of them remain today to speak out publicly. This documentary is not a film for political gains or narrow nationalistic purposes. For the director and the crew, each and every one of those elderly women is a brave and strong individual with similar yet distinctive experiences. This is a group that deserves to be known and correctly understood by more people and a history worth being preserved in a most accurate yet sensitive way. In the documentary, the current situation of those 22 elderly women will be presented in an impersonal way. There's no interrogation, sympathy, nor exaggeration in our film. You will hear them talk about their own experiences, and you will also learn about their perspectives on life, sufferings and happiness. Now all over 80 or 90 years old, those elderly ladies are at the very last stage of their life. This is probably the last chance for the public to actually see their situations and hear their own words while they are still alive. It should not be a history just written on pages.
& Co-Presented By
Producers
Ke Guo & Xiangyong Zhang
Special thanks to Xinyi Zhang
Yu County, Shanxi Province, China 2014
We are gathered here to
attend Aunt Chen's funeral
Today we take this opportunity
to hold a small memorial service
During the War of Resistance against Japan
Her husband undertook the great responsibility
of fighting against the Japanese
He was the commander of
our 11th Military Regiment
Because of that,
and due to the betrayal of traitors
She herself was arrested
by the Japanese invaders
She was taken to a Japanese stronghold
And was insulted in every possible
way, both physically and mentally
CHEN LINTAO (1921-2014)
Our friends here attending
the funeral today include
Ms. Xiong Bangling from Canada
And our photographer friends from Beijing
And Mr. Zhao from the China 'Comfort
Women' Issue Research Center
32 years of this
Fate, just fate
Perhaps I'm destined to
walk the path of hardship
These elderly ladies are now
all over 80 or 90 years old
If only they can be a little
healthier, and hold on a little longer
ZHANG XIANTU（1926-2015）
LI XIUMEI (1928-2014)
DURING JAPAN'S EIGHT-YEAR OCCUPATION OF CHINA
(1937-1945) BEFORE AND DURING WORLD WAR II,
AROUND 200,000 CHINESE WOMEN WERE FORCED INTO SEXUAL SLAVERY
AND DESIGNATED AS "COMFORT WOMEN" BY THE JAPANESE MILITARY.
MOST OF THEM WERE TORTURED TO DEATH OR COMMITTED
SUICIDE DUE TO THE UNBEARABLE HUMILIATION.
ONLY VERY FEW SURVIVED.
JINGUI VILLAGE, YU COUNTY, SHANXI PROVINCE
Here was the so-called 'Comfort Station'
It was secured by wire fences and trenches
There were soldiers guarding the
gate and women were held inside
There were two caves in the front
Liu Mianhuan and Feng Zhuangxiang
used to be locked up there
On the east side were three caves
Where Li Xiumei and Zhang Xiaoni were kept
On the south were four rooms
Hou Dong'e and Chen Lintao were held there
There were two brick beds in this cave.
Both had women sleeping on them
According to my research,
more than 40 women were once held here
Then the Japanese built strongholds
in Shangshe, Xiyan and Hedong
I've made surveys at all these locations
Female victims were found at
every place the Japanese occupied
Having endured unbearable pain and
distress, they long to pour it all out
But obviously no one can
share this kind of pain
She would be so relieved
if she could speak out
But then there are those around her
She bears such a heavy burden in her heart
She is concerned for her children,
so she dare not speak out
Pian Huanying, born in 1928
Hao Juxiang（1922-2016）
Ren Lan'e（1931-2016）
Zhao Lanying (1925-2016)
Liu Gailian, born in 1925
Liu Fenghai (1924-2017)
She lives with her son and his wife.
Cao Heimao, born in 1922
Grandma
Where is her daughter?
Where is your daughter?
Do you know where your daughter is?
Take one
Don't be shy. What are you afraid of?
I can't find her either, forget it
Do you understand what she is saying?
I'll go ask if you want
to look for her daughter
That's okay
We can't understand what she's
saying, can't communicate with her
Can you call her daughter
and see if she can come over?
I can't find my pictures
Will the pictures taken
later still be the same?
Is the picture ok?
See if it looks the same
This is my picture on my
'Good Citizen Certificate'
See if you can take a photo of it
So it's all inside there
This must be very good
It can take pictures of anything
It must be very expensive
I first met these grannies in 1995
AHN SE-HONG (SOUTH KOREA), PHOTOGRAPHER
In South Korea, I met them for the first time I
felt their pain. It was very unforgettable for me
So I continued to pay attention to them
And look for ways to help them
I'm a photographer, so by that means
I hope many people can see their
situation and offer some help
DONGNING COUNTY, MUDANJIANG CITY
HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE
I'm visiting mainly South Koreans and
those of Korean ethnicity in China
But it was not just Koreans
who were among the victims
There were also victims from Asia like
the Philippines, China and Indonesia
And even more countries and regions
I know their pain is the same
And many people are
aware of their existence
I personally hope that people can
work together to solve this problem
That's why I come to visit these grannies
LI FENGYUN (1922-2016)
ORIGINALLY NAMED LI SHOUDUAN, KOREAN
Especially China
It was the most invaded country
And had a large number of victims
Even now they are enduring great pain
When I saw their living
situation was so difficult
I wanted more people to know
about them as soon as possible
But I've recently discovered their
situation hasn't really improved
So I'm thinking more about what
kind of help they really need
When I saw Grandma 'Park Cha Sun' was
still living in a workshop-like place
I wanted to transform it into a warm house
By repairing the house
for this elderly lady
We wanted more people to know about her
Then word spread by mouth
We went to South Korea
and Japan to run campaigns
Telling people there exists such an
old lady, and calling on more to help
All 24 of us went to Xiaogan
together to help repair her house
We painted the house and rebuilt the walls
Everyone there wanted to
show their regard for her
They wanted to give their
most precious things to her
So they prepared things such as
Thermal underwear, scarves,
and music and maps of South Korea
XIAOGAN CITY, HUBEI PROVINCE
Because my mother never
gave birth to any child
She thought about having children
Her former neighbour told her
she could adopt one, so she did
I was only two years old at that time
I heard from others that I was
still breastfeeding back then
My son has a family of four
He's got one son and one daughter
My grandkids
Plus we three
My husband, me, and my mother
Seven in total
She's had a very sad life
She fled from South Korea to
China, seeking refuge
MAO YINMEI（1922-2017）
ORIGINALLY NAMED PARK CHA SUN, KOREAN
Mother (in Korean)
Father (in Korean)
Grandma (in Korean)
South Korea is where I was born
We didn't have any food to eat at that time
So we fled
My mother abandoned me, she just left me
My sister was very young,
she couldn't survive alone
Mother held her and walked away
She walked away just like that
But she'd been missing me ever since
My 'Ga Ga' is my grandmother
You don't understand what I'm saying?
Grandma is 'Ga Ga' (Hubei dialect)
My Ga Ga looked for me everywhere
If it wasn't for her,
I would have been lost
From then I stayed with my Ga Ga
I didn't know how old I was
I didn't know how old I was back then
I just knew she was my mother
She looked at me and I looked at her
She didn't know what to do
and father was already gone
On one occasion
She just went back,
back to our home country
That vehicle, the train
It was on such a high
slope and it just left
I leaned against the slope and cried
People up there were all looking at us
Dropping food down to us
I picked up the food and
ate, and my mother cried
I had no idea what was happening
There was food and I just ate and ate
Then I was tricked by a Korean
He said the Japanese were
going to start a sock factory
Maybe it was July, in Hankou
Where the Japanese stayed
They had the Koreans and the
Japanese, all locked up together
There were doors, doors everywhere,
and we were all locked up there
Once locked inside, no one could get out
We all stood up facing the wall,
with guards at the entrance
You couldn't escape,
or they would beat you to death
They took their time (playing with other
women), they came one after another
And they just left once they finished
They did nothing (to me)
They didn't care about us.
They didn't even look at us
Some things I remember, some I don't
I remember some and then I forget some
I'm done talking.
I don't want to talk about it any more
I don't feel comfortable talking about it
My mother didn't tell me anything
She said: "I'm too old so there's
no need talking about it now."
She didn't want to talk, so I didn't insist
What more is there to say?
HUANG MEIRONG MAO
YINMEI'S ADOPTED DAUGHTER
It's inappropriate for us
juniors to talk about her
More than 10 years ago
A reporter came to interview her
People were talking about her, so I knew
But she never talked about
it, never told me anything
When reporters came to interview
her, the neighbours became suspicious
They said my mother was in the newspaper
It was also broadcast on TV
People were talking,
saying she was a Korean
That the Japanese did things to
her, they insulted her
My father never told me anything.
He passed away 18 years ago
He must have known about it long ago
She just said
"I'm so old, what more is there to say?"
"What's in the past is in the past"
Wuhan City, Hubei Province
October 25th - 27th, 1938
ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 1938, THE FIRST PRISON FOR THE
"COMFORT WOMEN" OPENED IN JI QING LI, HAN KOU.
I can't remember
I don't remember
Miss Shiro (in Japanese)
He used to call me "Miss Shiro"
I didn't know what that meant
"Welcome, please sit down" (in Japanese)
It means sit down
"Please come in" (in Japanese)
It means come in, come up
"Please come in" (in Japanese)
"Welcome, please sit down" (in Japanese)
It means sit down
Some visitors came to
see her in recent years
They phoned to greet her
About once a year
A South Korean once called,
asking to speak to 'Park Cha Sun'
Why did he change her
name to 'Park Cha Sun'?
I said her name was 'Mao Yinmei'
I named myself after Chairman Mao
and I gave myself a first name too
My former last name was Park
I changed it to Mao, after Chairman Mao
I love Chairman Mao
He loved us and I love him
Others said she was Japanese.
I don't care where she came from
She's very old now, she's good to me
and I'm good to her, that's enough
She raised me for all those years
She was so nice to me
I should take care of her
now and repay her kindness
She can't do any chores in winter.
The cold always makes her curl up tight
She just wants to walk around
Her hands get so cold that she can't
straighten them up. No blood in there
She stays under her blankets
when it gets too cold
She doesn't want to go
outside when she feels cold
Only skin and bone,
it gets cold here when there's wind
She feels cold whenever there's wind
She's always worried about being a
burden to me, for living this long
I'm useless
Useless
I have lived too long. I'm useless
You can sing. How can you be useless?
Don't you remember?
When I was a kid, I had a good memory
I could sing a song after
listening to it just once
Now I can't. I don't remember anything
Arirang
The song 'Arirang'. Have you heard it?
Arirang, Arirang,
Arariyo (Korean folk song)
Arirang Pass is the long road you travel
If you leave and forsake me, so cruel
Ere three miles you go,
homesick you'll grow
Her lover left. She didn't want him to
go, but he still left
His feet started to hurt
before he could walk far
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Arirang Pass is the long road you go
A South Korean asked her to go back
home, to visit Korea
She said she's too old. She won't go back
She said it's too much trouble
He said it's not difficult,
only two hours by plane
She won't go back, no family there now
Up on that mountain covered with trees
I used to dig for vegetables and sing
When I was little
Doraji, doraji,
white doraji (Korean folk song)
Down in the deep valley
white doraji flowers bloom
Doraji, doraji, white doraji
Down in the deep valley
white doraji flowers bloom
I'm going to dig the doraji
Thus many excuses I made
Are you going to visit
your husband's grave?
Ai hey ai yo
How beautiful, how lovely!
Just one or two plants
will fill the whole basket
Lingshui Li Autonomous
County, Hainan Province
Chen Yabian（1927－2017）
Ethnic Group: Li
Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous
County, Hainan Province
I have been visiting them since 1996
Granny Huang Yufeng passed
away in February 2003
The Japanese built a bridge connecting
their stronghold in Jiamao to the town
They built a road to their
military camp in Baoting
And forced local peasants to work for them
Granny Huang Yufeng lived in the
same village as those peasants
She was a real beauty
of the Li ethnic group
The Japanese drooled over her
They coaxed her to wash their
clothes in their stronghold
She was negatively regarded
during the Cultural Revolution
Some said she married a Japanese
They said she was a traitor
working for the Japanese
Back then, these ladies were
called 'Japanese whores'
That was before they are
referred to as 'Comfort Women'
Huang Youliang, born in 1927
Ethnic Group: Li
Chen Liancun, born in 1926
So every time I visited these ladies
I always recorded their
words very carefully
FU MEIJU（1928－2017）
I will follow their cases
from the day I met them
Until their last days
We have filed a lawsuit
against the Japanese government
A claim for these 'Comfort Women'
The phrase 'Comfort Women' is
actually used only by the Japanese
Not by we Chinese
We use it only to identify
these ladies in these matters
Wang Zhifeng, born in 1928
We are actually supposed to call them
"Victims who were forced into
sexual slavery during World War II"
Fu Guiying (1919-2015)
Your husband went to Haikou
Yes
Home of Wang Yukai (1920-2014)
I thought you would come
to visit us a few days ago
During the Dragon Boat Festival?
I was a bit busy
All cleaned up
Whenever there's a festival, we come here
Be it the Dragon Boat Festival
or the Spring Festival
You come to worship the gods
during the Spring Festival too?
I kept her photos here
We were cooking outside the house yesterday
Killing a chicken?
Killing a chicken here
We still cook her share of food
but no one is here to eat now
She was lying here sleeping that day
She seemed like sleeping but actually
she couldn't get up, very unwell
My husband said: "How could she
suddenly become like this?" He cried too
How could she become like
this all of a sudden?
There's nothing we can do
It looked like she was sleeping,
just sleeping. She never woke up again
Granny passed away on the
morning of January 2, 2014
Her granddaughter told me on the
Internet that she had passed away
Her funeral was arranged too
Granny is really gone
You bought all of these things
You bought all of these things
for her but she hadn't used any
I said: "So many people cared about
you, yet you…"
Not that many
This is still new
It's new
I used to visit on weekends
I visited Granny Wang more often
About once a month
She was the loneliest of
all the seven grannies here
She didn't have any family,
so she lived by herself
Most other grannies live with families
Lingao County, Hainan Province
It has been three years since
this nursing home was built
I manage this home
LIANG CHAOSHENG
DEPUTY MANAGER OF NANBAO NURSING HOME
I open the gate in the morning,
the big gate And I lock it at night
These are security bars
To prevent thieves from breaking
windows to steal their belongings
All the elderly people here come
from the 'Five-Guarantee Households'
They are either blind,
disabled, or have no offspring
She has been living here for three years
She moved here right
after this place was built
She was the first one to move in
Lin Ailan (1925-2015)
When I was 13
I called on the villagers to supply
our Communist troops with rice
When I was 17 or 18,
I began to follow the Communist Party
And I fought battles along
the path to Haikou City
I killed two Japanese devils
A machine gun
The trigger was over here and
I hung the gun around my neck
I also held pistols,
one in each of my hands
I would load all the bullets, one by one
With all the bullets loaded
I just picked up the guns
and fired shots at them
I have a hole right here
If that bullet had entered
here, I would have died
That bullet flew past
here, just scraping my head
Come, let's have a drink
I don't drink
We've got cigarettes
I neither smoke nor drink, I just eat
Go eat then, there's food
That's fine. I've eaten already.
I ate at home after class
I had three scoops of rice at
home, then I came directly here
How big is your ladle? This big?
About this size, not big
That's too small.
Ten scoops wouldn't be enough for me
Three glasses of wine
wouldn't be enough for me
When I was teaching, she used to
live behind the Nanbao Town Hall
On my way home from school,
I would pass by her front door
She was in a very tough situation.
No one was there to help her
I would buy things,
cook rice and fetch water for her
That's how I came to know her
I used to know a veteran who
fought in the anti-Japanese war
YAN XUEZHAN
RETIRED TEACHER OF NANBAO TOWN
He has passed away, but once he told me
Lin Ailan made a great contribution
To our party and to our people. How?
After she infiltrated the Japanese camp
He once told me
She stole a lot of
ammunition for our troops
She snuck them out, one case after another
She also called for others,
especially young women, to join our army
They've been filming for so long.
They've got so many pictures
They'll take the pictures to
the government. I don't know
Did I forget? I didn't. Am I a fool?
I put them at the end of the bed
I know the medals are put together
with the money and the purse
But they are not in the purse.
I have no idea where they are
They are taken
They are not stolen. Here they are
You said somebody stole these.
Look, they are here!
You put them here. It might have fallen off
You accused Ahan of stealing and
sent all those people to question him
Where did you find them?
I'd looked for them everywhere
Inside the floral bag
Where? Let me see
Inside that floral bag
You kept them there,
of course you couldn't find them
It should be placed like this
But the other one is like this
It's the same
Well, leave it at that
She joined the troops after they saved her
That's why our Department of Civil
Affairs awarded her these medals
At the 60th anniversary of the
victory of the anti-Japanese war
The few of us girls
We used to sing those songs
Songs about fighting
against the Japanese devils
The cannons of the Japanese
devils destroyed our homes
They took my father and
me, then in came more
They took my father and
mother, then took us too
Our troops came to save
me, saviors they are
We will fight against the Japanese
Oh so many songs like this,
the Japanese would beat us if we sang
As soon as the Japanese arrived,
they destroyed our homes
They seized my mother
and killed her right away
She was tossed into the river with
her hands and feet all tied up
They took my mother to that river
in Jialai and tossed her there
It was the Japanese who
threw her into the river
I was caught by the Japanese
after I joined the army
They threatened to kill
everyone in Songmei Village
They caught me, the three of us from
the village. He forced me to marry him
I said okay, but I just wanted to slash him
I pretended to agree to marry him,
then I retaliated against him later
The government knows a lot about me
That Japanese disabled me. Then he died too
When she wakes up we bring her breakfast
She sits there till noon, then slowly
moves herself inside to take a nap
She then sits by the door
again in the afternoon
Waiting for the carer to bring her dinner
We deliver meals to three of them
Others who can still walk fetch their
meals from the canteen themselves
It was mainly because of the torture
that they couldn't have children
They would strip you naked and
force you to sleep with them
Otherwise they would use tools
on your mouth to torture you
They would force you to sleep with
them, or they would beat you up
I was held there for nearly two years
October to July, around two
years, or less than two years
I don't want to talk about these things
Li Meijin, born in 1926
Chengmai County, Hainan Province
My daughter is working in Haikou
She has three kids,
who are either studying or in the army
They all give me money
Sometimes I give them some too.
I don't mind spending less on myself
My kids are all grown up.
I have grandchildren too
My son would also bring me food
My grandchildren take care of me
too, so I feel very happy and secure
I am very relaxed at home.
I don't need to do anything
When I run out of firewood for
cooking, I'll just go get some
It's been over 70 years.
I can't remember it all
I was still in my teens
The Japanese devils came, shouting "Girls!
So many girls!"
They came to our village to take people
away, then burned down our houses
Many Japanese devils came,
one group after another
They made us pick wild fruit for them
We had to climb trees to pick fruit,
or they would stab us to death
There was a bayonet at the end of the rifle
With that sharp and pointy
blade, the rifle became very long
There were so many Japanese devils.
They made loud noises when they ran
Their boots were up to their
knees and made such noises
Back then I dare not sleep at home.
I would sleep on the mountain
I tied up my cows and
sheep on the mountain too
I dare not fall into a deep sleep.
I had to watch the cows
I hid in the tall woods.
I dare not sleep at home
We hid in the mountains but they
would find you wherever you hid
There were so many
Japanese, too many to count
We walked until we couldn't walk any more.
The kids couldn't walk at all
We walked until our legs hurt,
then they hit our legs with their rifles
My legs still hurt so
much now because of that
I can't even walk well now.
It hurts every time I kneel down
Those Japanese were very cruel
They beat me all over my body.
I was hurt everywhere
They took everything, pigs, chicken,
cows and sheep, and killed them all
Then the Japanese devils caught me
They took me to the airport in Jialai
Once they caught you they would lock
you up. Wouldn't you be terrified?
I was scared to death.
They would lock you up in that house
My mother grabbed hold of my older sister
She wouldn't let the Japanese take her away
LI CAIYONG
LI MEIJIN'S YOUNGER BROTHER
He pushed my mother and
she fell to the ground
Then they took my sister away
At night
When you slept in that room,
you could hear people screaming from rape
When that Japanese touched me
I would scream "Mum! Dad!", just scream
The Japanese soldiers would rape
any girl they could find, so vicious
I once bumped into a couple and
asked them to give me some water
When the Japanese found out about
this, they beat that man to death
His wife wanted to take his body home
He was already dead,
so the Japanese let her
I snuck into the funeral procession
and hid among the mourners
"You sister was taken away.
How could she possibly return home?"
"The Japanese must have killed
her already." My mother said
She then cried
My mother and father thought I was dead
When I made it back home,
they were so happy and cried
They couldn't hold back their tears,
and told everyone "Our daughter is back!"
The matchmaker said there was a
young man living here, he had food
My parents were very poor,
they were worried I would starve to death
My parents agreed to the marriage
and wrote down my date of birth
They gave that to my husband's family
and we were married just like that
When I came here, my husband was
working and studying at the same time
After I gave birth to my oldest daughter
He stopped attending school
My husband had a stroke when he was older
He had the stroke after a bad fall.
He couldn't eat so I fed him food slowly
I would feed my husband food
And help him wash his feet and
body, and do everything for him
I would also clean off his urine and feces
He couldn't do anything any more.
He could only eat a little
I told him: "You have food
to eat and clothes to wear."
"And the government takes good care
of me too. You don't need to worry."
"It would be nice if you are well.
If not, even if you can't walk any more,"
"And become disabled,
I will take care of you."
He is already gone
But we had a good life together
We never had a fight
My big sister and I can't
live without each other
I always ask her to come
here to eat and drink with us
We'll let her do chores if she wants to.
If not, we'll take care of her
We'll ask her to come and eat
whenever there's something good
The government is nice,
Chairman Mao was nice
Chairman Mao was our
leader, everyone knows him
His pictures are put on the walls
Everyone in our village has
his pictures on their wall
Li Ailian, born in 1928
Wuxiang County, Changzhi
City, Shanxi Province
Is your leg still hurting?
It is better
Did you take your pills?
I took a painkiller
Can you get off the bed?
Yes. Is there anything I can't do?
I'd been working as a
substitute teacher from 1992
And I became a preschool teacher in 2009
I teach singing and dancing,
and play games with the kids
I read poetries to them,
and sometimes I teach them Pinyin
And some simple Chinese characters too
My eldest sister is over 60 years
old, she can't make the journey
My older brother is too
busy working to come here
My second sister teaches in Taiyuan
So it's just my husband, my
child, my mother-in-law and me
My mother-in-law is very straightforward
LI XIUPING
LI AILIAN'S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW
She will tell you whatever she thinks,
but never means any harm
She has had a very troubled life
I married my husband on Dec.
24th on the lunar calendar
He was taken away the next February
Others wanted me to remarry at that time
I said: "I just married one.
Why marry again?"
"I won't do this. That's it."
After the Japanese made me
sign a pledge not to escape
I stayed in the enemy's
stronghold in Nangou
People asked me, "How could you
possibly make a living there?"
I worked. I told them
to find some work for me
I made shoe soles. I would accept any work
I also sewed with a sewing
machine, things like that
I could sustain myself
Is the little one out playing?
He went to his grandma's
The Japanese there beat me as well
I lived there for three months,
how could I not get hurt?
They would keep beating and
insulting me till they were satisfied
I didn't come back until the
Japanese surrendered and left
My husband said it's ok
He said: "You can live
whatever way you like."
"You were taken and forced by the
Japanese, it was against your will."
I will speak of it no more, no more
There were also villagers who judged her
But most of those of
her age have passed away
The younger generation
doesn't know much about it
It was not until reporters
came to interview them
That some villagers started to understand
Who were captured by the Japanese
and what happened to them afterwards
But they don't know any detail,
nor do they have any thoughts about it
Nowadays people don't talk
about what happened years ago
So my mother-in-law doesn't
think about her past any more
I shall not talk about it any more
I didn't want to mention those
things, but since you asked
I do feel a little relieved
to let out my feelings
People say why bottle
up those things till now
I have not mentioned anything
to my kids since I was 17
Others also know that I had
stayed at the enemy's stronghold
"Were you scared when you were there?"
They often asked me this kind of questions
I said: "Don't ask me about this any more."
Many reporters came here,
asking about those old days
They came here a few times, but I lied to
them. I did't want to tell them the truth
My daughter-in-law and her little
ones were all here listening
My children are all grown up,
what did they want me to say?
I'll say no more. I'll take it to my grave.
Speak of it no more
Check out that yellow cat, the stray cat
Whose cat is this?
It is not ours, just another stray cat
Hey! Where do you think you are going?
That cat is having kittens
Look at her belly. It's round
The one with the black little paws?
I don't know. I didn't see it
A couple of days ago,
I noticed its waist getting thick
How come it is with kittens?
It's around those two days
How are we going to feed more kittens?
Maybe it is our neighbour's cat.
It gave birth to a litter of kittens
Our neighbour doesn't look after
them so they just came to our place
At first there were five cats and my
mother-in-law would feed them every day
I said: "You don't even want to cook
for yourself, now you are feeding cats!"
She said they would die if
nobody took care of them
She would feed the cats
even if she's not eating
Sometimes when she cooks,
she'll feed the cats first
And she always gives the best
part of her meals to the cats
Kitty, come here
Where are your babies?
Why not bring them over?
Wait for your babies
They haven't eaten yet
Take your time
She comes outside when the kids
are playing in the courtyard
Those kids will surround her,
calling her "Granny, Granny"
They all play with her, very happy
She will amuse the kids and
sometimes cook them food to eat
The kids love to spend time with her.
They will sing and dance for her
My mother-in-law is
actually quite happy now
But we can never imagine how she suffered
Now my mother-in-law is in good
health, we are all very happy
Back then there was no
such thing in my village
But in other villages many women
(who were raped) got pregnant
They gave birth to kids
with big noses and big eyes
Those were kids of the Japanese
Lipu County,
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
A journalist from a Beijing magazine
How did you feel when you learned
that you were half Japanese?
My younger brother (half-brother)
said I was Japanese
LUO SHANXUE, BORN IN 1945
MIXED CHINESE/JAPANESE RACE
He wanted to kill Japanese.
He said he'd pay a killer
He'd pay a killer to kill me. I just shut
the door and told him "kill all then"
Your brother said he was going
to pay a killer to kill you? Why?
Because I am Japanese
Because of his mixed blood,
70-year-old Luo Shanxue has never married.
Didn't Zhu Hong (volunteer) say he's
going to find you a wife in Japan?
Ridiculous
Wei Shaolan, born in 1920
Ethnic Group: Yao
He Yuzhen (1921-2014)
When these elderly ladies have
all departed this world one day
This fact of history will remain
Many people will still be asking
What about their descendants?
How are their families?
Every time I meet them
They all look so happy and carefree
But as soon as this subject is brought up
They become so sad and tears come down
So we'll only ask them questions
when it's necessary for the lawsuit
If not, we'll just try to make them happy
Chen Houzhi, farm worker
When I was visiting Granny Wang Yukai
I would do the cleaning,
give her massages and fetch water for her
If she washed her clothes,
I would hang out the clothes to dry
I didn't see her as a poor victim
She was just like my own
grandma, someone I like
Some grannies are having a very hard time
Some are not as sad as I imagined
They are very warm
They would let us eat and sleep in
their houses, they cared about us
When I was young, it was my grandma who
took care of me and my little brother
So I like grannies
These grannies are very old,
but they are all very adorable
After some Japanese
soldiers went back to Japan
They told the public what they did.
There's a book on it
One day, Granny Wang's family showed
her a picture of a Japanese soldier
The Japanese man in the picture
was very old, over 80 years old
Granny looked at the picture and laughed
She said: "That Japanese has become
old, no mustache now."
Because the Japanese soldiers of that
time all seemed to have mustaches
I thought she would cry or get
angry when she saw the picture
If it were me, I would probably
always hate those who hurt me
And even give up on life
The wounds in their
hearts are huge and deep
But they are still being nice to others
No matter we are from Japan or elsewhere
Komeda Mai, international student from Japan
Helping victims in Hainan Province since 2009
When I started investigating,
there were 123 victims in Shanxi Province
Now (2014) only 12 here are still alive
I was very naive at that time and
just wanted to bring them justice
I wanted the Japanese government
to apologize and to compensate them
But in the end, after more than 30 years
They didn't receive a single cent or
any apology from the Japanese government
They spoke out publicly about their past
Which caused them disgrace
Now all the people around them and
even the entire country know about them
It's not a good thing for them
So I regret it very much
If I had known it would turn out like this
I would have never disturbed them
ZHANG SHUANGBING, RETIRED TEACHER
YU COUNTY, SHANXI PROVINCE
ZHANG GAIXIANG (1925-2014)
(The victims' names, including those who have since passed away)
We would like to express our gratitude to every character in
this documentary and their families for their trust and support
According to the statistics of the China "Comfort Women" Issue Research
Center Only 22 "Comfort Women" had survived in mainland China by 2014
The sun is rising, and the sky turns red
WEI SHAOLAN (SURVIVOR, GUANGXI PROVINCE)
"THANK YOU."
- MAO YINMEI (SURVIVOR, HUBEI PROVINCE)
"I'M HAPPY THAT YOU CAME TO VISIT ME."
- LI MEIJIN (SURVIVOR, HAINAN PROVINCE)
CHEN LINTAO (SURVIVOR, SHANXI PROVINCE)
Producers
Ke Guo & Xiangyong Zhang
Special thanks to Xinyi Zhang
Yu County, Shanxi Province, China 2014
We are gathered here to
attend Aunt Chen's funeral
Today we take this opportunity
to hold a small memorial service
During the War of Resistance against Japan
Her husband undertook the great responsibility
of fighting against the Japanese
He was the commander of
our 11th Military Regiment
Because of that,
and due to the betrayal of traitors
She herself was arrested
by the Japanese invaders
She was taken to a Japanese stronghold
And was insulted in every possible
way, both physically and mentally
CHEN LINTAO (1921-2014)
Our friends here attending
the funeral today include
Ms. Xiong Bangling from Canada
And our photographer friends from Beijing
And Mr. Zhao from the China 'Comfort
Women' Issue Research Center
32 years of this
Fate, just fate
Perhaps I'm destined to
walk the path of hardship
These elderly ladies are now
all over 80 or 90 years old
If only they can be a little
healthier, and hold on a little longer
ZHANG XIANTU（1926-2015）
LI XIUMEI (1928-2014)
DURING JAPAN'S EIGHT-YEAR OCCUPATION OF CHINA
(1937-1945) BEFORE AND DURING WORLD WAR II,
AROUND 200,000 CHINESE WOMEN WERE FORCED INTO SEXUAL SLAVERY
AND DESIGNATED AS "COMFORT WOMEN" BY THE JAPANESE MILITARY.
MOST OF THEM WERE TORTURED TO DEATH OR COMMITTED
SUICIDE DUE TO THE UNBEARABLE HUMILIATION.
ONLY VERY FEW SURVIVED.
JINGUI VILLAGE, YU COUNTY, SHANXI PROVINCE
Here was the so-called 'Comfort Station'
It was secured by wire fences and trenches
There were soldiers guarding the
gate and women were held inside
There were two caves in the front
Liu Mianhuan and Feng Zhuangxiang
used to be locked up there
On the east side were three caves
Where Li Xiumei and Zhang Xiaoni were kept
On the south were four rooms
Hou Dong'e and Chen Lintao were held there
There were two brick beds in this cave.
Both had women sleeping on them
According to my research,
more than 40 women were once held here
Then the Japanese built strongholds
in Shangshe, Xiyan and Hedong
I've made surveys at all these locations
Female victims were found at
every place the Japanese occupied
Having endured unbearable pain and
distress, they long to pour it all out
But obviously no one can
share this kind of pain
She would be so relieved
if she could speak out
But then there are those around her
She bears such a heavy burden in her heart
She is concerned for her children,
so she dare not speak out
Pian Huanying, born in 1928
Hao Juxiang（1922-2016）
Ren Lan'e（1931-2016）
Zhao Lanying (1925-2016)
Liu Gailian, born in 1925
Liu Fenghai (1924-2017)
She lives with her son and his wife.
Cao Heimao, born in 1922
Grandma
Where is her daughter?
Where is your daughter?
Do you know where your daughter is?
Take one
Don't be shy. What are you afraid of?
I can't find her either, forget it
Do you understand what she is saying?
I'll go ask if you want
to look for her daughter
That's okay
We can't understand what she's
saying, can't communicate with her
Can you call her daughter
and see if she can come over?
I can't find my pictures
Will the pictures taken
later still be the same?
Is the picture ok?
See if it looks the same
This is my picture on my
'Good Citizen Certificate'
See if you can take a photo of it
So it's all inside there
This must be very good
It can take pictures of anything
It must be very expensive
I first met these grannies in 1995
AHN SE-HONG (SOUTH KOREA), PHOTOGRAPHER
In South Korea, I met them for the first time I
felt their pain. It was very unforgettable for me
So I continued to pay attention to them
And look for ways to help them
I'm a photographer, so by that means
I hope many people can see their
situation and offer some help
DONGNING COUNTY, MUDANJIANG CITY
HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE
I'm visiting mainly South Koreans and
those of Korean ethnicity in China
But it was not just Koreans
who were among the victims
There were also victims from Asia like
the Philippines, China and Indonesia
And even more countries and regions
I know their pain is the same
And many people are
aware of their existence
I personally hope that people can
work together to solve this problem
That's why I come to visit these grannies
LI FENGYUN (1922-2016)
ORIGINALLY NAMED LI SHOUDUAN, KOREAN
Especially China
It was the most invaded country
And had a large number of victims
Even now they are enduring great pain
When I saw their living
situation was so difficult
I wanted more people to know
about them as soon as possible
But I've recently discovered their
situation hasn't really improved
So I'm thinking more about what
kind of help they really need
When I saw Grandma 'Park Cha Sun' was
still living in a workshop-like place
I wanted to transform it into a warm house
By repairing the house
for this elderly lady
We wanted more people to know about her
Then word spread by mouth
We went to South Korea
and Japan to run campaigns
Telling people there exists such an
old lady, and calling on more to help
All 24 of us went to Xiaogan
together to help repair her house
We painted the house and rebuilt the walls
Everyone there wanted to
show their regard for her
They wanted to give their
most precious things to her
So they prepared things such as
Thermal underwear, scarves,
and music and maps of South Korea
XIAOGAN CITY, HUBEI PROVINCE
Because my mother never
gave birth to any child
She thought about having children
Her former neighbour told her
she could adopt one, so she did
I was only two years old at that time
I heard from others that I was
still breastfeeding back then
My son has a family of four
He's got one son and one daughter
My grandkids
Plus we three
My husband, me, and my mother
Seven in total
She's had a very sad life
She fled from South Korea to
China, seeking refuge
MAO YINMEI（1922-2017）
ORIGINALLY NAMED PARK CHA SUN, KOREAN
Mother (in Korean)
Father (in Korean)
Grandma (in Korean)
South Korea is where I was born
We didn't have any food to eat at that time
So we fled
My mother abandoned me, she just left me
My sister was very young,
she couldn't survive alone
Mother held her and walked away
She walked away just like that
But she'd been missing me ever since
My 'Ga Ga' is my grandmother
You don't understand what I'm saying?
Grandma is 'Ga Ga' (Hubei dialect)
My Ga Ga looked for me everywhere
If it wasn't for her,
I would have been lost
From then I stayed with my Ga Ga
I didn't know how old I was
I didn't know how old I was back then
I just knew she was my mother
She looked at me and I looked at her
She didn't know what to do
and father was already gone
On one occasion
She just went back,
back to our home country
That vehicle, the train
It was on such a high
slope and it just left
I leaned against the slope and cried
People up there were all looking at us
Dropping food down to us
I picked up the food and
ate, and my mother cried
I had no idea what was happening
There was food and I just ate and ate
Then I was tricked by a Korean
He said the Japanese were
going to start a sock factory
Maybe it was July, in Hankou
Where the Japanese stayed
They had the Koreans and the
Japanese, all locked up together
There were doors, doors everywhere,
and we were all locked up there
Once locked inside, no one could get out
We all stood up facing the wall,
with guards at the entrance
You couldn't escape,
or they would beat you to death
They took their time (playing with other
women), they came one after another
And they just left once they finished
They did nothing (to me)
They didn't care about us.
They didn't even look at us
Some things I remember, some I don't
I remember some and then I forget some
I'm done talking.
I don't want to talk about it any more
I don't feel comfortable talking about it
My mother didn't tell me anything
She said: "I'm too old so there's
no need talking about it now."
She didn't want to talk, so I didn't insist
What more is there to say?
HUANG MEIRONG MAO
YINMEI'S ADOPTED DAUGHTER
It's inappropriate for us
juniors to talk about her
More than 10 years ago
A reporter came to interview her
People were talking about her, so I knew
But she never talked about
it, never told me anything
When reporters came to interview
her, the neighbours became suspicious
They said my mother was in the newspaper
It was also broadcast on TV
People were talking,
saying she was a Korean
That the Japanese did things to
her, they insulted her
My father never told me anything.
He passed away 18 years ago
He must have known about it long ago
She just said
"I'm so old, what more is there to say?"
"What's in the past is in the past"
Wuhan City, Hubei Province
October 25th - 27th, 1938
ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 1938, THE FIRST PRISON FOR THE
"COMFORT WOMEN" OPENED IN JI QING LI, HAN KOU.
I can't remember
I don't remember
Miss Shiro (in Japanese)
He used to call me "Miss Shiro"
I didn't know what that meant
"Welcome, please sit down" (in Japanese)
It means sit down
"Please come in" (in Japanese)
It means come in, come up
"Please come in" (in Japanese)
"Welcome, please sit down" (in Japanese)
It means sit down
Some visitors came to
see her in recent years
They phoned to greet her
About once a year
A South Korean once called,
asking to speak to 'Park Cha Sun'
Why did he change her
name to 'Park Cha Sun'?
I said her name was 'Mao Yinmei'
I named myself after Chairman Mao
and I gave myself a first name too
My former last name was Park
I changed it to Mao, after Chairman Mao
I love Chairman Mao
He loved us and I love him
Others said she was Japanese.
I don't care where she came from
She's very old now, she's good to me
and I'm good to her, that's enough
She raised me for all those years
She was so nice to me
I should take care of her
now and repay her kindness
She can't do any chores in winter.
The cold always makes her curl up tight
She just wants to walk around
Her hands get so cold that she can't
straighten them up. No blood in there
She stays under her blankets
when it gets too cold
She doesn't want to go
outside when she feels cold
Only skin and bone,
it gets cold here when there's wind
She feels cold whenever there's wind
She's always worried about being a
burden to me, for living this long
I'm useless
Useless
I have lived too long. I'm useless
You can sing. How can you be useless?
Don't you remember?
When I was a kid, I had a good memory
I could sing a song after
listening to it just once
Now I can't. I don't remember anything
Arirang
The song 'Arirang'. Have you heard it?
Arirang, Arirang,
Arariyo (Korean folk song)
Arirang Pass is the long road you travel
If you leave and forsake me, so cruel
Ere three miles you go,
homesick you'll grow
Her lover left. She didn't want him to
go, but he still left
His feet started to hurt
before he could walk far
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Arirang Pass is the long road you go
A South Korean asked her to go back
home, to visit Korea
She said she's too old. She won't go back
She said it's too much trouble
He said it's not difficult,
only two hours by plane
She won't go back, no family there now
Up on that mountain covered with trees
I used to dig for vegetables and sing
When I was little
Doraji, doraji,
white doraji (Korean folk song)
Down in the deep valley
white doraji flowers bloom
Doraji, doraji, white doraji
Down in the deep valley
white doraji flowers bloom
I'm going to dig the doraji
Thus many excuses I made
Are you going to visit
your husband's grave?
Ai hey ai yo
How beautiful, how lovely!
Just one or two plants
will fill the whole basket
Lingshui Li Autonomous
County, Hainan Province
Chen Yabian（1927－2017）
Ethnic Group: Li
Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous
County, Hainan Province
I have been visiting them since 1996
Granny Huang Yufeng passed
away in February 2003
The Japanese built a bridge connecting
their stronghold in Jiamao to the town
They built a road to their
military camp in Baoting
And forced local peasants to work for them
Granny Huang Yufeng lived in the
same village as those peasants
She was a real beauty
of the Li ethnic group
The Japanese drooled over her
They coaxed her to wash their
clothes in their stronghold
She was negatively regarded
during the Cultural Revolution
Some said she married a Japanese
They said she was a traitor
working for the Japanese
Back then, these ladies were
called 'Japanese whores'
That was before they are
referred to as 'Comfort Women'
Huang Youliang, born in 1927
Ethnic Group: Li
Chen Liancun, born in 1926
So every time I visited these ladies
I always recorded their
words very carefully
FU MEIJU（1928－2017）
I will follow their cases
from the day I met them
Until their last days
We have filed a lawsuit
against the Japanese government
A claim for these 'Comfort Women'
The phrase 'Comfort Women' is
actually used only by the Japanese
Not by we Chinese
We use it only to identify
these ladies in these matters
Wang Zhifeng, born in 1928
We are actually supposed to call them
"Victims who were forced into
sexual slavery during World War II"
Fu Guiying (1919-2015)
Your husband went to Haikou
Yes
Home of Wang Yukai (1920-2014)
I thought you would come
to visit us a few days ago
During the Dragon Boat Festival?
I was a bit busy
All cleaned up
Whenever there's a festival, we come here
Be it the Dragon Boat Festival
or the Spring Festival
You come to worship the gods
during the Spring Festival too?
I kept her photos here
We were cooking outside the house yesterday
Killing a chicken?
Killing a chicken here
We still cook her share of food
but no one is here to eat now
She was lying here sleeping that day
She seemed like sleeping but actually
she couldn't get up, very unwell
My husband said: "How could she
suddenly become like this?" He cried too
How could she become like
this all of a sudden?
There's nothing we can do
It looked like she was sleeping,
just sleeping. She never woke up again
Granny passed away on the
morning of January 2, 2014
Her granddaughter told me on the
Internet that she had passed away
Her funeral was arranged too
Granny is really gone
You bought all of these things
You bought all of these things
for her but she hadn't used any
I said: "So many people cared about
you, yet you…"
Not that many
This is still new
It's new
I used to visit on weekends
I visited Granny Wang more often
About once a month
She was the loneliest of
all the seven grannies here
She didn't have any family,
so she lived by herself
Most other grannies live with families
Lingao County, Hainan Province
It has been three years since
this nursing home was built
I manage this home
LIANG CHAOSHENG
DEPUTY MANAGER OF NANBAO NURSING HOME
I open the gate in the morning,
the big gate And I lock it at night
These are security bars
To prevent thieves from breaking
windows to steal their belongings
All the elderly people here come
from the 'Five-Guarantee Households'
They are either blind,
disabled, or have no offspring
She has been living here for three years
She moved here right
after this place was built
She was the first one to move in
Lin Ailan (1925-2015)
When I was 13
I called on the villagers to supply
our Communist troops with rice
When I was 17 or 18,
I began to follow the Communist Party
And I fought battles along
the path to Haikou City
I killed two Japanese devils
A machine gun
The trigger was over here and
I hung the gun around my neck
I also held pistols,
one in each of my hands
I would load all the bullets, one by one
With all the bullets loaded
I just picked up the guns
and fired shots at them
I have a hole right here
If that bullet had entered
here, I would have died
That bullet flew past
here, just scraping my head
Come, let's have a drink
I don't drink
We've got cigarettes
I neither smoke nor drink, I just eat
Go eat then, there's food
That's fine. I've eaten already.
I ate at home after class
I had three scoops of rice at
home, then I came directly here
How big is your ladle? This big?
About this size, not big
That's too small.
Ten scoops wouldn't be enough for me
Three glasses of wine
wouldn't be enough for me
When I was teaching, she used to
live behind the Nanbao Town Hall
On my way home from school,
I would pass by her front door
She was in a very tough situation.
No one was there to help her
I would buy things,
cook rice and fetch water for her
That's how I came to know her
I used to know a veteran who
fought in the anti-Japanese war
YAN XUEZHAN
RETIRED TEACHER OF NANBAO TOWN
He has passed away, but once he told me
Lin Ailan made a great contribution
To our party and to our people. How?
After she infiltrated the Japanese camp
He once told me
She stole a lot of
ammunition for our troops
She snuck them out, one case after another
She also called for others,
especially young women, to join our army
They've been filming for so long.
They've got so many pictures
They'll take the pictures to
the government. I don't know
Did I forget? I didn't. Am I a fool?
I put them at the end of the bed
I know the medals are put together
with the money and the purse
But they are not in the purse.
I have no idea where they are
They are taken
They are not stolen. Here they are
You said somebody stole these.
Look, they are here!
You put them here. It might have fallen off
You accused Ahan of stealing and
sent all those people to question him
Where did you find them?
I'd looked for them everywhere
Inside the floral bag
Where? Let me see
Inside that floral bag
You kept them there,
of course you couldn't find them
It should be placed like this
But the other one is like this
It's the same
Well, leave it at that
She joined the troops after they saved her
That's why our Department of Civil
Affairs awarded her these medals
At the 60th anniversary of the
victory of the anti-Japanese war
The few of us girls
We used to sing those songs
Songs about fighting
against the Japanese devils
The cannons of the Japanese
devils destroyed our homes
They took my father and
me, then in came more
They took my father and
mother, then took us too
Our troops came to save
me, saviors they are
We will fight against the Japanese
Oh so many songs like this,
the Japanese would beat us if we sang
As soon as the Japanese arrived,
they destroyed our homes
They seized my mother
and killed her right away
She was tossed into the river with
her hands and feet all tied up
They took my mother to that river
in Jialai and tossed her there
It was the Japanese who
threw her into the river
I was caught by the Japanese
after I joined the army
They threatened to kill
everyone in Songmei Village
They caught me, the three of us from
the village. He forced me to marry him
I said okay, but I just wanted to slash him
I pretended to agree to marry him,
then I retaliated against him later
The government knows a lot about me
That Japanese disabled me. Then he died too
When she wakes up we bring her breakfast
She sits there till noon, then slowly
moves herself inside to take a nap
She then sits by the door
again in the afternoon
Waiting for the carer to bring her dinner
We deliver meals to three of them
Others who can still walk fetch their
meals from the canteen themselves
It was mainly because of the torture
that they couldn't have children
They would strip you naked and
force you to sleep with them
Otherwise they would use tools
on your mouth to torture you
They would force you to sleep with
them, or they would beat you up
I was held there for nearly two years
October to July, around two
years, or less than two years
I don't want to talk about these things
Li Meijin, born in 1926
Chengmai County, Hainan Province
My daughter is working in Haikou
She has three kids,
who are either studying or in the army
They all give me money
Sometimes I give them some too.
I don't mind spending less on myself
My kids are all grown up.
I have grandchildren too
My son would also bring me food
My grandchildren take care of me
too, so I feel very happy and secure
I am very relaxed at home.
I don't need to do anything
When I run out of firewood for
cooking, I'll just go get some
It's been over 70 years.
I can't remember it all
I was still in my teens
The Japanese devils came, shouting "Girls!
So many girls!"
They came to our village to take people
away, then burned down our houses
Many Japanese devils came,
one group after another
They made us pick wild fruit for them
We had to climb trees to pick fruit,
or they would stab us to death
There was a bayonet at the end of the rifle
With that sharp and pointy
blade, the rifle became very long
There were so many Japanese devils.
They made loud noises when they ran
Their boots were up to their
knees and made such noises
Back then I dare not sleep at home.
I would sleep on the mountain
I tied up my cows and
sheep on the mountain too
I dare not fall into a deep sleep.
I had to watch the cows
I hid in the tall woods.
I dare not sleep at home
We hid in the mountains but they
would find you wherever you hid
There were so many
Japanese, too many to count
We walked until we couldn't walk any more.
The kids couldn't walk at all
We walked until our legs hurt,
then they hit our legs with their rifles
My legs still hurt so
much now because of that
I can't even walk well now.
It hurts every time I kneel down
Those Japanese were very cruel
They beat me all over my body.
I was hurt everywhere
They took everything, pigs, chicken,
cows and sheep, and killed them all
Then the Japanese devils caught me
They took me to the airport in Jialai
Once they caught you they would lock
you up. Wouldn't you be terrified?
I was scared to death.
They would lock you up in that house
My mother grabbed hold of my older sister
She wouldn't let the Japanese take her away
LI CAIYONG
LI MEIJIN'S YOUNGER BROTHER
He pushed my mother and
she fell to the ground
Then they took my sister away
At night
When you slept in that room,
you could hear people screaming from rape
When that Japanese touched me
I would scream "Mum! Dad!", just scream
The Japanese soldiers would rape
any girl they could find, so vicious
I once bumped into a couple and
asked them to give me some water
When the Japanese found out about
this, they beat that man to death
His wife wanted to take his body home
He was already dead,
so the Japanese let her
I snuck into the funeral procession
and hid among the mourners
"You sister was taken away.
How could she possibly return home?"
"The Japanese must have killed
her already." My mother said
She then cried
My mother and father thought I was dead
When I made it back home,
they were so happy and cried
They couldn't hold back their tears,
and told everyone "Our daughter is back!"
The matchmaker said there was a
young man living here, he had food
My parents were very poor,
they were worried I would starve to death
My parents agreed to the marriage
and wrote down my date of birth
They gave that to my husband's family
and we were married just like that
When I came here, my husband was
working and studying at the same time
After I gave birth to my oldest daughter
He stopped attending school
My husband had a stroke when he was older
He had the stroke after a bad fall.
He couldn't eat so I fed him food slowly
I would feed my husband food
And help him wash his feet and
body, and do everything for him
I would also clean off his urine and feces
He couldn't do anything any more.
He could only eat a little
I told him: "You have food
to eat and clothes to wear."
"And the government takes good care
of me too. You don't need to worry."
"It would be nice if you are well.
If not, even if you can't walk any more,"
"And become disabled,
I will take care of you."
He is already gone
But we had a good life together
We never had a fight
My big sister and I can't
live without each other
I always ask her to come
here to eat and drink with us
We'll let her do chores if she wants to.
If not, we'll take care of her
We'll ask her to come and eat
whenever there's something good
The government is nice,
Chairman Mao was nice
Chairman Mao was our
leader, everyone knows him
His pictures are put on the walls
Everyone in our village has
his pictures on their wall
Li Ailian, born in 1928
Wuxiang County, Changzhi
City, Shanxi Province
Is your leg still hurting?
It is better
Did you take your pills?
I took a painkiller
Can you get off the bed?
Yes. Is there anything I can't do?
I'd been working as a
substitute teacher from 1992
And I became a preschool teacher in 2009
I teach singing and dancing,
and play games with the kids
I read poetries to them,
and sometimes I teach them Pinyin
And some simple Chinese characters too
My eldest sister is over 60 years
old, she can't make the journey
My older brother is too
busy working to come here
My second sister teaches in Taiyuan
So it's just my husband, my
child, my mother-in-law and me
My mother-in-law is very straightforward
LI XIUPING
LI AILIAN'S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW
She will tell you whatever she thinks,
but never means any harm
She has had a very troubled life
I married my husband on Dec.
24th on the lunar calendar
He was taken away the next February
Others wanted me to remarry at that time
I said: "I just married one.
Why marry again?"
"I won't do this. That's it."
After the Japanese made me
sign a pledge not to escape
I stayed in the enemy's
stronghold in Nangou
People asked me, "How could you
possibly make a living there?"
I worked. I told them
to find some work for me
I made shoe soles. I would accept any work
I also sewed with a sewing
machine, things like that
I could sustain myself
Is the little one out playing?
He went to his grandma's
The Japanese there beat me as well
I lived there for three months,
how could I not get hurt?
They would keep beating and
insulting me till they were satisfied
I didn't come back until the
Japanese surrendered and left
My husband said it's ok
He said: "You can live
whatever way you like."
"You were taken and forced by the
Japanese, it was against your will."
I will speak of it no more, no more
There were also villagers who judged her
But most of those of
her age have passed away
The younger generation
doesn't know much about it
It was not until reporters
came to interview them
That some villagers started to understand
Who were captured by the Japanese
and what happened to them afterwards
But they don't know any detail,
nor do they have any thoughts about it
Nowadays people don't talk
about what happened years ago
So my mother-in-law doesn't
think about her past any more
I shall not talk about it any more
I didn't want to mention those
things, but since you asked
I do feel a little relieved
to let out my feelings
People say why bottle
up those things till now
I have not mentioned anything
to my kids since I was 17
Others also know that I had
stayed at the enemy's stronghold
"Were you scared when you were there?"
They often asked me this kind of questions
I said: "Don't ask me about this any more."
Many reporters came here,
asking about those old days
They came here a few times, but I lied to
them. I did't want to tell them the truth
My daughter-in-law and her little
ones were all here listening
My children are all grown up,
what did they want me to say?
I'll say no more. I'll take it to my grave.
Speak of it no more
Check out that yellow cat, the stray cat
Whose cat is this?
It is not ours, just another stray cat
Hey! Where do you think you are going?
That cat is having kittens
Look at her belly. It's round
The one with the black little paws?
I don't know. I didn't see it
A couple of days ago,
I noticed its waist getting thick
How come it is with kittens?
It's around those two days
How are we going to feed more kittens?
Maybe it is our neighbour's cat.
It gave birth to a litter of kittens
Our neighbour doesn't look after
them so they just came to our place
At first there were five cats and my
mother-in-law would feed them every day
I said: "You don't even want to cook
for yourself, now you are feeding cats!"
She said they would die if
nobody took care of them
She would feed the cats
even if she's not eating
Sometimes when she cooks,
she'll feed the cats first
And she always gives the best
part of her meals to the cats
Kitty, come here
Where are your babies?
Why not bring them over?
Wait for your babies
They haven't eaten yet
Take your time
She comes outside when the kids
are playing in the courtyard
Those kids will surround her,
calling her "Granny, Granny"
They all play with her, very happy
She will amuse the kids and
sometimes cook them food to eat
The kids love to spend time with her.
They will sing and dance for her
My mother-in-law is
actually quite happy now
But we can never imagine how she suffered
Now my mother-in-law is in good
health, we are all very happy
Back then there was no
such thing in my village
But in other villages many women
(who were raped) got pregnant
They gave birth to kids
with big noses and big eyes
Those were kids of the Japanese
Lipu County,
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
A journalist from a Beijing magazine
How did you feel when you learned
that you were half Japanese?
My younger brother (half-brother)
said I was Japanese
LUO SHANXUE, BORN IN 1945
MIXED CHINESE/JAPANESE RACE
He wanted to kill Japanese.
He said he'd pay a killer
He'd pay a killer to kill me. I just shut
the door and told him "kill all then"
Your brother said he was going
to pay a killer to kill you? Why?
Because I am Japanese
Because of his mixed blood,
70-year-old Luo Shanxue has never married.
Didn't Zhu Hong (volunteer) say he's
going to find you a wife in Japan?
Ridiculous
Wei Shaolan, born in 1920
Ethnic Group: Yao
He Yuzhen (1921-2014)
When these elderly ladies have
all departed this world one day
This fact of history will remain
Many people will still be asking
What about their descendants?
How are their families?
Every time I meet them
They all look so happy and carefree
But as soon as this subject is brought up
They become so sad and tears come down
So we'll only ask them questions
when it's necessary for the lawsuit
If not, we'll just try to make them happy
Chen Houzhi, farm worker
When I was visiting Granny Wang Yukai
I would do the cleaning,
give her massages and fetch water for her
If she washed her clothes,
I would hang out the clothes to dry
I didn't see her as a poor victim
She was just like my own
grandma, someone I like
Some grannies are having a very hard time
Some are not as sad as I imagined
They are very warm
They would let us eat and sleep in
their houses, they cared about us
When I was young, it was my grandma who
took care of me and my little brother
So I like grannies
These grannies are very old,
but they are all very adorable
After some Japanese
soldiers went back to Japan
They told the public what they did.
There's a book on it
One day, Granny Wang's family showed
her a picture of a Japanese soldier
The Japanese man in the picture
was very old, over 80 years old
Granny looked at the picture and laughed
She said: "That Japanese has become
old, no mustache now."
Because the Japanese soldiers of that
time all seemed to have mustaches
I thought she would cry or get
angry when she saw the picture
If it were me, I would probably
always hate those who hurt me
And even give up on life
The wounds in their
hearts are huge and deep
But they are still being nice to others
No matter we are from Japan or elsewhere
Komeda Mai, international student from Japan
Helping victims in Hainan Province since 2009
When I started investigating,
there were 123 victims in Shanxi Province
Now (2014) only 12 here are still alive
I was very naive at that time and
just wanted to bring them justice
I wanted the Japanese government
to apologize and to compensate them
But in the end, after more than 30 years
They didn't receive a single cent or
any apology from the Japanese government
They spoke out publicly about their past
Which caused them disgrace
Now all the people around them and
even the entire country know about them
It's not a good thing for them
So I regret it very much
If I had known it would turn out like this
I would have never disturbed them
ZHANG SHUANGBING, RETIRED TEACHER
YU COUNTY, SHANXI PROVINCE
ZHANG GAIXIANG (1925-2014)
(The victims' names, including those who have since passed away)
We would like to express our gratitude to every character in
this documentary and their families for their trust and support
According to the statistics of the China "Comfort Women" Issue Research
Center Only 22 "Comfort Women" had survived in mainland China by 2014
The sun is rising, and the sky turns red
WEI SHAOLAN (SURVIVOR, GUANGXI PROVINCE)
"THANK YOU."
- MAO YINMEI (SURVIVOR, HUBEI PROVINCE)
"I'M HAPPY THAT YOU CAME TO VISIT ME."
- LI MEIJIN (SURVIVOR, HAINAN PROVINCE)
CHEN LINTAO (SURVIVOR, SHANXI PROVINCE)