Fri May 18, 2012
Wanyin Bin
Enslavement or Salvation
By Tiffany White, China – November 2006
Given the bitter history between Japan and its neighbors China and North Korea, – most notably Japan’s aggressive behavior during WWII and its violation of human rights – it’s alarming to learn that in a small province of China, there are many Chinese and North Korean girls who would prefer to live in Japan than remain in China. Yet in Jilin, which borders North Korea and Russia, many young people look to Japan for their future.
Jilin has always been a kind of crossroads where different ethnic people have established roots. During World War II however, this province became a center of Japanese Enslavement Education. Japanese was taught in the middle schools and everyone had to adopt Japanese culture and traditions.
To this day, Japanese is taught in Jilin. In fact, knowledge of Japanese is believed to offer better life-skills than learning Chinese. Certainly 22 year old Yan Xu sees it that way. Having lived in Jilin her entire life, Yan is fluent in Japanese. A student at Changchun Foreign Language Middle School in Jilin, Yan received a ticket to attend Sun Yat-sen University – a nationally renowned university in China – without having to take a college entrance examination. She also won two free trips to Japan as well as a scholarship to spend a year studying there.
It’s hard to distinguish Yan from other orthodox Japanese girls. She dresses in the latest Japanese styled clothes, bows and nods in recognition of Japanese tradition and she enjoys sushi. What’s more, Yan earns $6.00 an hour teaching Japanese part time – more than other home tutors earn.
Originally from North Korea, Huimin Jin has learned to speak Japanese, Korean and Chinese in Jilin. After she graduates from Sun Yat-sen University 22 year old Jin plans to become an accountant in Japan. Indeed, knowledge of Japanese has prompted other girls from Jilin to set their sites on marrying a Japanese man and living in Japan.
Maybe some people believe Japanese Enslavement Education brought salvation to the people of Jilin. While I don’t dispute this, I believe that as Chinese citizens we need to care about our own people. There are many rural provinces like Jilin throughout China where people struggle just to survive another day. Instead of looking to Japan for salvation, I believe we need to help our countrymen and women who are enslaved in poverty, despair and desperation.
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