CHUNGKING

A Missionary Life:
Rev. J. Wesley Day
China, Malaysia, Indonesia

Chungking, 1950-1951

January, 1950, Communists enter Chengtu. See Blosser narrative, item 3 below.

November 14, 1950, Application to leave China

December 20, 1950. Dinner with Eugene and Louella Blosser, Mennonite Missionaries. See Blossser narrative, item 3 below.

December 28, 1950. T. Janet Surdam and Luella G. Koether arrested in Chungking. Writings on Communism in China, item 2 below.

January 4, 1951. Permission to leave and beginning of trip home.

January 29, 1951. Letter from Birdice Lawrence in Hongkong, reporting on contacts with Wesley Day prior to her departure from Chungking January 8th, item 1 below.

Chungking is built on the steep banks of the Yangtze River. Wide steps lead from river up to the motor road level. In 1951 departing missionaries made daily trips down these steps to the riverboat office to check on whether one's number had come up. If it came up and one missed the chance, one had to re-register and start again from the beginning. Photo source: Surdam and Koether, p. 2

June 4, 1951. Ship enters New York Harbor

Birdice Lawrence letter from Hong Kong, 1-29-1951. Confidential: Please Do Not Let This Get Into Print I (Birdice) let Chungking January 8th by boat, having registered laset November. It took seven days to Hankow, then here to Hong Kong by train. Helen Desjardins was also registered but could not get her permit. Helen taught until early December at Su Deh School in Chungking, when the school hired a Chinese teacher for English classes, as the governmenet wanted; but they begged her to stay until mid-term exams are over. It was during thosse few days taht the storm of anti-foreign propaganda broke in every school and institution, odered fro higher up. If there was no foreigner, some Chinese person becamde the target. Helen, though, made a screen for the principal who escaped direct attack, suffered no physical hardship...

Janet and Luella arrived in Chungking December 14 and were arrested at 10 P.M. December 28. The arrest warrant came from Suining, but we do not know who is accusing them, nor for what. I begged for the privilege of sending food to them, since both were leaving China on health grounds. This was refused, except for powderedf milk and medicines they were allowed to take with them. They had left Suining with nothing but good relations with local authorities. My only guess is that someone in the school, who had already made trouble in petty ways, accused them of something. Also there was jealousy over mission funds which had been turned over to the principal.

When your cable [cable from Louise Robinson, Executive Secretary for China, Women's Division, Methodist Board of Missions] came, I went to the Foreign Affairs Office, and asked if the girls were in Chungking or Suining. After a long converswation, they replied: "You have no business to ask such a question." But they asked ME plenty: Who was this person who sent the cable? Her full name and address and official title? My relationship to her? How much and how often did I report to her? Did I report about conditions in China? I said only as these affeted our work, very little in recent months because my work had been diminishing.

Wesley Day, who accompanied me, thinks the man was scared by this cable, and that it might affect future actions. But it accomplished nothing, except to give them more information. They said that any reply I made to the cable was my own responsibility, with a delicate threat that if I replied anything "unlawful" I should be held fully responsible. When I asked, "Is it against your law to state facts," they answered, "you have no right to ask questions." Some missionaries felt it woudl be unwises to wire or write you at thtat time, and I felt there was nothing worth the cost of a cable. Since our funds were frozen, I was afraid to spend much money, so waited until I got to Hong Kong before sending yesterday's cable.

The British Consul in Chungking took down all the data I had regarding this arrest, and is relaying it to Mr. Gillett in Peking. There are four missionaries in Chungking under arrest; one is a British subject, Dr. Stuart Allen, janet and Luella's doctor, for many years with the Canadian Hospital. The Consul hopes that their Foreign Department can do something about these prisoners. Olin Stockwell was arrested Novembr 28. Another foreign prisoner is a non-missionary from Tibeet. All but Olin are held incommunicado. Esether Stockwell, still in Chungking, has sent garments, reading matter, and soap to Olin, receving an acknowledgement each time in Olin's handwriting. I sent some clothing once to Janet and Luella, things in the laundry when they were arrested. Before I left, no reply had come.

Dr. Marion Manly, now waiting in Chungking for a boat, probably a month or two, is helping the Wesley Days take care of the Dai Jia Hang house. Knettlers and Alma Eriksen were expected soon from Chengtu.

--Letter of Birdice Lawrence to Louise Robinson, Executive Secretary for China, Women's Division, Methodist Board of Missions, in T. Janet Surdam and Luella G. Koether, Janella Journal: Our China Experience, 1981, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, pp 365-366.

Experiences under Communism, 1950

Journal entries by T. Janet Surdam and Luella G. Koether, Methodist Missionaries stationed in Suining, which is about halfway between Chengtu and Chungking.

Suining, 12-5-1948. Some of you are wondering about the Communist situation, People in Chungking have no plan to leave. Our Boards in America are not paying travel for people to leave China because of Communists. Those who evacuate the north can go to other areas; ours is considered safe. The Communists can cut off Szechuan from sea and river, but we lived for years that way during the 8-year Japanese-Chinese war. The Communists do not have much of any air force. U. S. planes could come from India for us if necessary. The Embassy states that people in threatened places who expect to go should leave right away. We do not feel threatened yet. Don't worry, and don't bo by what American papers say.

Suining, 4-23-1949. Prices are soaring, postage terrific, money hard to exchange. It is rumored that Nanking has fallen or been liberated, depending on your viewpoint. Prices tripled overnight. Everyone is jittery and uncertain. Chungking and Chengtu missiionaries are keeping in touch with us, since we have no radios or English newspapers; Chinese news is scanty and local. We are trying to send our Christian Education materials home, so that if it becomes illegal to have Christian literature, there will be copies in America. We proceed as usual, doing all we can, with little thought for what may come. Reports out of Peking and Tientsin vary, but at least foreigners are still allowed to write freely from those occupied places, and moset are being treated all right. The only requirement is that they live simply and share with others. That we have always done and will continue.

Suining, 5-30-1949. This sounds mercenary, but we hope you can see the funny side of it. We reckon vegetables in the millions of dollars per bunch of beans. If you have something to trade, you get better exchange: so many beans for so manyh onions; rice for pictures; thread for wheat.

Suining, 12-29-1949. "Liberation" came the first week in December...There were tense moments, but unlike nearby places, Suining had no lawless soldiery of retreating Nationalists , no looting, no gun crossfire, bombing, or explosions. Durng the quiet three days between when local officials left, and Communist soldiers came in, blessed silence; the innate decensy of the people was never better shown than when no government or rule existed.

Suining, 5-8-1950. "A Red Letter Day: the last of our thirteen Monday morning trips to police headquarters, to "share our thinking." By smiling and politeness, even at certain remarks aabout our homeland, refusing to argue, being peaceable, and by our deeds, we tried to show we are here only to help people. For three weeks, we took flowers, tomato and mum plants, much appreciated. Today, the Chief said, "It is hard to change old women's thinking. You need not come unless we send for you." Music to our ears!...Our clinic grows as more people come, so grateful for a little help, so patient.

Suining, 6-29-1950. If our departure is sudden, you should know what cuased it. Not the government, though they will use any church people who will work against other Christians. The roubles come from the YW and YM who noticeably no longer include the "C" int heir name. Their leaders, at meetings, worked our an "ultimatum": what should be the future course of Christianity in China. We will not write the heart-breaking terms they use, but in summary they are stating: That Missions and missionaries are the spearhead fo foreign, especially American, imperialism in China. That they have retarded China's progress. That no foreigner or foreign money should be tolerated. That they, the "Y" will Be the Christian church, and that THEY shall be the true Christians, following Jesus and Mao Tse Dung.

--From Journal entries on the dates specified, by T. Janet Surdam and Luella G. Koether, Janella Journal: Our China Experience, 1981, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, pp 365-366.

3. Eugene Blosser Narratives, 1949 and 1950

Sound of War. It was late November in the year, 1949, and after we had only been in Chengtu a little more than a month, when the sounds of the big guns of the Communist Armies could be heard in the distance, especially in the otherwise quiet of the night. This made us all too aware that a war was going on, and that the fighting was not far away. The sounds did not seem to move much closer for some time, but they continued to be heard throughout the month of December. Everyone harbored fears of what might happen when the battle for the City of Chengtu would take place. One morning around mid December, Louella and I awoke to the sound of machine gun fire not too far in the distance. We could hear the bullets cutting through the leaves of the trees, but, thankfully, none of them hit our house. However, one bullet entered the house of our neighbors and slightly wounded the wife. We heard later that two Generals of Chiang Kai Shek had gotten into an argument about whether or not to turn the City over peacefully. So, the two Generals and their forces had to fight their way to a decision. Fortunately, the battle did not last long, and nothing more came of the situation. On December 30th, 1949, the City of Chengtu was turned over peaceably to the Communist Forces. Everyone, including the foreigners, were told to stay inside and not be seen on the streets.

Preparing to leave Chengtu, 1950 We then prepared our luggage for travel. We had one trunk each for Louella and me, plus two foot lockers to give to China Travel Service to handle. We lived out of two brief cases for ten days while waiting for a plane. Our Sunday before Christmas was spent with Wesley Day and his family, and on Christmas day, we stayed with the Knettlers. Both families were good friends of ours from the Methodist Mission.

Stories of our Lives, by Eugene and Luella Blosser, Mennonite missionaries who were in Chengtu in 1949