The legacy of the continuing to speak the universal language of courage and compassion – a light born in the darkness of war.
Memorial in tribute to the rescue of British prisoners of war by Dongji fishermen, unveiled on May 20, 2025
83 years ago, the Japanese ship Lisbon Maru, requisitioned to transport from Hong Kong to Japan more than 1,800 British prisoners of war piled up in its holds, dark off the island of Dongji (Zhejiang) after being torpedoed by an American submarine. The Japanese forces had not pointed out the ship as carrying prisoners of war, thus violating international conventions. The results are terrible: more than 800 soldiers perish, drowned or slaughtered while they were trying to escape. In the middle of this chaos, an extraordinary gesture occurs: alerted by the cries, local fishermen immediately launch all their boats at sea, braving the dangerous currents to rescue 384 British soldiers drowning.
Shipping of the Cargo Lisbon Maru ship
On May 20, 2025, a memorial erected in honor of this rescue story was unveiled on the island of Dongji. After a long trip, 18 descendants of rescued soldiers set foot on the island’s ground to meet the descendants of local fishermen who risked their lives 83 years earlier.
The memorial, representing two hands joined in an indestructible embrace, immortalizes this act of courage. “These hands symbolize much more than a rescue, but also the unwavering friendship between the United Kingdom and China,” explains Wu Xiaofei, descendant of one of the rescuers. For descendants on both sides, this memorial is proof that even war could not destroy human goodness, in accordance with inscriptions in the center of the memorial: “Love does not know borders, friendship transcends time. »»
Exhibition zone dedicated to the Lisbon Maru ship at the Dongji History and Culture Museum
Help out
On the island of Dongji, all the children grow up with this story of rescue. For residents like Wu Xiaofei and Liang Yindi, this legend has a very special meaning: their grandfathers were one of those fishermen who, one day in October 1942, launched their frail in dismantled waters to save British prisoners. “My grandfather and his brothers made their little boats go on four times, saving 26 men,” says Ms. Liang, her eyes bright with pride. But the danger persisted: three soldiers had to be hidden in the “children’s cave”, a secret refuge on the side of the cliff where they escaped the Japanese patrols.
The islanders responded with generosity to the needs of survivors. “My grandmother gave prisoners the only spare clothes that our family had,” recalls Ms. Liang. The villagers pooled their meager reserves of potatoes and rice to prepare porridge for exhausted men. When the clothes started to miss, the fishermen searched their houses and found blue fabrics. Armed with robust needles, they quickly sewn shirts and makeshift pants. The British soldiers, upset by this gesture, melted into tears by putting on these modest clothes, however designed with the little that has the island.
Despite the linguistic barrier, benevolence spoke stronger than anything. “Imagine this small island, suddenly overwhelmed by survivors from the sea. It could have sowed panic, but no one hesitated. Love has driven out all fear, ”says Ms. Liang.
The last rescuer died in 2020, and the prisoners of war who had survived also disappeared. But their minds continue. By evoking these events, Ms. Wu pointed out with emotion that this story transcends the simple story of war: it celebrates above all these ordinary souls who, in the face of adversity, chose to reach out to their fellow men.
Objects offered to Liang Yindi by descendants of British prisoners of war
Preserve universal values
Ms. Liang, born in 1968, has been working at the cultural station in the town of Dongji for about 40 years. Since the opening of the Dongji History and Culture Museum in 2009, she has worked as a guide. The museum houses the only permanent exhibition in China on the second floor dedicated to this episode in history.
Despite the challenges linked to the construction of a museum on the isolated island of Dongji, the local authorities have overcome the difficulties in erecting it, paying tribute to the heroism of fishermen and forcefully testifying the universal values of courage, compassion and international solidarity embodied by this event. Today, visitors tirelessly flock to this museum that has become a memorial sanctuary.
“I grew up with this story before joining the cultural station and I head the museum today,” says Ms. Liang. “I have invested a lot of personal emotions in this work. This role goes far beyond a simple job. I devoted all my heart to it. It is a sacred mission, which requires total commitment. »»
The commemoration of these historical events today takes ever more innovative forms: local artists, inspired by the epic of fishermen, have given life to their memory through vibrant pictorial works and a range of evocative cultural products. The recent publication of an oral history book and the production of documentaries also enrich this transmission. The young generations also help to preserve the memory of this story by making videos for competitions and by speaking speeches in schools.
A painting by Wu Xiaofei offered to Jean Clemence, immortalizing their reunion
Lasting links beyond seas
The descendants of the rescuers, guardians of a humanist memory, perpetuate with creativity the Sino-British friendship. Among them, Ms. Wu embodies this transmission through a daring artistic approach. His canvases, such as the rescue of the Lisbon Maru and Liminless Love, reinterpret the historical event by substituting the dark tones a vibrant palette of hope. “Horror belongs to 1942,” she says. Today, we celebrate national unity and a transmitted friendship from generation to generation. »»
In 2004, during a training in Hangzhou (Zhejiang), Ms. Wu and Ms. Liang discovered the official efforts made to highlight this moving story. Inspired by this idea, they decided to help make it known to the whole world through their easels. While others could have used dark colors, Ms. Wu opted for blue and gold.
Love without limits is a reinterpretation of part of the Lisbon Maru rescue. “The colors transmit the message that courage survives in war,” explains Ms. Wu. In her eyes, it is a generational duty, that of ensuring that the real heritage of history is celebrated in color, and not simply carried by mourning.
Liang Yindi (1st g.) Guides the descendant of a British prisoner of war during of a visit to the Dongji History and Culture Museum. (Photos provided by Liang Yindi and Wu Xiaofei))
Commemorative activities also allowed the descendants of the two nations to build deep ties. Last year, the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom organized a celebration of the Chinese New Year in Gloucester, where the descendants of the British survivors and fishermen of Dongji, including Ms. Wu and Ms. Liang, gathered. During this meeting, their voices harmonized to sing Auld Lang Syne together.
“We were deeply moved by the song and we naturally got into our arms,” recalls Ms. Wu. “At that time, no word was necessary, just a shared feeling of peace and comfort. From this meeting was born a close friendship between Mrs Wu and Jean Clemence, descendant of a survivor. “We were unaware of the lasting impact of this event on your community,” said the latter in a letter. That an episode of 82 years old can still resonate so hard in your hearts is an overwhelming revelation. »»
The sustainable friendship between the descendants of rescuers and survivors has now transmitted to their children. During the recent commemorative ceremony, Jean Clemence took his son to Dongji Island. The son of Mrs. Wu, now a police officer, warmly welcomed him and spoke with him. As a sign of the values of peace they defend together, the young police officer offered his British friend a “police bear” plush, a symbol touching this friendship that crosses ages and borders.
*Li Wenyu is a professor at the University of Changji.
