Dear Teacher,
After the wonderful beginning to my life, I want to tell you what happened next.
After July 7, 1937 when Japan invaded China, our way of life was changed, unbelievably.
In the autumn of 1937, one confusing night, by kerosene light, many servants tied much baggage and many possessions to a cart. It was all carried away. An old servant led my family riding in several rik-shas (2 wheeled vehicles pulled by men). We got to the side of the Changjiang River and had a long wait. We could see the Changjiang Bridge had been badly damaged by explosives. This very high bridge had two levels, the upper was a highway for vehicles and the lower was a railway. It had been blown up to obstruct the Japanese from going forward. There were huge crowds of people under either end of the bridge, but I do not know why they were there.
In the stillness of midnight a little boat came quietly. We embarked, eleven people total, including my family, an old maidservant and a fifteen year-old slave girl. All our baggage filled almost half of the boat. I got into a corner and sat on a leather suitcase.
The night was very out of the ordinary with its dead silence. Our boat swayed gently in the water and as it moved forward with a creak, soon I fell asleep. Being only eight I could not manage to stay awake even with my heart pounding and my head swimming in as much confusion as the river.
The next day the boat sailed into a little river where there were shops along the bank. A basket filled with “aous”, a native product of dried bean curd, was tied to a pole and stretched out to our boat. We attached money to the basket in return.
I felt so strange wondering what really was happening. My first years had been so filled with peace and security, but those days were over. I had no idea what lied ahead in my life. Dear Teacher, can you imagine the fear that I felt, the confusion and the dread for my future?
Sincerely, Robert
This was quite a period to be living through. I was very curious to find out what happened next and if all of Robert’s family survived the Japanese occupation which I had heard was brutal.