"Chinese didn't know I was Japanese, I cheated Chinese, a sense of guilt wrapped around my heart, and I felt as if I had walked into a dead end and fallen into a desperate situation."
In 2014, an old woman in Japan said this before she died.
The old woman's name was Shuko Yamaguchi, and she also had a Chinese name called Li Xianglan.
Li Xianglan was an authentic Japanese woman whose family moved to northeast China in 1906 because her grandfather admired Chinese culture.
In 1920, the Yamaguchi family ushered in a new life, she was a very cute little girl, the father named this daughter Shuko Yamaguchi, the milk name Doudou.
Shuko Yamaguchi's father, Fumio Yamaguchi, was a senior clerk in Mantetsu and was a pro-Chinese Japanese.
Yamaguchi Had an old classmate named Li Jichun, who was then president of Shenyang Bank.
Shuko Yamaguchi met Li Jichun at the introduction of her father, and Li Jichun liked the little girl very much, recognized her as an adopted daughter, and gave her the Chinese name Li Xianglan.
Li Xianglan got along well with her adoptive father's family and learned Beijing dialect with Li Jichun's second wife.
In 1932, the Japanese army slaughtered 3,000 Chinese civilians at Pingdingshan, and the pro-Chinese Fumio Yamaguchi was implicated because he knew many Chinese, and was detained by the Japanese gendarmerie and dismissed from his post.
Fumio Yamaguchi, who escaped the disaster, could only move to Shenyang with his family, and on the train to Shenyang, Li Xianglan met Liuba, a Russian-Jewish girl.
Two little girls of similar age talked about everything and soon became good girlfriends.
Fumio Yamaguchi had planned to let his daughter go to Peiping to study, and later she could work as a translator.
However, at that time, Li Xianglan had not traveled, and fell ill because of lung disease, and later decided to practice singing first under the advice of the doctor.
After his good friend Liuba knew about it, he enthusiastically recommended Li Xianglan to Mrs. Bodolesov, a famous opera singer in Belarus.
Li Xianglan's voice is clear and sweet, and she has shown extraordinary singing talent under the careful teaching of Mrs. Bodolev.
Mrs. Bodoresov was so satisfied with Li Xianglan's performance that she held a concert at the Grand River Hotel every autumn, and this time she invited Li Xianglan to participate with her.
13-year-old Li Xianglan sang on stage for the first time, she was both happy and nervous, not knowing if she could do it?
At the concert, Li Xianglan wore a long-sleeved kimono with a large white crane on a purple background and sang the Japanese song "Deserted City Moon", which won the applause of the audience.
Li Xianglan was immersed in the joy of success, she did not expect that this time on stage would change her fate, and it would almost kill her in the future.
On the Saturday afternoon after the concert, a Japanese man named Tokenzo came to Mrs. Bodosov's house and asked to meet Li Xianglan by name.
Li Xianglan did not know this man, but she still came out to see him, because it was the courtesy of a human being.
Dong Keizo is the head of the planning section of Fengtian Radio, and he is looking for a female singer who promotes "Nichiman Goodwill and Five Ethnic Harmony".
Dong Kyeong-mihara is a fan of Mrs. Bodosov and often patronizes her concerts, so he will find Li Xianglan as a girl.
Li Xianglan looked at Dong Jingsan and was overwhelmed, while Dong Jingsan's eyes lit up and he smiled happily.
"The peerless face, the fluency of the Chinese, the sweet voice, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Dong Jinglan smiled and invited Li Xianglan to the radio station to sing a song for "Manchurian New Songs".
Li Xianglan did not dare to take the initiative in this matter, and she told her parents.
Li Xianglan's father felt that this matter was unusual and quite hesitant; but Li Xianglan's mother thought that going to the radio was just singing and not showing her face, and there should be no big problem.
It turns out that Li Xianglan's mother was too naïve, and she personally pushed her daughter into the abyss.
Li Xianglan became the singer of "New Manchurian Songs", and the Japanese authorities deliberately blurred her nationality so that people thought she was a Chinese girl.
The Japanese authorities wanted this effect, and they used Li Xianglan to beautify the war of aggression against China.
In 1934, Li Xianglan bid farewell to her career as a singer and went to Beiping to study.
During his stay in Beiping, Li Xianglan lived in the home of his father's friend Pan Yugui, a high-ranking official and nobleman in North China, who served as the commander of the Pingjin garrison and the mayor of the Tianjin Special Region.
Li Xianglan has been talking about Chinese in Beiping, but the identity of the Japanese always makes me feel depressed.
At the Beiping Girls' High School where Li Xianglan attended, the anti-Japanese atmosphere was strong, and after class, the students expressed their anger at the atrocities of the Japanese army.
Whenever Li Xianglan heard these remarks, she always hid from a distance, and she did not know how to deal with such an occasion.
Once, a classmate asked Li Xianglan, if the Japanese army invades Peiping, what should you do?
Li Xianglan said helplessly
"I would like to stand on the walls of the city and be killed by the gunshots of the Japanese army, or the Chinese army!"
The students all looked at Li Xianglan in surprise, and they thought that this little girl must be crazy.
Where would they have thought that Li Xianglan, who spoke authentic Beijing dialect, turned out to be a Japanese.
Li Xianglan graduated, and when she didn't know what she should do, she was found by another Japanese man named Yama ka-hyung.
Yamagata was Yoshiko Kawashima's first love, and now he's looking for an actress for the Manchurian Film Association.
Li Xianglan was once a singer of "New Songs of Manchuria", and the Japanese authorities certainly would not let her go...
Shan Jiaheng was ordered to find Li Xianglan, and he told Li Xianglan that the Manchurian Film Association (hereinafter referred to as Man Ying) planned to make a music film, hoping that she would work as a supporting singer for the film.
Li Xianglan, who is only 16 years old, thought that she was just singing for the movie, and she liked to sing.
Li Xianglan came to Xinjing (Changchun) with Shan Jiaheng, but she did not expect that when she first entered the film company, she was pulled to make up and audition.
When all this was done, Li Xianglan was designated as the heroine.
Feeling deceived, Li Xianglan is reluctant to play the heroine, but her fate has long been in her hands.
In desperation, Li Xianglan can only play the heroine in the movie "Honeymoon Express".
After the release of the film, the response was strong, and Manying decided to let Li Xianglan star in a film that further beautified the war of aggression against China.
Invited by Man Ying, Shan Jiaheng went to find Li Xianglan's parents and forced them to sign a contract in place of their daughter on the grounds of "national interests".
Under the circumstances at that time, not listening to the Japanese authorities was treason, and Li Xianglan's parents could only sign a contract for their daughter.
Li Xianglan has entered the trap of full screening, she can not change the status quo, only to hone her acting skills, in accordance with the company's regulations, make more movies.
Most of Li Xianglan's films in Manying are Chinese girls falling in love with Japanese youth, and the Japanese authorities use the beautiful love in the movie to cover up their bloody war.
In order to publicize "Japanese-Manchu goodwill and five-ethnic harmony", Man Ying tampered with Li Xianglan's lineage, making many people think that she was a Chinese woman.
Li Xianglan felt very aggrieved by this and carried a deep sense of guilt.
Once, li Xianglan was going to Japan to run an errand, and on the steamship, a Japanese officer saw her holding a Japanese passport, but said the Chinese name, and loudly reprimanded her.
"You are a Japanese woman, remember, you can only be called Shuko Yamaguchi in the future!"
Li Xianglan listened silently, and her heart was full of mixed feelings...
In 1944, Li Xianglan felt that she could no longer make a film of "Sino-Japanese Goodwill" for Manying, and she plucked up the courage to find the head of the company, Gan Yiyi
"I can't pretend to be Chinese anymore, so far, I have suffered too much from being caught between China and Japan, I can't continue Li Xianglan's life, I ask to cancel the contract, very sorry."
Fortunately, Gan Yu did not embarrass her, Li Xianglan finally terminated the contract, and she breathed a long breath, thinking that everything was over.
Li Xianglan, 22, came to Shanghai, where she sang Li Jinguang's "Night Incense".
A song "Night Fragrance" made Li Xianglan red half the sky, and she became a singer with the same name as the golden voice Zhou Xuan.
In Shanghai, Li Xianglan also met the female writer Zhang Ailing and took a group photo with her.
In August 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally...
Li Xianglan looked at the happy crowd in the streets and alleys, she was both happy and sad, it was wrong for Japan to launch a war of aggression, but it was her own motherland after all.
With Japan's defeat, the Chinese government began liquidating traitors.
One after another, groups of Chinese serving the Japanese puppet government were sent to the bench, and Li Xianglan did not mind this, believing that she was Japanese and would not be affected.
However, at that time, many people thought that Li Xianglan was a Chinese, and she filmed a film of "Japanese friendship and five ethnic concordance" for Manying, which was undoubtedly a "cultural traitor".
Li Xianglan was first placed under house arrest in the asylum, and then accused her and Yoshiko Kawashima of being thieves in major newspapers.
The colleagues who used to work together in Man Ying were all tried, and Li Xianglan began to panic, not knowing what fate she would face.
At that time, many hooligans asked her for money; there were also many government officials who coveted her beauty.
These people all said that as long as Li Xianglan was obedient and obedient, he could settle everything for her, otherwise there was only one way to die!
Li Xianglan knew that these people were not good things, they would not save her, just take advantage of the danger of people!
After a period of house arrest in the shelter, Li Xianglan was arrested by the Government of the Republic of China on charges of treason.
In court, people demanded that Li Xianglan be sentenced to death...
Li Xianglan said that she was Japanese, her original name was Shuko Yamaguchi, and her father, Fumio Yamaguchi, so she was not a traitor.
However, when the judge asked Li Xianglan to produce evidence, Li Xianglan did not have birth materials in her hands.
Since there was no proof of death, Li Xianglan still could not escape death.
Li Xianglan's parents are in Beiping, there is no contact for a long time, she is locked up in prison, it seems that there is no hope of survival.
Just when Li Xianglan was desperate, her former good friend Liu Ba came to her rescue.
At this time, Liu Ba worked at the Consulate General in Shanghai, often flying to Harbin and Fengtian, passing through Beiping on the way.
Li Xianglan, who got the news, asked LiuBa to go to Beiping to try to get her household registration information.
Liu Ba agreed, she went to Beiping, Li Xianglan waited anxiously...
At that time, some people did want to put Li Xianglan to death, and after Liu Ba went to Beiping, there was no news for a long time.
The date of the trial is approaching day by day, and Li Xianglan seems to smell the breath of death...
At this critical juncture, Li Xianglan received a small rectangular wooden box containing her favorite doll as a child.
This small wooden box was sent to her by Li Xianglan's mother, and the clever Li Xianglan knew that her mother would not send her only a doll at the moment of her own life and death.
Li Xianglan carefully inspected the small wooden box and checked the doll, and finally found the household registration certificate she had been thinking about in the doll.
With this life-saving household registration certificate, the judge acquitted Li Xianglan.
The judge's verdict made everyone in the audience in an uproar and disappointed!
Looking at the angry people in the audience, Li Xianglan was full of guilt, she sang "Night Incense" with tears, and bowed deeply.
At the end of March 1946, Li Xianglan returned to Japan on the ship "Unsen Maru".
When Li Xianglan heard her singing of "Night Incense" on the steamship, the tears could not help but fall down...
"Farewell, China, farewell, Li Xianglan."
Back in Japan, Li Xianglan used her original name Shuko Yamaguchi and engaged in some acting careers.
Li Xianglan once had a failed marriage in Japan, and in 1958, Li Xianglan married diplomat Ōtaka Hiroshi.
After getting married, Li Xianglan took the surname of her husband according to Japanese customs and quit the show business circle as a diplomat's wife.
Later, Li Xianglan began to engage in politics under the persuasion of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
Li Xianglan, who visited various parts of China during her political career, never glorified Japan's war of aggression against China, nor did she escape the fact that she made "goodwill" movies for Manying.
Li Xianglan felt deeply guilty for making a film that glorified the war of aggression, and she was also heartbroken by the harm that Japan had done to the Chinese people.
Because of her reflection and guilt, in 2005, Li Xianglan published an article opposing Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, although it had no effect, but it also showed her repentant heart.
At 10:42 a.m. on September 7, 2014, Li Xianglan passed away, and she lived to the age of 94.
Until the end of her life, Li Xianglan was still ashamed of her original behavior, so she said the words at the beginning of the article.
About the Author: A woman who likes to read, is obsessed with history, and loves to write articles. What is a good article, I don't know. I only know that writing an article is writing what I want to say, what I want to write. This is me, a layman in the world, who worries about the deep valley and the sky, and the fragrance of Youlan!