In November 1951, in the early winter of Beijing, the weather had not yet turned cold, and a special party was underway. The living room was brightly lit, and relatives and friends gathered together. From family affairs to state affairs, everything is big and small, and the conversation is very lively. Vice President Song Qingling and several of her relatives overseas, He Xiangning, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the Central People's Government, Liao Chengzhi, deputy director of the Central People's Government, and his wife Jing Puchun attended the meeting.
Deputy Director Liao Chengzhi was also the vice chairman of the Chinese Committee for the Defence of World Peace. Speaking about the Korean War, he said that after several major battles, more and more prisoners were taken, and the vast majority of them were Officers and Men of the United States Army. However, the captives were subjected to deceptive propaganda, did not understand the volunteer soldiers, did not understand our policies, harbored terror, feared being killed, feared being abused, etc., coupled with homesickness, very bitter thinking, and their mental pressure was also great.
After listening to this briefing, Vice Chairman Soong Ching-ling turned to Chen Zhikun, a junior present, and said: "Zhikun, can you go to Korea to see these American prisoners, as an ordinary overseas Chinese in the United States, you should take care of these American prisoners of war, they are all tricked into going to Korea to fight." Zhikun you went to the prisoner-of-war camp and briefed them on the situation in the United States and the various efforts made by the American people to fight for an end to the Korean War, to alleviate their homesickness and improve their courage in life. At the same time, you have to explain to them the policy of the volunteer army, the volunteer army will not torture them, let them know to be lenient, so as to lay down their ideological baggage, after the war, they will return to the United States to reunite with their families. I hope they are healthy and all the best, waiting for this day to come. ”
The relatives and friends present unanimously agreed with Vice Chairman Soong Ching Ling's opinion and said that this was a good idea. Chen Zhikun, an "ordinary overseas Chinese in the United States," was in his 40s at the time, rich and energetic. Originally from Guangdong, Chen Zhikun grew up in the United States and lived in Honolulu as a relative of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He is fluent in English and Mandarin with a strong Cantonese accent.
On October 1, 1949, the founding of New China marked the final realization of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's ideals, and Mr. Chen Zhikun was excited. He came to Beijing from the United States, bent on doing something for the new republic. When the Xinhua News Agency invited him to serve as an expert consultant, he gladly accepted.
However, the United States brazenly launched the Korean War and quickly burned the flames to the Yalu River, seriously threatening the security of the People's Republic of China, which was only 8 months old. At this time, Mr. Chen Zhikun's thoughts were extremely complicated. He believes that after the two world wars, the people of the whole world long for peace and love and do not want war again. Therefore, Chen Zhikun informed several experts from the Bureau of Foreign Languages and Publications to be invited to serve together as special advisers to the Propaganda Department of the Propaganda Department of the General Political Department of the Central Military Commission to the Enemy, specially compiled and examined English leaflets for distribution on the Korean front, and vigorously publicized the policy of the volunteer army to the "United Nations Army" to strive for peace and oppose war.
Vice Chairman Song Qingling's remarks greatly inspired Chen Zhikun. He believed that as an overseas Chinese residing in the United States, he had a natural mediator role and was very convincing. It was up to him to brief the American prisoners on some information and explain the policy of leniency of the Volunteer Army, which would be beneficial to the prisoners of war themselves and their families, and would certainly receive certain results.
Shouldering the entrustment of the elders and the hopes of relatives and friends, Mr. Chen Zhikun made careful arrangements and thorough preparations. Accompanied by Lü Bin and Yuan Shanru, two young female interpreters of the Propaganda Department of the Propaganda Department of the General Political Department, Chen Zhikun and his party set out from Beijing, passed through Andong, crossed the Yalu River, and headed for Xianbitong, Chaoyang. This area Chinese the headquarters of the POW camp of the People's Volunteer Army.
At the Volunteer Army Prisoner of War, Mr. Chen Zhikun was warmly received and welcomed by the relevant leaders. Chen Zhikun stayed in the prisoner-of-war camp for more than two months, listened to briefings by the leaders of the PPA on the situation of prisoners of war, visited and saw the living and living facilities, cultural and recreational activities, medical and health facilities of prisoners of war, and had individual conversations with many prisoners of war.
During this period, Chen Zhikun held dozens of prisoner-of-war forums in succession, took many photos of the prisoners of war, and made audio recordings. Sometimes, when U.S. Air Force aircraft flew over prisoner-of-war camps to harass them, he drilled bomb shelters with prisoners of war and volunteer staff. As soon as the alarm was lifted, it came out of the bomb shelter and continued to work. Mr. Chen Zhikun entertained the PRISONERs with sweets, cigarettes, coffee, etc. brought from Beijing, and he was approachable and kind, and the AMERICAN PRISONERs of War were happy to talk to him and exchange ideas with him.
During the contacts and discussions with the American prisoners of war, Mr. Chen Zhikun said the following points to them, and exchanged and communicated with them in all aspects.
First, as an overseas Chinese residing in the United States, Chen Zhikun briefed the prisoners of war on his situation, experience, family lineage, ideals, hobbies, human philosophy, concept of happiness, and the goals he pursued.
Second, Chen Zhikun briefed the PRISONERs on the latest situation in the political, economic, cultural, educational, and social aspects of the United States, the dynamics of the film industry, sports events, and even the scores and victories of various basketball teams, football teams, and baseball teams. This move suddenly brought the relationship with the prisoners of war closer, and the prisoners of war listened with relish, were full of interest, and had a great liking for Chen Zhikun.
Third, Chen Zhikun explained in a simple and concise manner the causes, nature, and situations of the Korean War, as well as the different attitudes of the US Government, various factions, mass organizations, and people of all strata, the Korean War, the anti-war voice of the American people, and the wave of struggle of the people of various countries for peace.
Fourth, Chen Zhikun told the prisoners of war about the pain of aggression, oppression, and humiliation suffered by the Chinese people for more than a hundred years, as well as the joy of their liberation today, their desire to live a peaceful and happy life, and their sincere desire to build their own beautiful country.
Fifth, Chen Zhikun explained to the prisoners of war the nature of the Chinese people's army, and the policy of the volunteer army in treating prisoners leniently is by no means a stopgap measure or propaganda, but to inherit and carry forward the glorious traditions of the people's army, turn enemies into friends, and strive for peace. Chen Zhikun hoped that the PRISONERs of war would lay down their ideological baggage, strive to stop the war at an early date, achieve peace, and return to the United States to reunite with their relatives.
Sixth, Chen Zhikun solicited opinions and requests from the prisoners of war and promised to forward the photographs, audio recordings, and handwritten letters taken to relatives and friends in China to help the prisoners of war contact and communicate with their relatives and friends.
Mr. Chen Zhikun's conversation was warmly welcomed and respected by the American prisoners of war, and when they talked to Chen Zhikun, the laughter was incessant. Some prisoners of war said that after listening to Mr. Chen Zhikun's conversation, they eliminated many unnecessary doubts in their minds. Some prisoners of war said that through the conversation with Chen Zhikun, they knew a lot of things they did not know before, added a lot of new knowledge, broadened their minds, and really benefited a lot. Some American prisoners of war said that when they met Mr. Chen Zhikun, they had a great feeling of "knowing what they knew when they met in other places." The American prisoners of war were so grateful to Mr. Chen Zhikun that they gave him a beautiful nickname: "Civil Ambassadors from His Hometown."
Many of them, like Mr. Chen Zhikun, enthusiastically signed up Chinese and joined the Chinese Volunteer Army, came to the Korean battlefield, used their superiority in english proficiency, and took part in the reception, transfer, and management of prisoners of war, as well as armistice negotiations and the repatriation of prisoners of war.
In their work, they strictly implemented the policy of leniency toward prisoners with their own practical actions, and carried out the reformation of prisoners of war led by the United States from enemy to friend, persuading them to strive for peace and oppose war.
Ji Chaozhu, who lived in the United States with his father Ji Gongquan and his eldest brother Ji Chaoding, was born in Shanxi Province, China, and grew up and educated in the United States. From elementary school, middle school, all the way to college, Ji Chaozhu is in the United States to finish. When Ji Chaozhu was in his second year of chemistry at Harvard University, the Korean War broke out.
In order to resist the Us aggression, Ji Chaozhu resolutely gave up his studies at Harvard University and set off to return to China in early October 1950. After Arriving in Beijing, Ji Chaozhu was transferred to the third year of the Department of Chemistry of Tsinghua University, and at the same time applied to the organization to join the Volunteer Army.
In April 1952, just as Ji Chaozhu was busy writing his graduation thesis, his application to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was approved. Ji Chaozhu soon received his diploma and then joined the Chinese Volunteer Army, working as an English shorthand, typist and translator in the Volunteer Armistice Negotiation Delegation.
The young Ji Dynasty was full of glory, and he had many outstanding advantages: he embraced a strong will and firm determination to serve the motherland. Familiar with the situation of the opponent United States, proficient in English, English typing speed is also very fast. However, he also faced some new problems: throughout the Korean armistice negotiations, the arrangements for prisoners of war, that is, the repatriation of prisoners of war by both sides, were a crucial issue, and therefore there was a need to be familiar with the profile of prisoners of war and all aspects of the prisoner of war issue in the negotiations.
Ji Chaozhu is proficient in English, but his Chinese level is relatively weak, and he is not at all good at English shorthand. In the cruel war environment and in the tense and busy work process, Ji Chaozhu took advantage of various free opportunities and a small amount of time to study diligently and diligently, studying hard, and making rapid progress in all aspects.
In terms of English shorthand, Ji Chaozhu was not at all at all. But through diligent practice, he quickly mastered the skill, reaching a maximum speed of 160 words per minute. Therefore, at the negotiating table, the speeches of the US representative, together with insults and unreasonable ridicule, he was able to sketch down word for the volunteers to study, so that he could put forward countermeasures in a tit-for-tat manner. It is precisely because of this that Ji Chaozhu quickly became one of the main forces and backbones of the translation team of our delegation.
The outstanding performance of the Ji Dynasty in the work of our armistice negotiation delegation was unanimously praised by the leaders and colleagues, and he was awarded the third class meritorious service and also won a medal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
After the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Ji Chaozhu returned to Beijing. It was already the spring of 1954, and ji Chaozhu was organizationally assigned to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As early as 1949, Ji Chaozhu joined the Communist Party of the United States in the United States, and in May 1951, he joined the Chinese New Democratic Youth League in Beijing.
On March 3, 1956, Ji Chaozhu was approved to join the party at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Beginning in 1957, Ji served as Premier Zhou's English translator for seventeen years and engaged in research on Sino-U.S. relations. In 1970, when Ji Chaozhu was already forty years old, Premier Zhou said that he took great care of him and said to him: "Comrade Ji Chaozhu, the interpreting industry should change careers after the age of 40, the work of interpreting is very hard, you are now getting older, continue to do it, and your body can't stand it." Plus, if you've been a translator for a while, you can do more. ”
At this time, Sino-US relations have improved. U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited China in July 1971, and U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China in February 1972. This series of major events has occurred one after another, representing that Sino-US relations have gradually entered the spring. In the course of these exchanges, the translation work of Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, and other central leaders was all performed by Comrade Ji Chaozhu, who was proficient in English and familiar with Sino-US relations. It can be said that in the process of breaking the ice in Sino-US relations, Comrade Ji Chaozhu has made indispensable contributions.
In 1973, Premier Zhou personally arranged for the 43-year-old Ji Chaozhu to no longer work as a translator, but to become a diplomat, serving as a counselor of the mainland's liaison office in the United States.
On January 1, 1979, China and the United States established diplomatic relations. From January 28 to February 5 of the same year, Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping was invited to visit the United States, which was the first time that a national leader visited the United States since the founding of New China, and naturally attracted the attention of the world. The translation work is still carried out by Ji Chaozhu, and accompanied by the whole process, the American news media paid special attention to Deng Xiaoping's use of Ji Chaozhu, a high-achieving student trained at Harvard University, as a translator. The New York Times published an editorial entitled "The Indispensable Mr. Ji Chaozhu," lamenting that "the United States is now lacking such outstanding talents."
Since then, Ji Chaozhu has done a lot of work to promote Sino-US relations and the friendship between the two peoples. In 1982, Ji was appointed Minister Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in the United States. Ji Chaozhu's wife, Wang Xiangtong, a 1951 graduate of the Department of Foreign Languages at Fudan University in Shanghai, worked as a translator at the United Nations for several years, and after the contract expired in 1984, he also worked at the Mainland Embassy in the United States as the first secretary of the embassy.
In 1985, Ji Chaozhu was transferred to the Mainland's ambassador to Fiji, and in 1987, he was appointed Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, and after the end of his term of office, on January 29, 1991, the Secretary-General of the United Nations personally appointed Ji Chaozhu as the Under-Secretary-General for Technical Cooperation for Development of the United Nations, and did not leave until March 15, 1996. From then on, Ji Chaozhu ended his 44-year diplomatic career and returned to China with his wife.
More than half a century later, on October 23, 2002, more than 20 veterans of the Volunteer Army who had participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea held a grand gathering in Beijing, among whom there were young female translators Lü Bin and Yuan Shanru who accompanied Mr. Chen Zhikun on his visit to the POW camp of the Volunteer Army, Li Bailin, a returned overseas Chinese from Indonesia, Ji Chaozhu, an overseas Chinese from the United States, and his wife Wang Xiangtong, ying Lin, a female translator who edited the album of "The "Olympic Games" in the Volunteer POW Camp," and Li Zhengling, who was in charge of cultural and recreational activities at the Bitong POW Camp. Zhou Baisheng, political commissar of the Bitong Prisoner of War 5 regiment, Zhu Luqian, the translator who sent Christmas gift bags to the forward positions of the American and British troops in the line of fire, and Zhou Shanqun, Qian Mede, Zhao Da, Tang Minxian, Zhou Lina, and so on.
Of these veterans, the oldest is 81 years old, and the youngest is 67 years old. Everyone gathered together and laughed and laughed. Looking back, people can't help but sigh. At this time, our great motherland is thriving, its comprehensive national strength is constantly increasing, its international status has been markedly enhanced, and the people's living conditions have also been greatly improved. The blood they shed on the Korean battlefield in those years was not in vain, and the sacrifices of their comrades-in-arms were worthwhile!
During the banquet, when talking about the relations between China and the United States, everyone's eyes naturally turned to Ji Chaozhu. In that year, Ji Chaozhu took the initiative to abandon his studies at Harvard University, resolutely returned to China, and threw himself into the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. As one of the main translators, Ji Chaozhu participated in the translation work of the armistice negotiations at Panmunjom, and at the negotiating table, the north and south launched a contest of words and swords, tit-for-tat. After repeated political and military battles, the two sides finally reached an armistice agreement.
Half a century later, the pattern of the whole world and the relations between China and the United States have undergone great changes, and Ji Chaozhu has witnessed the whole process of the continuous development to normalization of Sino-US relations and has become a friendly messenger of the two peoples. When a comrade-in-arms asked Ji Chaozhu what he felt about this, he said with great emotion: "Over the past half century, the relations between China and the United States have been continuously improved, and although the period has experienced twists and turns and the process has also been ups and downs, the relations between China and the United States and the friendship between the two peoples will continue to develop. As long as the US side abides by the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiques, then this general trend will not change. ”
Another comrade-in-arms asked Ji Chaozhu and his wife Wang Xiangtong: "When Chaozhu was in Panmunjom, he participated in the translation of the armistice negotiations, and Ms. Xiang Tong, Together with Mr. Chen Zhikun and two other internationally friendly people, prepared leaflets for the Korean front to distribute to the American and British troops. How did you two come together in two different places? ”
With a smile on his face, Ji Chaozhu replied frankly: "After the signing of the Korean armistice, we both returned to Beijing, and it just so happened that we both participated in a French study class, and in February 1957, we met in the study class. We both got married in May 1957, when I was 27 and the same 26. ”
Ji Chaozhu's words caused everyone to laugh. The couple has two sons, both of whom went to college in the United States and, after graduation, now remain in the United States to work. The old comrades-in-arms wished them good health, a happy family, and cherished each other.
Bai Guoliang, a british young returnee, was just 18 years old when he signed up to join the volunteer army, and was a first-year student in the Department of Journalism at Fudan University in Shanghai. Bai Guoliang went to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea without his family, and he served as the management of prisoners of war in the Prisoner of War Camp of the Bitong Volunteer Army. Because of his achievements in his work, Bai Guoliang made meritorious contributions, and the North Korean government awarded him a medal for military merit, but the leading organs could not send his good news of meritorious service to his home, so they had to store it in the homes of relatives.
Three generations of Bai Guoliang's family have lived overseas, the mother's family is in Indonesia, the father's family is in the Philippines, and then transferred to the British diaspora, and the family life is rich and stable. Bai Guoliang has eight brothers and sisters, he is the eldest son of the family, and his parents have placed great hopes on him. After the relatives of the family learned of his glorious deeds of participating in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea afterwards, they were extremely surprised and did not blame him at all for concealing his intention of not telling his family. The younger siblings also unanimously praised him for doing a good job, doing the right thing, and learning from him. An overseas Chinese family, but so much love for the motherland, Bai Guoliang's family is really admirable.
After Bai Guoliang returned from North Korea, he was assigned to work as a reporter at the Shanghai branch of the China News Service, responsible for overseas propaganda work. In 1956, on the recommendation of his own unit, Bai Guoliang attended the Eighth National Congress of our Party and served as an interpreter at the meeting.
From November 10 to 22, 1963, in accordance with the spirit of the decision of bandung Asian-African Conference, the first Emerging Forces Games were held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and more than 2,200 athletes from 48 countries and regions on four continents of the world participated in the Games. Bai Guoliang was commissioned by the China News Service to participate in the interview and reporting work of the Games. Since then, Bai Guoliang has been sticking to the news front and continuing to shine in his new post.
In 2002, Bai Guoliang died of illness in Shanghai, ending an admirable life.
When he joined the volunteer army, Huang Hengsi, a vietnamese returnee overseas Chinese youth, was a native of Xiamen, Fujian Province, fluent in English, and worked as a foreign affairs officer at the Shanghai Railway Bureau. After the liberation of Shanghai, Huang Hengsi entered the East China Revolutionary University to study, and after the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Huang Hengsi signed up for the volunteer army. At that time, a total of 12 people joined the volunteer army with him. They changed into volunteer uniforms, received some dry food from the logistics department in Anton, and crossed the Yalu River all the way to the Bitong prisoner of war camp.
They had no cars and could not understand Korean, so they relied on an old map in their hands and marched on foot along the south bank of the Yalu River, weaving through the mountains and mountains. They traveled day and night, sometimes to avoid the attack of American planes. Even so, the journey, which was expected to take 10 days, took them only 8 days to reach their destination, withstanding the first test in the harsh war environment.
At that time, the volunteer prisoner of war camp had just been established in Bitong, and there was an urgent need for talents in foreign languages. Huang Hengsi and his party of 12 were all young people who knew English, and their arrival added a new batch of translation power to the camp. After arriving at the prisoner-of-war camp, they immediately threw themselves into the management of prisoners of war, worked with all their hearts, and made great contributions to the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea on another front.
To sum up, Chen Zhikun, Ji Chaozhu, Bai Guoliang, Huang Hengsi, and other intellectual youths were only a part of the representative figures among the overseas Chinese who were active on the Korean battlefield; at that time, countless chinese and overseas Chinese intellectuals came together from all over the world and from all directions for a common goal, in order to resist US aggression and aid Korea, to defend their families and defend the country, and finally gathered together on the Korean battlefield, which was full of flames.
On the Korean battlefield, they all used their proficiency in English to make outstanding achievements in various work such as prisoner of war management, and many of them made military merits and received organizational awards.
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