Loyal souls in foreign lands: Nine Chinese diplomats who died heroically for their country during the Anti-Japanese War

Core tip: On July 7, 1947, the Nationalist Government dispatched a special plane to bring back the remains of the martyrs. President Harros of the Philippines sent wreaths, and more than 10,000 overseas Chinese in the Philippines came to the airport to send them off with tears. On July 8, the Nationalist Government held a public memorial ceremony in Nanjing. The public memorial service was like a tide of people, the elegiac couplets were like a sea, and the procession of guarding the spirit was about two miles long. On September 3, the Nine Martyrs were buried at Chrysanthemum Terrace in Nanjing. Leighton Stuart, then the U.S. Ambassador to China, also delivered a speech, saying: "However, due to his unyielding steadfastness in serving his duty, the local Japanese army did not hesitate to sacrifice their international reputation to kill diplomats, and they can't help but feel proud of it."

This tombstone truly records the bloody crimes of the Japanese invaders who violated international law and murdered Yang Guangming and other nine Chinese anti-Japanese diplomats. On April 17, the Japanese occupying authorities secretly executed all eight Chinese diplomats on charges of engaging in anti-Japanese activities, military assistance to the Chongqing government, disturbing public order, and boycotting Japanese goods.

Outside the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing, deep within hundreds of acres of bamboo in Juhuatai Park, there is a row of nine mausoleums. The tombstones in front of the mausoleums are engraved with the words "Nine Mausoleums" written by Wang Shijie, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of the National Government. "A Story of Martyrs' Martyrdom":

In December of the 30th year of the Republic of China, the Japanese invaders launched the Pacific War and captured Manila (La) on January 2 of the following year. Our Consul General Yang Guangming, Zhu Shaoping, and Mo Jie'en, The accompanying consuls Yao Zhuxiu, Xiao Dongming, Yang Qingshou, chief officer Lu Bingshu, and trainee Wang Gongwei were all killed on April 17th. On January 19 of the same year, the bandits landed in Sandakan, and my consul, Zhuo Huanlai, was imprisoned. He was loyal and unyielding and was also killed on July 6, 1934. Alas! These nine people are all handsome men in the diplomatic community, and they sacrificed their lives to preserve the reputation of the nation. Our government specially transported his loyal remains and buried them in a famous mountain. Those who came here later to pay homage also knew that they were showing off their dignity.

This tombstone truly records the bloody crimes of the Japanese invaders who violated international public law and murdered Yang Guangming and other nine Chinese anti-Japanese diplomats.

Accepted orders in times of danger to stick to the post of protecting overseas Chinese

Yang Guangming, born in 1900, is from Huzhou, Zhejiang. He graduated from Tsinghua University in his early years and later studied in the United States and received a master's degree and a doctorate from Princeton University. After returning to China, he served as professor of political science and international public law at Tsinghua University. Later, he entered the Chinese diplomatic community and served as the Consul General of China in London. In 1938, Yang Guangming was appointed as the Consul General of China in Manila, Philippines.

At that time, the War of Resistance Against Japan had entered an intensified state, and overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia actively participated in the cause of the motherland's Anti-Japanese War. After Yang Guangming took office, he immediately organized patriotic overseas Chinese in the Philippines to assist the domestic people in their struggle to resist Japan and save the country. In the "Aircraft Donation" campaign launched by the Nationalist Government, overseas Chinese in the Philippines donated 5 million yuan and approximately 50 aircraft. The Nationalist Government issued a commendation order for this. With the support of the Chinese Consulate General in the Philippines, overseas Chinese in the Philippines also established the "Overseas Chinese Youth Wartime Service Corps" to conduct military, political, driving skills and battlefield rescue training. Four groups of overseas Chinese youth were organized to return to the country to participate in the Anti-Japanese War. . Overseas Chinese in the Philippines also launched a campaign to ban the sale of Japanese goods, which eliminated all enemy goods in overseas Chinese shopping malls. "The enemy's market in the Philippines suffered huge losses as a result." Due to the strong promotion of domestic products, the import of Chinese goods in the Philippines has greatly increased. . In August 1940, Yang Guangming also promoted the Special Committee of the Overseas Chinese Organization in the Philippines to hold an anti-war painting battle. It was located in the "Crystal Palace", a tall building on the busiest street in Manila, to expose Japan's crimes of aggression against China and promote China's heroic resistance. This attracted the attention of the United States and the Philippines Many international friends in the Philippines visited the exhibition and shared the famous sayings of international celebrities such as US President Roosevelt, Sir Sir Cyril, President of the International Anti-Aggression Movement Conference, Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress, and former US Secretary of State Stimson who advocated boycotting Japanese products to the world. Lists of groups boycotting Japanese goods were widely distributed. They also placed a petition at the entrance of the exhibition asking the U.S. government to immediately embargo the shipment of scrap metal to Japan. More than 50,000 people signed the petition. The petition was submitted to the U.S. Congress by U.S. officials in the Philippines, creating a great deal of political controversy. Influence. Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese Consulate General in the Philippines, overseas Chinese in the Philippines have made important contributions to China's Anti-Japanese War.

After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese fascist army attacked with great momentum. The American and British troops retreated one after another, and diplomats from some countries began to retreat. General MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Far East Army, reserved seats for Chinese diplomats on his special plane before retreating to Australia. U.S. diplomats also persuaded Yang Guangming and others to evacuate to Australia, but Yang Guangming and others declined the offer, saying: " As a diplomat, he has the important responsibility to protect overseas Chinese and will never leave his post without being ordered by the country."

Zhuo Huanlai, who served as the Chinese consul in Sandakan, British North Borneo (in present-day Indonesia), He graduated from Yenching University in his early years, studied in France, and served as the Vice Consul of China in Annan (Vietnam). After serving as the consul in Sandakan, he also vigorously introduced the domestic air force expansion plan, called on local overseas Chinese to contribute to the Anti-Japanese War, and donated an aircraft, actively promoting the local overseas Chinese to assist the motherland in the Anti-Japanese War.

Chinese diplomats stuck to their posts, organized wartime service teams, assisted the local government in maintaining order, planned the evacuation of cultural and educational personnel and some overseas Chinese, and directed the burning of various patriotic donation deposits, national salvation bond registration forms and important documents. They also burned a large amount of legal currency printed by the Nationalist Government in the United States and shipped to Philippine Customs for transfer back to the country to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy, which became an important reason for angering the Japanese invaders.