Volunteers race against time to record WWII history

World
Europe

Chen Rong, a veteran of World War Two, does not fear death.

"We fear being forgotten and misunderstood," he told a volunteer interviewer.

Chen is one of the 108 veterans whose experiences about fighting Japanese troops more than 70 years ago have been included in a book put together by a group of volunteers.

Chen Shangyuan, an employee of PetroChina and the leader of the volunteer group, said that "they did this to salute the veterans and enable young people to learn about the war history".

Between April and August 2015, the 70th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance against the Japanese Aggression, Chen and other volunteers spent around 100 days recording the stories of veterans in southeast China's Fujian Province.

With information collected from social network platforms, the media and other sources, Chen located more than 100 former military men in the province, and visited each one of them, often chatting with them for hours.

Volunteer Chen Shangyuan (L) visits Huang Tanghua, a veteran of WWII on July 9, 2015. /Photo via Chinadaily.com.cn

"It is a race against time to write down the stories of the veterans," Chen said.

They were, on average, in their 90s, and more than 30 of them have passed away since he began the interviews.

Zheng Yongsui died at the age of 99 only one month after the volunteers visited him. In the funeral hall, the veteran's family printed an article Chen wrote about the veteran after he visited him, and displayed it as a eulogy.

"I felt sad for the veteran. It's just a story I shared on my personal social network account. But the veteran's family thought it was a published work and used it as a eulogy. I hope I could write a better one," Chen said.

"That shows how badly the veterans need recognition from society."

"They feel respected when they see that today's young people are still interested in their stories," Chen added.

After publishing the book, the volunteers invited veterans to tell their stories in person at schools, bookstores and libraries in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province.

A veteran tells his stories to an audience at a bookstore in Fuzhou, Fujian Province in east China on June 5, 2016. /Photo via Chinadaily.com.cn

On top of recording their war experiences, the volunteers also helped the veterans apply for medals for the 70th anniversary of China's victory in the war.

"On one hand, most of the veterans who live in the countryside did not know the news (of government honoring the veterans of the WWII). On the other hand, the government, which was eager to give these medals to the veterans, did not know their situations," Chen said.

"We served as a bridge linking the two sides and successfully helped most of the veterans get the medals," Chen said.

Zheng Zifeng is one of the volunteers who interviewed some veterans.

"In the past, all the knowledge I had about the war came from textbooks and TV series. Visiting the veterans gave me a direct insight into this period of history. I came to realize how precious peace is," Zheng said.

A veteran gives a thumbs-up to volunteers after receiving a framed photo of him on June 1, 2016. /Photo via Chinadaily.com.cn

Chen's 16-year-old daughter asked to accompany him on his visits to the veterans. Once, the girl left 300 yuan (about 43 US dollars) when leaving the home of a veteran called Ye Gaowei.

Later, the veteran contacted Chen, telling him that "among all the money and stuff he has received, he values the 300 yuan from his daughter the most as the money comes from the new generation of the country."

(Source: China Daily)

1563km