Chinese fishermen braved Japanese gunfire to pull UK POWs from water

Dongji Rescue is a Chinese war epic based on a true story in which Chinese fishermen braved Japanese gunfire to save British prisoners of war during World War II. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The European premiere of Dongji Rescue, a Chinese film based on a true story in which Chinese fishermen braved Japanese gunfire to save British prisoners of war during World War II, was held in London on Friday.

The day, Aug 15, marked the 80th anniversary of Japan's announcement of its unconditional surrender, bringing an end to World War II, an event that was marked at commemorations across China.

In the United Kingdom, the day was also observed, as it is each year, as Victory over Japan Day, or VJ Day, and was commemorated with a national ceremony attended by King Charles III and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The film premiered on Friday tells the story of how, in 1942, the Japanese army seized the cargo vessel Lisbon Maru to use it to transport about 1,800 POWs from Hong Kong to Japan.

While off the coast near Zhoushan, in East China's Zhejiang province, the ship was torpedoed by a United States submarine because it bore no designation indicating POWs were on board, ensuring the US saw it as an enemy vessel.

After the torpedo strike and as the vessel started to sink, Japanese soldiers on board sealed the holds where POWs were being confined. Some British soldiers managed to break free nevertheless and jumped into the sea, only to face a hail of machine-gun fire from their Japanese captors.

Chinese fishermen from Dongji Island sailed out to try to help and rescued 384 desperate men from the brink of death.

"Suddenly … There is a Chinese voice. It said, 'Hello, I save you'," Jack Hughieson, a POW who survived the sinking and gunfire, said in an interview recorded in 2005. "I will never forget this voice."

VIP guests, including China's Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang (fifth from right), Director for services and skills at the UK Department for Business and Trade Rupert Daniels (fifth from left), family descendants of Lisbon Maru POWs, and members of the film crew and cast, pose for a group photo at the premiere in London on Aug 15. [Photo provided to China Daily]

China's Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang said at the premiere that the Lisbon Maru incident stands as a moving example of China-UK solidarity during the horrors of wartime.

"At the darkest hour of World War II, China and the UK fought on different fronts but shared a common mission: to defend humanity against fascism and aggression," he said. "Eighty-three years have passed since the Lisbon Maru incident, and the world has changed, but we should cherish the memory and carry forward the friendship between the people of our two countries.

"In this turbulent and fast-changing world, we should join hands to grow the people-to-people exchanges and strengthen our collaboration at the bilateral, regional, and global levels. We should work together to uphold the post-World War II international order, address global challenges, and make new contributions to world peace, stability, and prosperity."

Anthony Jones, a grandson of survivor Thomas Theodore Jones and chairman of the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association, told China Daily he believes the story has been overlooked for too long, and that productions like Dongji Rescue will, hopefully, help bring it out into the open.

"Those men, when they came back from World War II, like my grandfather, were told to be silent," he said. "They were told not to speak about it, not to upset other people who weren't fortunate enough to come back. Hopefully, the next generation of myself and the generations to come, we can unveil these stories so that people remember them for many generations to come."

Jones also recognized that what happened in China during the World Anti-Fascist War has often been "forgotten" in the West.

A still from the film Dongji Rescue shows as the vessel starts to sink, Japanese soldiers seal the holds where POWs are being confined. [Photo provided to China Daily]

China was the main theater in the East during the World Anti-Fascist War, resisting against Japanese aggression from 1931 to 1945. China was also a member of the allied forces led by the US, the Soviet Union, and the UK.

British actor William Franklyn-Miller, who plays one of the soldiers in the movie, said on Chinese social media that the whole world needs to know that Chinese people saved British soldiers.

He told China Daily that his sentiment was sparked by the story alone — the bold actions of the Chinese fishermen.

"These innocent fishermen on the island went out of their way and put themselves in danger to save people they had never seen before … Their bravery really shines. That is why I think everybody should go and see it. They've saved lives and they've recognized that a life is a life no matter where you come from," he said.

Audience members Tyler Chilon and Ben King said they knew little about the Lisbon Maru incident before watching the film, and that seeing the history so powerfully recounted on screen was both deeply moving and especially relevant at a time when the world, once again, is grappling with some prolonged conflicts and wars.

"I'm just thankful. I'm thankful for the story, and the people on Dongji Island who saved the British soldiers," said Chilon. "It's important for people to take from this story and apply it to what's happening nowadays.

"The Chinese fishermen saved the British soldiers regardless of their skin color or nationality, whatever. They saved them because they are human. We need to start doing that now. We need to start bringing those pieces of history and stop repeating the past."

Dongji Rescue will be released in cinemas across the UK on Aug 22.

From left to right: Producer of Dongji Rescue Liang Jing, director Fei Zhexiang, lead actor Zhu Yilong, lead actress Ni Ni, and British actor William Franklyn-Miller attend the premiere in London on Aug 15. [Photo provided to China Daily] 

The Chinese war epic Dongji Rescue is set for its release in the UK on Aug 22. [Photo provided to China Daily]

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