A+Chinese+civilian+living+in+Shanghai+2

=Yue Qin de xiaoji = =Profile= Name: Yue Qin Age: 27 Gender: Male Occupation: civilian, worker at a factory Appearance: 160cm tall, I look young for my age Location: Pudong, Shanghai Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: My family come first. I'm afraid of blood. Family: family of three, brother and has a wife Education: None, parents Languages you speak: Cantonese and a little English Your main concerns at this time and in life: Protecting my family, the Japanese coming in Portrait:

=Journal #1= December 12, 1937 Massacre, Madness, Blood. The Battle of Shanghai took place and it's said that it ended, but doesn't seem like it. Blood continues to pour. A month long war seemed to be years. The Japanese invaded our province of Pudong and the rest of Shanghai. It was just a normal day, until the noise of planes flying over our city was caught by my ear. At that moment, I knew, it were the Japanese. They destroyed everything and I couldn't have done anything...Nothing at all. I heard deafening explosions and just watched my brother get blown away...He was so close to me, but after a blink of an eye he was gone. I ran out and found him...dead. I almost froze and stood there until someone woke me up by pushing me down. To find out that this this is total war... Brutal insanity where everyone is an enemy. Nothing means anything to me now...We are under Japanese control, helpless. Bombs coming from the skies making enormous explosions causing havoc and taking down buildings. Blood and bodies flying everywhere, people screaming terrified, fires and broken buildings. These bombings made me know for sure that we couldn't win this battle. I only wondered how long our men would be able to stand for...and it wasn't very long. I heard that war was brutal and one sided toward the Japanese. The numbers and machinery dismantled our men. Many have fled the city while I stayed. Most of the Japanese have left our city and went northwest. I just wish for this war to end soon so I could return to the way I used to live. Free and happy. But now, scared and helpless. Before, I was able to roam freely and not fear death as I walk through the streets. The most I had to worry about was making sure my family was happy and that I was getting more than the sufficient amount, but now it's a different story. Now, finding any type of food would be a miracle. Even with good weather, the days always seem gloomy and a bad day. The worst thing happened a few days ago. In havoc, I even lost my own wife. I hope she would return home soon. I don't want to lose another person so closely related to me. I will not lose her no matter what. I will go out and find her or either wait forever.

=Journal #2= December 8, 1941 It's been years...I've looked for her everywhere including the outskirts of the city...And yet, nothing. I don't want to say it, but I think she's gone. I have failed myself and family once more. I was given the task to protect my wife once we got married, but I even failed to do that. But I don’t know what else I can do. I tried. I really did. I wandered around the streets of Shanghai for several days. I didn’t eat and slept only when necessary. I asked people – so many people – whether they had seen her. Yet one person I asked left a lasting impression on me. He was a tall sort of man, not very remarkable other than that he was less thin than the rest of the civilians living in Shanghai these days. His face was hardly visible - half covered by his coat. But his eyes. His eyes had the look of a man being tortured. A silent call for help. I felt almost guilty asking him whether he had seen my wife. He looked like he had bigger troubles to worry about. I still remember his answer, unremarkable when written: “No, sorry.” But the way in which he said it etched it into his mind. He sounded so apologetic, as though everything that had happened had been his fault. The picture of regret, his shoulders hunched as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eventually I gave up. I even left my house and didn't know what to do. I found myself not able to move in trauma thinking about the fact that she was most likely dead. A thought that never past my mind until a little while ago. To get rid of my thoughts and forget my past here, I left. I sleep on the streets or in empty buildings that have been evacuated previously. Once in a while I meet a few people, but not long ago, I met this girl that lives with her family. The special thing about her is that she reminds me of my wife. They don't look anything alike, but for some reason reminds me of her. Many have asked to take me in because I seem so helpless and poor on the streets, but have denied there requests and acts of kindness. But for some reason I couldn't resist myself from saying yes and to follow her home. Her name is Jun. I know that she can't be my replacement and need to get away from here and the city soon. Many Jewish people have entered the city and I don't think that staying here with them will be safe nor a smart idea. They have a lot to do with the war out in the other areas and the fact that they fled to Shanghai could potentially bring that war here. But for now, I think staying here with this family will be safer than staying on the streets and possibly being mistaken for a Jewish person, which would make things a lot harder than it already is. These Jews came here for freedom, but are still being treated poorly by the Japanese and with the numbers of Jewish people, I don't think they would let them roam freely. This family is very kind by trying to hide Jewish here... Leaving this family would be tough, but I know that it'd be best if I were to leave them without them noticing and think I will leave toward Nanking as I have a friend there. I just hope that they weren't attacked yet.

=Journal #3= August 20, 1942 Well, I left them. And I hope it was the right choice and up until now, it seems as though that I have. On my long walk to Nanking, I found this woman named Kong Dan Bai near the Yangzte River as I was trying to cross it. At first sight, I had mistaken her for my wife. She is very very beautiful and saved me from the path that I was on and decided to change my destination. My original destination was Nanking and told of my journey. Well, she was very similar to me as she escaped Nanking to leave to Shanghai. She told me to change my destination and I told her that I need to help my friend because there is always a chance that he were alive. However, she held me and looked straight into my eye and said, "There is no hope for him or anyone else still in that city, we must get away from there." I thought it'd be best to listen to her because I haven't gotten any information since the bombing in 1937... However, to let my friend just slip by and be gone like my brother and wife...seems so wrong. I made a new goal for me and that was to protect Kong Dan Bai. She was just like my wife in every aspect. So I told her to follow me and not go to Shanghai because it wasn't too safe there either. Together, we decided that going west would be the safest place to go, away from the shore. I can't just let this girl replace my wife, but I will keep her safe from any dangers forever. I have let too many of my close relatives die to those Japanese men that I look pathetic and afraid. I will fear blood no longer and protect Kong Dan Bai with all my life. As a very local Shanghai person, i don't know what cities are in the west, but am sure that Chongqing or Xian would be very safe if we ever get there.

=Journal #4= October 2, 1945 The war is OVER! After a very very long journey from Shanghai, I've finally made it past the Japanese forces without getting caught and into Xi'an. It wasn't easy, but very worth it. Xi'an had many refugees, but it seemed that Xi'an was rarely attacked just by looking at the damage of the buildings. Which makes this place seem so much better than where we were. After we got here, we were finally updated with the best news I've heard in my entire life. The war was finally over. I also heard that Hong Kong was taken by the Japanese from the British as well. Which means that if they retreat and return our land back to us, Hong Kong will be our land once again! Japan had really shown that they were very strong in military taking over multiple countries and colonies of European powers. But, the Americans were too much for the Japanese from what I heard. Once the Americans joined, they bombed Japan into retreat and had no choice, but to give up and try to find peace. There was some talk of this special bomb, but I don't really care. I'm just so happy that the war is over! I really thank the Americans for helping our country even if it wasn't there intention to do so. I also noticed that the factory that I had once worked in Shanghai had moved here, which even secured a job for me here! Right when I was thinking that my life was at it's worst possible; things started to change, rapidly. Also, I have kept Kong Dan Bai safe and escorted her here without any problems of all things! I have planned to marry her now that the war is over! Over the years that we were together, I fell in love once again and feel like she is the right one for me. I feel that our hard times are over and don't really want to remorse over what has happened throughout the course of the war, but only look into the bright future ahead of me and my future wife, Kong Dan Bai.