Jingming Building
There was once such an incident in history, where Chinese celebrities were repeatedly insulted by the US military on Chinese soil, and the final result was that instead of severely punishing the US military, they arrested the celebrities for ridiculous crimes of luring the Allies for sexual immorality. This is the sensational Jingminglou case, most of the victims are celebrities, and one victim is the wife of a lieutenant general. The impact of this incident was very large, and the people of Wuhan were completely disappointed in the National Government.
On the evening of August 8, 1948, the bustling streets of Hankou were bustling with people and flashing neon. Suddenly, the shouts of newspaper boys rang out in the noise: "The first hankou evening news disclosed that foreigners were suspected of raping and raping, and famous ladies and ladies suffered misery. "People couldn't help but gather around. The newspaper in the newspaper boy's hand was snapped up. The sound of reading the newspaper and the angry scolding came and went on and on. In the midst of the uproar, there was a sharp siren, and a team of policemen came running and forcibly dispersed the crowd.
In January of that year, the "Shen Chong Incident" occurred in which the US military raped a female student at Peking University and was sheltered. The people of Wuhan, like the people of the whole country, set off a rolling wave of anger and shouted out. Who would have thought that in just half a year, the same humiliating and indignant thing would happen around you! Compared with the "Shen Chong Incident", this scandal, which is called the "Jingminglou Incident" by the press, is little known. What kind of thing is it? How did the Kuomintang government deal with this afterwards?
The Shen Chong incident sparked protests
premeditation
Soon after the firecrackers celebrating the victory of the War of Resistance sounded, the guns of the civil war sounded again. With the support of the U.S. government, the Nationalist government started a civil war. As an important town in central China that guards Nanjing, echoes the north and south, and guards the gateway to the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, It is deeply valued by the United States and the Kuomintang government. Relying on the treaty signed with the Kuomintang government, American forces surged toward Wuhan, the "land of nine provinces", where traces of American and American life can be seen everywhere: the outskirts of the city are American military airports, B-29s whistle over the low altitude, and the white five-pointed stars on the fuselage are clearly visible; In the business district, the Citibank building stands impressively, and in the window of the department store, there are leg socks from the United States; An American priest in a robe pulled a pedestrian to give the Bible, and a Hollywood movie poster was posted at the entrance of the theater; American military jeeps rampage through the streets, drunken American soldiers pick up apples from fruit stalls and throw them at pedestrians...
At No. 49 Poyang Zheng Street, a Western-style building towers, which is the "Jingming Building", an alien apartment and US Air Force guest house. Drunken American officers are often seen coming in and out of here; From time to time, some strange high-end cars are parked in front of the door, picking up some people wearing top hats, wearing tweed Zhongshan suits, and carrying "civilization sticks".
On the afternoon of July 22, 1948, "in a room on the 99th floor of the Jingming Building, Rif, manager of the Hankou branch of Mobil Oil Company, handed two goblets of wine to two neighbors, Lieutenant Colonel John of the United States Air Force, and Dias, president of the Filipino Association in China. Looking at the red wine in the glass, Reeve sighed: "In half a month, I will be transferred back to China, and I don't know if I can return to China." This mellow Chinese wine still has a chance to taste" John came over, tapped Reeve on the shoulder, and motioned for him to sit down: "I understand your mood." My friends and I decided to hold a dance party for you, but Mr. Dias should still pay attention to two points when organizing a dance partner: First, refuse Chinese men to participate in the dance; The second is that they must not be paid when they are invited. Then I'll give you the preparation fee. ”
Dias has only been in Hankou for a month, people are strangers, where to find Chinese women? After receiving the "preparation fee", he immediately called in his compatriot, San Jose, who played the saxophone in a dance hall. Carrying a large stack of dollars given to him by Diasse, San Jose rushed home excitedly, hugged his sister-in-law Xu Meina, and made a big call. Xu Meina, who was born as a dancer, has done "foreign trade" business for many years in the wind and dust, and after "domestic sales" and then lived with San Jose for several years, she understood San Jose's words: hurry up to find a dance partner for the dance party held by the Americans, the more people the better; For every dance partner you find, you get paid $1.
Victimized women who have been deceived
Driven by the US dollar, Xu Meina is very hardworking, for several days in a row, braving the scorching sun through the streets and alleys of wuhan's three towns. Dancing with Americans, not only can you enjoy dancing, but also taste Western-style pastries and drinks, where to find this kind of affordable and face-saving thing? More than 30 young women gladly agreed. Among them, the oldest is 32 years old, the youngest is only 15 years old, and most of them are in their 20s. These self-consciously lucky women, in addition to firmly remembering the time and place of Xu Meina's appointment, also remembered another sentence of Xu Meina: At that time, we must dress ourselves beautiful and charming.
Bestiality
Saturday, August 7, after nightfall. The conference hall of the "Jingming Building" was newly furnished: swirling neon blinking enchanting eyes, and colorful colored strips wrapped around radial colored ropes; In the most conspicuous position in the hall, there is a plaster statue, and a pair of naked young men and women hug each other and whisper; The air is filled with the rich scent of floral dew and the soothing melody of "Edelweiss". About 20 male guests at the ball, officers in the U.S. garrison, Americans in Han, and British expatriates, were talking quietly and excitedly with goblets.
Suddenly, the door opened and a group of female guests walked in. John humbly ushered the female guests to a seat while glancing at the busy servants around him. The servants understood and slipped out and locked the elevator room.
Looking at this group of young, beautiful, sexy and charming Chinese women, the male guests were impatient and salivating, and they all threw their eyes at John.
Deliberately delaying time and making the ball as late as possible was a strategy that John and Reeve had agreed upon in advance. At this time, he pretended not to see those eyes, and was bragging to the female guests in fluent Chinese about his "brilliant achievements", and the sense of superiority overflowed into words:
"Beautiful ladies, we in the U.S. Air Force are the proud sons of heaven. He is the protector of the Chinese people. Because of our strong deterrence and bloody sacrifices, Japanese aircraft no longer dared to appear in the skies behind the great rear. We have received the highest respect from the Chinese government and people..."
After saying that, John raised his wrist to look at his watch, and at 9:30, he walked to the center of the field and said in a loud voice: "First of all, I thank all the beautiful ladies for coming, and it is they who bring us gentleness and joy to us wanderers who are far away in a foreign country." Next, I declare the prom for Mr. Cheney Reeve to begin. Please have fun, gentlemen! Hearing the last sentence, the unscrupulous foreign men smiled at each other and couldn't wait to run over, pull up the dance partners they had already aimed for, and dance with the melody.
Gradually, the style of dance music changed. The pace is fast, the portamentos are numerous, and the percussion is tighter and tighter. The smell of smoke, alcohol, and sweat mingles over the dance floor, filled with a peachy, urgent, and sensual atmosphere, just like the wooden house where cowboys gather to drink and flirt in American Westerns.
During intermission, John announced: "All the male guests at the ball gave each lady an evening dress as a token of appreciation. Invite the female guests to the bathroom to change their clothes and make up their makeup. There was an immediate chirp of excitement in the female guests' pile- tonight was so lucky, both dancing addiction and fashion!
When the female guests went to the bathroom to change their clothes, they found out: Where is this evening dress, is it not the kind of low-cut miniskirt worn by the waiter lady of the Western restaurant and bar? Moreover, as thin as cicada wings, transparent like window paper, the outline of underwear is faintly visible, which can't help but make everyone very annoyed. A few people scolded and took off, and the female tea house waiting for them to change clothes hurriedly dissuaded them, and each of them was paid a "meal fee" of $10, plus a set of "Demons" cosmetics produced in Paris, and waited for them to make up their makeup one by one.
This time, the foreign men did not ask for a dance, but pulled them to sit next to them, as they did with the drinking girls, while speaking vulgar Chinese and teasing and teasing, while sweeping around their chests with obscene eyes. Bad ominous signs arose in the hearts of Chinese women, could it be... A foreign man drinks cup after cup, or pulls a Chinese woman to pour wine.
However, paper cannot contain fire. The Hankou Evening News on August 8 first reported on the incident, and for several days, more than 10 newspapers in Wuhan also published the news on the front page and distributed editorials. Newspapers across the country have reprinted it, and public opinion has been in an uproar! The previous debt has not been repaid, and the new debt is owed. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Britain, France and other imperialist countries announced the withdrawal of the concessions, and China, together with the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain, was revered as the "four powers." However, it was never expected that in the dismantled concessions, foreigners would still do whatever they wanted and impose great shame and humiliation on every Chinese. People's anger is like a volcanic eruption, like a tidal wave, Shanghai, Nanjing, Beiping, Qingdao and other cities where Americans live, there have been large-scale demonstrations for several consecutive days, and anti-American anger is raging and burning. A few days later, the avenue in front of the municipal government was crowded, crowded, roaring, and the banner "Wuhan Anti-AMERICAN Demonstration and Petition March from All Walks of Life" was particularly eye-catching. "Quickly find out the truth, severely punish the culprits" and "'Safeguard the dignity of the national body and safeguard the dignity of the nation' calls have risen one after another. Many overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese also sent out telegrams of solidarity.
In the face of the people's solemn and loud cries, the Ministry of the Interior of the Kuomintang government sent a letter to the Wuhan Municipal Government, instructing it to investigate and reply within the prescribed time limit. Subsequently, a joint investigation team was dispatched to Wuhan to conduct a joint investigation team of relevant personnel from the Control Yuan, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, when the reporter pressed the results of the investigation, the Control Yuan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed each other's buildings, and finally failed.
The Hankou Municipal National Participation Association, a "public opinion organ" manipulated by the Kuomintang, must not only decorate the façade and perfunctory the people, but also observe the "bitter feelings" of the Kuomintang government, act as a good tool for the imperial court, and also come to "reflect" the voice of the people. On August 25, it sent an official letter to the Wuhan Municipal Government entitled "Please Thoroughly Investigate and Strictly Prohibit the Dance Party For the "Jingming Lou" Dancing Rape Case." To describe "rape" as a "ball" and to propose an opportunity to ban the ball is essentially an excuse for the perpetrators.
In fact, there is no need for "one person to be sick and the whole family to take medicine" and "Zhang San's board hit Li Si". Although all the people suspected of committing crimes are foreigners, none of them enjoy "diplomatic privileges", so ordinary criminal investigation procedures can be initiated: to investigate the scene (such as taking pictures of the scene, etc.), to find witnesses (such as more than 30 victims), to extract evidence (such as scattered cosmetics, hair, cloth, etc.), and to summon the suspect. And what does the Hankou City Police Department, as a police station that maintains social order and protects the safety of people's lives and property, do it? It is necessary to understand the government's "bitterness" while perfunctory, and Director Ren Jianpeng is well versed in the mysteries. Because the central government looks up to the sniffles of the United States, wants to obtain dollars and guns from the Americans to fight the civil war, and supports the crumbling regime, the United States dares to run amok and do whatever it wants in China. How dare he lose his veil because he has offended the Americans? Therefore, the matter was closed on the pretext that there were no victims or witnesses. The "Hankou Evening News" commented and pointedly pointed out: "In order to avoid making a big fuss and obstructing Sino-US diplomatic relations, the government authorities have always handled this matter in accordance with the principle of making big things small and small things going wrong." But after all, the "JingmingLou" incident was a major event that caused a sensation in the whole country. In order to calm the outrage across the country, the account can only be counted on the heads of a few Chinese criminals. In the early autumn of 1948, the judge( dressed in a robe and wearing a diamond hat) read aloud the verdict of a Chinese criminal in the "Jingminglou rape case". At this time, Reeve is lying on the beach in California, leisurely basking in the sun, and John is laughing with a prostitute in a bar in Hankou...
(This article was originally published in Fujian Party History Monthly, No. 12, 2004)