Twenty Two (二十二)

& 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 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?"