Avoiding Bombs and Bandits

Chinese-American Dr. Tsu Yao enjoys history. He can trace his family back to around the end of the Mongul Conquest in China which Genghis Khan started in 1200. And while I worry over U.S./China relations, Dr. Yao is quick to point out that the two countries have been friends for as long as America has been America. In fact, China's top university came about from American funding (although it wasn't an entirely friendly affair.) (See post one.)
Dr. Yao was born right as Japan was ramping up aggression towards China. In fact, he was born just two weeks before Japan attacked Shanghai. Even so, the family moved there a couple months later, as Shanghai was considered a good bet. The city was like a Russian nesting doll--with a set of different countries nestled inside--and thus it provided people with a safe haven or two. (See post two.)

The attack on Pearl Harbor changed that. The International Concession (made up of Americans and British) was open to attack. The French Concession was taken over by the Germans (who had occupied France.) Foreigners who had lingered were put into concentration camps. But Dr. Yao's family continued to live a relatively normal existence.
He remembered the introduction of propaganda. The French Concession which now had a German consulate put out a Chinese-language newspaper that highlighted all the victories they were having in Europe. Four blocks away was the Soviet consulate which also put out a newspaper with articles detailing the heroics of the Russians.
"I remember reading both of them--and the two were completely opposite." He laughed. "Still, Shanghai was relatively peaceful." At least in the beginning.
By 1944, the atmosphere of the war had changed. Japan was losing.

The Allies started bombing Shanghai, as the Japanese were concentrated there. Bombs rained from the skies and food became scarce. Dr. Yao's mother decided it was time to move again.
The family headed to meet Father who was stationed in the war capital of Chongqing where he worked for Bank of China. They rode on horses and mule carriages, and at one point an American truck that moved 20 miles an hour. "At that time the highway system was terrible."
They had to travel through enemy territory.
"We often ran into bandits--Japanese, Chinese in collaboration with the Japanese, the Nationalists, the Communist troops, and also local bandits."
On top of it all, Dr. Yao's younger sister fell ill. They stopped in a Chinese-government-controlled city until the Japanese started attacking, forcing them to move on. Through it all, they survived--even the little sister--and they arrived in April, 1945. The 900-mile trip had taken them six months.

(...to be continued: Next: 1949: New York Not Very Different than Shanghai)