JINAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — Eighty years in the past, Charlie Stanley was simply three years previous when he and his dad and mom have been imprisoned in a focus camp in Weifang City, east China’s Shandong Province, throughout World War II (WWII).
“Because I was so young, I don’t have many personal memories of the camp. But I have heard stories and read books about those experiences,” recalled the 83-year-old American, who just lately returned to Weifang for an trade occasion on WWII focus camps in Asia.
Weifang, as soon as often called Weixian or Weihsien, was residence to the “Courtyard of the Happy Way,” a compound constructed by Americans in 1882. For a long time, it functioned as a church, hospital and faculty.
However, from March 1942 to August 1945, the compound was transformed by the Japanese invaders into the Weihsien focus camp. The camp was used to detain over 2,000 expatriates, together with over 300 youngsters, from the United States, Britain, Canada and different international locations.
“At that time, heat and clothing were scarce and nobody ever got enough to eat,” Stanley mentioned. Fortunately, some native Chinese discovered methods to ship meals to the internees, and his father was capable of get eggs to feed him.
Historical data present that many Chinese risked their lives to interrupt via Japanese blockades, delivering messages and offering meals and medical provides to the internees. Tragically, some even misplaced their lives in these efforts.
On Aug. 17, 1945, two days after Japan’s give up, the camp was liberated by a rescue group parachuted in by American forces in China.
In 2021, Weifang was designated an “International City of Peace.” The former camp has been reworked right into a museum to commemorate peace and friendship.
Seven historic buildings now type the primary a part of the museum, housing private belongings as soon as utilized by the internees, equivalent to kerosene lamps, water bottles and clocks.
At the monument bearing the names of those that have been detained, Stanley positioned his personal identify in addition to these of his dad and mom and different family members. “As long as these names remain, our story endures,” he mentioned.
The historical past has left a long-lasting impression on Stanley’s household: his son developed a deep curiosity in trendy Chinese historical past, whereas his brother was as soon as a historical past professor on the University of Hong Kong.
“My family is an example of the very strong and long-lasting friendly connections that have developed between China and foreign countries,” he mentioned.
During the occasion, Stanley met Han Chongbin, an 80-year-old whose father as soon as aided expatriates on the Weihsien focus camp.
“At that time, out of pity for the internees, my father spent his own money to buy candy and brought eggs from home, managing to send them into the concentration camp. In return, the internees dismantled an iron bed and sent it out,” Han mentioned. “He never expected that his help would be ‘rewarded.'”
In 2019, Han donated the iron mattress to the museum. Now a museum volunteer, he shares tales about that interval of historical past with guests.
With the assistance of translators, he and Stanley shared a heartfelt dialog, holding palms like previous buddies. “Peace is our common aspiration,” Stanley mentioned.
“Remembering suffering is not perpetuating hatred; it is igniting the beacon of hope for the future,” mentioned Ayo Ayoola-Amale, vice chair of the governing council of International Cities of Peace.
“Weifang’s commitment to preserving this legacy — establishing the camp’s memorial museum, inviting descendants of survivors to return, and educating younger generations with truth — epitomizes the deepest practice of peace. Such courage deserves global recognition,” she mentioned.