Page 31 - moondani kyema
P. 31
ndani kyema, My Story - Ray Moore 31
The Chefoo Prep School was my home for about a year. I was blissfully unaware at
that time that the Japanese were in control of that part of China. In the early 1930s,
Japan invaded Inner Manchuria, changed its name to Manchukuo, a puppet state
under the control of the Japanese army. The last Manchu emperor, Puyi, was then
placed on the throne to lead a Japanese puppet government. In 1937 the Japanese
angered the Chinese in the so-called Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The significance of
this is spelled out in Wikipedia:
Marco Polo Bridge, located
outside of the walled town of
Wanping (宛平鎮) to the
southwest of Beijing was the
choke point of the Pinghan
Railway (Beijing-Wuhan), and
guarded the only passage linking
Beijing to Kuomintang-controlled
areas in the south. Prior to July
1937, the Japanese military had
repeatedly demanded the
withdrawal of all Chinese forces
stationed in this area, and had
attempted to purchase nearby
land to build an airfield. The
Chinese refused, as Japanese
control of the bridge and
Wanping town would completely
isolate Beijing from the
Kuomintang-controlled south.
All this had happened three
years before and foreign
residents such as ourselves
were largely left alone to carry on
our lives as normal. The
Japanese were fighting the
Chinese and, as far as they were
concerned, we were neutral. So life went on as normal.
I used to play on the playing field behind the school. If I was on my own, I could stalk
some unsuspecting 'victim' near the creek bed that ran from north to south next to the
playing field. Then I would sneak as far along the creek as I could without being seen
from the school buildings. Deliciously frightening. The teachers had banned any
playing in the creek bed, so this was more than just a game, it was breaking the
rules.
Someone had placed a small rowing boat at the edge of the field. It was probably
one of the school rowing boats that had been retired for some reason. An old ladder
was placed against it to act as a gang plank and I often played there with another of
the boys, or by myself. One day as I was playing there with someone, I lifted the
ladder to 'cast off' and it came back with a terrible thunk on to the index and middle
The Chefoo Prep School was my home for about a year. I was blissfully unaware at
that time that the Japanese were in control of that part of China. In the early 1930s,
Japan invaded Inner Manchuria, changed its name to Manchukuo, a puppet state
under the control of the Japanese army. The last Manchu emperor, Puyi, was then
placed on the throne to lead a Japanese puppet government. In 1937 the Japanese
angered the Chinese in the so-called Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The significance of
this is spelled out in Wikipedia:
Marco Polo Bridge, located
outside of the walled town of
Wanping (宛平鎮) to the
southwest of Beijing was the
choke point of the Pinghan
Railway (Beijing-Wuhan), and
guarded the only passage linking
Beijing to Kuomintang-controlled
areas in the south. Prior to July
1937, the Japanese military had
repeatedly demanded the
withdrawal of all Chinese forces
stationed in this area, and had
attempted to purchase nearby
land to build an airfield. The
Chinese refused, as Japanese
control of the bridge and
Wanping town would completely
isolate Beijing from the
Kuomintang-controlled south.
All this had happened three
years before and foreign
residents such as ourselves
were largely left alone to carry on
our lives as normal. The
Japanese were fighting the
Chinese and, as far as they were
concerned, we were neutral. So life went on as normal.
I used to play on the playing field behind the school. If I was on my own, I could stalk
some unsuspecting 'victim' near the creek bed that ran from north to south next to the
playing field. Then I would sneak as far along the creek as I could without being seen
from the school buildings. Deliciously frightening. The teachers had banned any
playing in the creek bed, so this was more than just a game, it was breaking the
rules.
Someone had placed a small rowing boat at the edge of the field. It was probably
one of the school rowing boats that had been retired for some reason. An old ladder
was placed against it to act as a gang plank and I often played there with another of
the boys, or by myself. One day as I was playing there with someone, I lifted the
ladder to 'cast off' and it came back with a terrible thunk on to the index and middle
