HANGZHOU, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) — After touring almost 10,000 km, a bundle from Britain arrived on the memorial corridor of the Lisbon Maru incident on Dongji Island in Zhoushan City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, in early September.
Inside the bundle was a portray depicting a scene through which British prisoners of warfare (POWs) will be seen doggedly evading a Japanese assault throughout World War II.
The portray belonged to Graham Saxby, a British man whose father was one of many POWs.
In October 1942, the Lisbon Maru, a cargo vessel requisitioned by the Japanese military to hold greater than 1,800 British POWs from Hong Kong to Japan, was hit by the U.S. military off the Zhoushan Islands in Zhejiang.
A complete of 384 British POWs had been rescued by native Chinese fishermen, for which the British authorities and other people had been deeply grateful.
Saxby entrusted the portray to the Chinese Embassy in Britain, hoping to cross it on to the Chinese fishermen on Dongji Island as a gift, at a New Year’s reception on Feb. 19 for the family members of Lisbon Maru survivors and different individuals concerned within the incident.
A particular screening of the documentary “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru” was held in London on Aug. 15.
Survivors of the Lisbon Maru incident recalled within the movie that after the ship was hit, the Japanese troops quickly evacuated however left the POWs battened down under deck. The POWs managed to flee the confinement and began leaping into the ocean, however had been then shot at by the Japanese troops. Chinese fishermen risked their lives amid the capturing and rescued as many POWs as attainable utilizing their small sampan boats.
Retired British soldier Brian Finch, who has been dedicated to amassing historic paperwork regarding the Lisbon Maru, mentioned the documentary uncovered the cruelty of the Japanese troopers and confirmed “the incredible courage and humanity” of the Chinese fishermen.
The Chinese Embassy in Britain handed the portray over to workers of the Zhejiang provincial authorities who attended the occasion, and entrusted them with taking it to the fishermen on Dongji Island.
The transfer was echoed by related kindness in China.
After studying that Saxby was going to present the locals a piece associated to the Lisbon Maru incident, Wu Xiaofei, a painter on Dongji Island, drew an image as a present in return.
“My grandfather was one of the Chinese fishermen who took part in the rescue at the time, rowing a sampan back and forth several times to rescue the British POWs,” Wu mentioned. “As a descendant of the local fishermen, I came up with the idea to reciprocate the friendship of our British friends with a painting.”
Wu completed her work, which exhibits the enjoyment, unity and concord of native fishermen, in simply three days.
The friendship between the Chinese and British individuals, which has lasted for 81 years because the Lisbon Maru incident, is continuous.
To assist deliver the forgotten tragedy to mild, Saxby is now commissioning a second work to point out the rescue scene of the incident, whereas one other portray associated to the incident created by Wu has been accomplished and is prepared for exhibition.