The story of Marshal Nie Rongzhen and the Japanese orphan girl
Twenty-six years ago, an ordinary Japanese woman came to China, but received a warm welcome and warm reception. This woman’s name is Mihoko, and it’s not her first time in China. Speaking of her fate with China, it can be traced back to the legendary incident between her and a Chinese general during the Anti-Japanese War. The reunion 26 years ago was the first time the two met after 40 years. A movie called "Mihoko Visits Relatives" recorded everything at that time. Recently, CCTV's "Revisit" column conducted an exclusive interview with the elderly Mihoko, telling a story of love that transcended national boundaries and races during the war years.
On August 24, 2005, the heroine Mihoko in the movie "Mihoko Visits Relatives" came to China again. She was a Japanese orphan adopted by Nie Rongzhen during the Anti-Japanese War. Ms. Mihoko is 69 years old. This is her sixth time to "go home" to visit relatives. Compared with 26 years ago, time has quietly left its mark on her face, and China has also undergone earth-shaking changes. But what has not changed is that Chinese friends remain as enthusiastic as ever. This is all because of a love affair this Japanese woman had with China when she was a child.
Surprised to see an orphan girl during the war
In August 1940, the story took place on the railway from Shijiazhuang to Taiyuan, that is, a village called Dongwangshe on the Zhengtai Railway. A traffic artery across the Taihang Mountains. On this railway line are the natural danger Niangziguan and the Jingxing Coal Mine, an important fuel base for the Japanese army in North China. Mihoko's father, Kato Kiyoshi, who was once an employee of the North China Transportation Company, was dispatched to Jingxing Coal Mine Station as an assistant at the end of 1939, responsible for transporting coal.
On August 20, the Hundred Regiments War, which is famous both at home and abroad, began. The main task in the early stage of the battle is to conduct a general traffic attack, destroy the enemy's traffic lines, and focus on destroying the Chengtai Railway. On the night of August 20, under the unified command of the Eighth Route Army's forward headquarters, all participating troops launched simultaneous attacks on enemy and puppet army strongholds on all fronts in North China as planned. In the fierce fighting, Jingxing Coal Mine turned into a sea of ??flames. In the sea of ????fire, Eighth Route Army soldiers rescued two Japanese little girls, 4-year-old Meiko and her younger sister who was less than 1 year old. Facing two little Japanese girls, the Eighth Route Army soldiers didn't know what to do, so they called the military district headquarters for instructions.
The person who answered the phone at that time was a staff officer. Because this matter was quite special, he reported it to Nie Shuai. Nie Shuai told them to send them over quickly. We would be lenient to the prisoners as long as they put down their weapons. The two Japanese little girls were innocent. Later, the soldiers quickly sent two Japanese little girls from the front line to the headquarters.
At the headquarters, the two little girls became Nie Shuai's little guests and received careful care. "In half a day, the army sent people to send the two children to my command post. I picked up the injured baby first. When I saw that the wound was well bandaged and the child was sleeping peacefully, I told the doctor and guards to take good care of themselves. Take care of this child and see if there are any breastfeeding women in the nearby villages. Feed the child quickly. The older child is very cute. I held her hand and gave her a pear." Marshal Nie Rongzhen. In his memoirs, he recalled this past event with "episodes in the fierce fighting".
Biao Renyi, the adopted daughter on the front line
What should these two children do in the frontline where the war is extremely intense? The Japanese often raided the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region, and the results were unpredictable. If these two little Japanese girls stay in a foreign country, it may have a bad impact on them when they grow up. Although their parents have passed away now, she should still have relatives. In the war environment at that time, Nie Shuai decided to send them to Japan.
War photographer Sha Fei took three photos at that time. One shows Nie Shuai holding 4-year-old Mihoko, one shows Mihoko sitting in a basket eating pears, and the other shows a fellow villager carrying the two of them back.
Some of the works were first published in the second issue of "Liberation Pictorial" in June 1941. This is a photojournalism report provided by the News Photography Section of the Propaganda Department of the Political Department of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and published by the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Branch of the Japanese Anti-War Alliance in China. The Japanese version of the pictorial edited by the editor; the earliest Chinese media publication was the first issue of "Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Pictorial" published on July 7, 1942. At this ignorant age, Mihoko had no idea how this legendary experience in her childhood would affect her life. But 40 years later, it was that photo that changed her life.
Under Nie Shuai’s arrangement, the two little girls were sent to Shijiazhuang within a few days. The soldiers found a reliable fellow and prepared a pair of picks. Nie Shuai and several comrades from the command post were worried that the children would cry on the road, so they piled many pears into the basket. After sisters Mihoko were handed over to the Japanese army, they were sent to Shimen Hospital in Shijiazhuang. The younger sister, who was under one year old, died of serious injuries. Mihoko herself was brought back to Japan safely by her uncle in October 1940, and since then she has been living with her grandmother.
With the Mihoko sisters back, there was also a letter written by Nie Rongzhen to the Japanese army. The letter read: "This time our army attacked the Zhengtai Line, recaptured Dongwangshe, and brought two weak Japanese women. After I took them in and raised them, I sent someone to return them to their relatives. Please transfer them to their relatives for care. I am the Eighth Route Army's headquarters. The spirit of internationalism is the most benevolent and righteous, and it has a beginning and an end. I hope you will wake up and work together with the Chinese soldiers and people to achieve liberation. Japan will be very lucky, and so will China."
40 years later. Looking for an Orphan
Time flies, and the peak years of war have gradually faded away in people's minds. Fast forward to April 1980, the deputy director of the General Administration of South China brought Comrade Yao Yuanfang to interview Nie Shuai. At that time, the whole army held a political work meeting, and they came to ask Nie Shuai for instructions on political work. After the discussion, Comrade Yao Yuanfang took out the three photos and asked Nie Shuai if he still remembered this matter.
The photo evoked Nie Shuai’s memories from 40 years ago. Soon, Yao Yuanfang completed a newsletter "Japanese Girl, Where Are You?" 》. Xinhua News Agency broadcast this newsletter on May 28, 1980. "People's Daily", "Liberation Army Daily", "Guangming Daily", "Wenhui Daily" and some other provincial and municipal newspapers also published this article and this precious photo. historical photos. The report also attracted the attention of Japanese news media. A reporter from the Japanese Communist Party in Beijing was the first to send the article and photos of Nie Rongzhen and a Japanese girl to Japan. On May 29, Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" used a large space to highlight this article and photos, with the title "Sisters Koko, where are you?" General Nie calls for orphans rescued from the war 40 years later."
On June 3, that is, the Chinese newspaper published "Japanese Girl, Where Are You?" "On the 6th day, the Japanese girl named "Xingzi" mentioned in the article was finally found. However, the Japanese girl found was not named Xingzi, but Mihoko.
Marshal Nie Rongzhen once said this in his memoirs: "After the two children settled down, I asked the cook to make a bowl of porridge, then pulled the older child in my arms and used When I fed her with a small spoon, the child seemed less restrained. I asked her what her name was, and she answered with a "hmm". The translator said next to her that it was called "Xingzi", which sounded similar to Japanese. Girl's name. "Actually, this little girl's name is Mihoko.
On June 8, 1980, the "Yomiuri Shimbun" published the article "I am Koko" in a prominent position, with a large photo of Mihoko attached next to it. Mihoko was 44 years old at the time, living in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, and already had three daughters. She and her husband opened a hardware store and lived a very happy life.
Visiting China with emotions
When Mihoko saw this newspaper report in Japan, she never dreamed that she was the "Xingzi" mentioned in the article. And at that time, she and her husband discussed that others had the same experience as her. When Mihoko learned that the "Xingzi" in the newspaper was herself, her surprise could only be described as thunderous.
That night, Mihoko excitedly wrote a letter to her savior Nie Shuai, expressing her gratitude and expressing her desire to visit China. This letter was brought back by the Yomiuri Shimbun reporter who returned to Tokyo the next day and was quickly forwarded to Nie Shuai in Beijing. On June 24, 1980, the Chinese Embassy in Japan received an official invitation for Mihoko to visit China. The specific date of departure was July 10, which happened to be Mihoko's 44th birthday.
On the evening of July 10, 1980, Mihoko and her family of six took a China Civil Aviation flight from Nagasaki to Beijing. They were welcomed by a large number of journalists and the flashes of lights and cameras. Surrounded by the crowd, Mihozi came to the airport VIP room and met Nie Rongzhen's daughter Nie Li.
In 1980, it was the stage when relations between China and Japan began to heat up in various fields. The story of a general rescuing an orphan girl is one that no news media will miss. Without exception, the Central News Documentary Film Studio also produced the film "Mihoko Visits Relatives" which records Mihoko's visit to China.
For Miho Mirai, her biggest wish during this trip to China is to meet Nie Shuai and thank him in person for saving her life. The meeting was scheduled for July 14 in the Xinjiang Hall of the Great Hall of the People. The night before the meeting, Mihoko was very nervous and didn't know how to thank Nie Shuai.
When she saw Nie Shuai the next day, Mihoko felt that it was completely different from the serious image she saw in the photos. Nie Shuai was tall but very gentle, which made Mihoko feel as if she had met her biological father. Witnessing the meeting between the two people, the former secretary of Nie Shuai recalled: "It was very touching at the time. Mediko was very excited. After seeing Nie Shuai, she took his hand and touched her forehead with Japan's highest courtesy. In Nie Shuai's hands, this is the highest courtesy." Mihoko burst into tears and said that Nie Shuai was her reborn parent. After meeting Nie Shuai, Mihozi and her family came to Shijiazhuang and Jingxing Coal Mine Railway Station on July 16. In Mihoko's vague impression, the location of the train station and the place where her father used to work were the same as 40 years ago. She was also very excited when she arrived at the place where she was rescued. After leaving Shijiazhuang, Mihoko went to Hangzhou and Shanghai. I received a warm welcome everywhere I went. On July 23, Mihoko ended her trip to China and returned to Japan from Shanghai.
Spending no effort for Sino-Japanese friendship
Mihoko, who returned to Japan, has been making modest but unremitting efforts for the sake of friendship between China and Japan. In May 1986 and May 1989, Mihoko visited China twice with the Japanese friendship delegation. After that, Mihoko came to China twice more in 2002 and 2003. Mihoko met her Chinese sister Nie Li seven times, one of which was in Japan. In 1998, Nie Li led the All-China Women's Federation and a women's delegation to Japan and took the opportunity to visit Mihoko. This was also the first time that Nie Li went to Mihozi's home. In order to receive her sister, Mihoko specially took out the painting "Pine, Bamboo and Plum" given by Nie Shuai that had been kept for nearly 20 years. 2005 is the 60th anniversary of the victory of China’s Anti-Japanese War. On August 24, Mihoko set foot on Chinese soil for the sixth time. This is her second hometown. Time flies by and her appearance changes, but what remains unchanged is her simple heart and grateful mood.
On the afternoon of the day she arrived in Beijing, Mihoko came to the China-Japan Friendship Association. In the interview hall, Mihoko and her Chinese sister Nie Li met again after 3 years. During this meeting, Nie Li's gift to Mihoko was a calligraphy work written by Nie Li and his wife, "The people of China and Japan have been friends for generations." Nie Li also specially selected a dark green Chinese jacket with red and yellow stripes on the hem based on her figure.
On the afternoon of August 25, at the China-Japan Peace and Friendly Exchange Beijing Conference, Mihoko took the stage to speak together with Mr. Laizumi Xinping, who has been studying and promoting Nie Shuai’s orphan rescue. They met because of this incident and jointly established the Capital Branch of the Japan-China Friendship Association. At the conference, Mihoko bowed deeply, and together with Ms. Shinpei Kamizumi, they recalled their rescue 65 years ago and their efforts in Japan-China friendship over the years. Their speeches were drowned out by applause six times.
More than half a century has passed since the story of "the general rescued the orphan girl". The appearance of an old man gave this legendary past a happy ending. This is another purpose of Mihoko's visit to China this time, which is to smile and meet another benefactor who once saved her - Mr. Yang Zhongshan. When Meiko came to her second hometown, China, for the sixth time, she met the 82-year-old Yang Zhongshan, the Eighth Route Army soldier who carried him out of the sea of ??fire 65 years ago. The old man recalled that at 5 o'clock in the morning on August 21, 1940, Yang Zhongshan, who was still a young soldier at the time, carried Mihoko out of the sea of ????fire and took out biscuits (actually a dry biscuit) from his satchel. Heat and bake the cake until it tastes crunchy) and give it to Mihoko. She will eat some as soon as she can no longer walk.
After meeting another lifesaver, Mihoko said excitedly: "If Nie Shuai had not saved me 65 years ago, I would not be where I am today, nor would my children be where they are today. Although I am now I live an ordinary life, but this is what Nie Shuai gave me, and what Mr. Yang Zhongshan gave me. I have a lot to say now, and it boils down to this: I am very grateful for their life-saving grace. ”
Postscript
On August 26, 2005, Mihoko ended her sixth trip to China, left Beijing, and flew back to Japan. Due to physical reasons, this may be the last trip to China for the 69-year-old Meiko. However, the story of "the general rescued the orphan girl" is still as meaningful today, more than half a century later. This is a legendary story, a story that will last through the ages. In Mihoko's heart, she will never forget the Eighth Route Army soldiers and Chinese generals who rescued her from the raging war 65 years ago, and the Chinese people who gave her a second life and precious friendship.