Monument to the Jilin Martyr Wang Xitian and the Memorial to Chinese Workers from Wenzhou and Chuzhou Who Suffered in Japan

Monument to the Jilin Martyr Wang Xitian and the Memorial to Chinese Workers from Wenzhou and Chuzhou Who Suffered in Japan

(Photograph by Li Yuesong)

Wang Xitian (1896–1923) was a native of Changchun, Jilin Province. In 1915, while studying in Japan, he witnessed the difficult and miserable conditions of over 5,000 Chinese workers from Wenzhou and Chuzhou. Determined to defend their rights, he initiated the establishment of the “Association for Mutual Aid Among Chinese Laborers in Japan” (abbreviated as the “Mutual Aid Association”) in Daitocho, Tokyo, in September 1922. The association grew to over 400 members, and he was elected its president. The Mutual Aid Association worked tirelessly to resolve disputes, alleviate poverty, and advocate for the Chinese workers in Wenzhou and Chuzhou, engaging in struggles against Japanese capitalists and foremen. This drew the attention of the Japanese authorities. On September 1, 1923, a major earthquake struck the Kanto region, followed by widespread fires and rumors. Japanese thugs took the opportunity to attack Chinese workers, resulting in the deaths of over 600 compatriots from Wenzhou and Chuzhou. On September 12, Wang Xitian and others were secretly murdered by Japanese assailants at the Inokibashi Bridge in Kameido, Koto Ward, Tokyo, while trying to rescue the Chinese workers. He was only 28 years old. After the tragedy, people of conscience were outraged, and his fellow villagers were deeply shaken. The Japanese authorities tried their best to cover up the atrocities, and the Beiyang government was incompetent, ultimately failing to punish the perpetrators or bring justice to the victims. In 1974, he was posthumously recognized as a martyr with the approval of the State Council.

The Monument to the Jilin Martyr Wang Xitian and the Memorial to Chinese Workers from Wenzhou and Chuzhou Who Suffered in Japan is located on the west side of Daguanting Pavilion on Huagai Mountain in Lucheng District, Wenzhou City. It was built in 1926. During the Japanese occupation of Wenzhou in 1944, the monument was destroyed, leaving only fragments of stone. In 1991, Japanese friend and Vice President of the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Tomoko Kinuki, brought the suffering and injustice endured by the Chinese workers to light and subsequently initiated the establishment of the Japanese Committee for Commemorating Wang Xitian and the Suffering Chinese Workers, which raised funds to erect the monument in tribute to the martyrs' noble spirit that will forever endure. In 1993, the Wenzhou Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Wenzhou People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Zhejiang Province, China, were responsible for rebuilding the monument on its original site and composing a commemorative text, ensuring that the souls of the over 600 deceased Chinese workers could find peace.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Wenzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China