The real names of the US airmen were used in this book. However, in order to maintain the flow of the narrative, I took certain liberties with the time frame as well as ages and the eventual fate of the captives.
In actuality none of the US crewmen escaped from prison. After their capture, they were first taken to Tokyo before being sent back to China and incarcerated in Bridge House. One died of malnutrition in prison and three were executed as described. The letters quoted in the chapter tided ‘Last Letters’ are authentic and came from the pens of Dean Hallmark, Bill Farrow and Harold Spatz just before they died.
In August 1945, Japan lost the war and surrendered unconditionally to the allies. The four captured US crewmen who survived their imprisonment were released. One of the four, Jake DeShazer, became a missionary and returned to Japan where he spent thirty years of his life (1948-78).
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society is an attempt on the part of one Chinese-American writer to inform the world of the horrors of war.
The Chinese Zodiac
Legend has it the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac were chosen by Buddha. Adeline explains all about it in Chapter Two of this book. The Chinese New Year is between late January and early February and this is when the next animal year starts.
One polite way of finding out someone’s age in China is to ask that person, ‘Under which animal sign were you born?’ If she says, ‘Ox,’ you’ll know that she was born in either 1985 or 1997. If she says, ‘Rat,’ you’ll know that she was born in 1984 or 1996… and so on. Find the year of your birth on the chart to discover which animal sign you are, and some of your characteristics!
The Year of the Rat (1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008)
You are imaginative, charming and generous. You have big ambitions, work hard to achieve your goals and are a perfectionist. You tend to be quick-tempered and can be critical of others. You get along well with Dragons, Monkeys and Oxen.
The Year of the Ox (1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009)
You are a born leader and inspire confidence in others. You are methodical and skilled with your hands. Although generally easy-going, you can be stubborn and hot-tempered. You are most compatible with Snakes, Roosters and Rats.
The Year of the Tiger (1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010)
You are sensitive, emotional and loving. You are a deep-thinker, carefree and courageous. But you can be short-tempered and often come into conflict with people in authority. You find it hard to make your mind up and then make hasty decisions. You get along well with Horses, Dragons and Dogs.
The Year of the Rabbit (1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011)
You are talented and affectionate, and admired and trusted by others. You like to gossip, but are nonetheless tactful and kind. You are wise and even-tempered, and tend not to take risks. You are compatible with Goats, Pigs and Dogs.
The Year of the Dragon (1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012)
You are energetic, popular and fun-loving. You are also honest, sensitive and brave. You appear stubborn, but are soft-hearted and sensitive on the inside. You are compatible with Rats, Snakes, Monkeys and Roosters.
The Year of the Snake (1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 2001, 2013)
You are a deep-thinker and very wise. You are sympathetic and try to help those less fortunate, but sometimes you can be quite selfish. Although you are calm on the surface, you are intense and determined in whatever you do. If you are a Snake you are most compatible with the Ox and Rooster.
The Year of the Horse (1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014)
You are popular, quick-witted and adventurous. You are hard-working and very independent. You are wise and perceptive, but can be impatient and selfish sometimes. You get along with Tigers, Dogs and Goats.
The Year of the Goat (1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015)
You are creative, artistic and warm-hearted, and timid by nature. You are also gentle and compassionate. You strongly believe in what you do, but you can be pessimistic. You are compatible with Rabbits, Pigs and Horses.
The Year of the Monkey (1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016)
You are clever, skilful and lots of fun. You are well-liked and make friends easily, but sometimes can’t be trusted. You are strong-willed, good at making decisions and want to get on with things straight away. If you can’t, you quickly become despondent. Monkeys get along with Dragons and Rats.
The Year of the Rooster (1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017)
You are hard-working, capable and talented. You like to be busy, are devoted to work and skilled at what you do. You are good at making decisions. You are a little eccentric, outspoken and sometimes selfish. Roosters are compatible with Ox, Snakes and Dragons.
The Year of the Dog (1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018)
You are born to succeed. You are loyal, honest and intelligent, and inspire confidence in others. You can be sharp-tongued and stubborn, and tend to worry too much. You are compatible with Horses, Tigers and Rabbits.
The Year of the Pig (1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019)
You are honest, reliable and extremely loyal. You are quick-tempered, but you don’t like to argue. You are kind to those you love and make a good companion. You like to set yourself goals and carry them out, but you can be too impulsive sometimes. Pigs will get along with Rabbits and Goats.
Glossary of Chinese Words
Family, names and places:
Ah Sun
a maid at CC s home
Ah Tee
CC’s wet nurse
Chiang Kai-shek
Chinese Nationalist leader
Da Ma
the homing pigeon
da ge
Big Brother
Da-wei
David
er ge
Second Older Brother
Fu Dao
gan ma ma
godmother
Grandma Liu
Big Aunt’s godmother
Li Cha
Charlie
Ling Ling
David’s dolphin
Long Xia Hui
Dragon Society of Wandering Knights
Liu Nai Nai
Grandma Wu’s neighbour
Master CY Wu
Grandma Wu’s son
Mei Mei
Master Wu’s panda
Nan Tian Dao
Nan Tian Island
Niu Zhou Shan
Cow Continent Mountain
san ge
Third Older Brother
Tai-ji Tu
Diagram of the Grand Ultimate
Wu Nai Nai
Grandma Wu
Wu Shu Xue Shiao
Martial Arts Academy
xiao bao bei
precious litle treasure
xiao mei
Little Sister
Ye Jia-Lin
CC’s father
Ye Jia-ming
Big Aunt
Ye Ye
grandfather
Ye Xian
CC
Yi Jing
Book of Changes
Sayings:
bai zhe bu nao
stick to your goal despite a hundred setbacks
Chu sui san hu, wang Qin bi Chu
Even if there are but three families left in Chu, the Qin empire will be toppled by someone from Chu.
share bitter and sweet together
suo xiang wu di
irresistible force that is unconquerable
tong zhou gong ji
stick together through thick and thin
yin shui si yuan
when drinking water, remember the source
yu su bu da
more haste, less speed
zi qiang bu xi
motivate yourself to study hard and be strong always
Words and phrases:
bao
buns filled with cabbage and minced pork
chan
zen/deep meditation
chu shen ru hua
uncanny skill that is almost supernatural
dyana or chan
meditation
en ren
benefactors
gong fu
time, effort, skill
gu yi
the past
Gu Yi He
Memory Vision Box
gua
divine emblem
gun shui
rolling water (water that has been boiled)
jiang hu
rivers and lakes
jiao
religion/to teach
kai shui
opened water (water that has been boiled)
kung fu
mastery of a difficult task
mah-jong
played with pieces called ‘tiles’
Ni hau
How are you?
qi
energy/life force
shou zu
hands and feet
Tao
The Way
suo xiang wu di
irresistible force that is unconquerable
t’ai chi quan
martial art/meditative exercises/shadow-boxing
tong ren
like-minded people
wei ai
the future
Wei Lai He
Future Vision Box
wu
mindful awareness
wu shu
martial arts
xiao
respect for elders
yang
forces that regulate the universe: male energy (positive, bright, warm)
yin
forces that regulate the universe: female energy (negative, dark, cool)
you xia
wandering knights/historical heroes
yuan fen
predestined affinity
za zkong
mixed race, bastard, son of a bitch
Bibliography
Map of Shanghai, 1940: from Hugh Collar’s book Captive in Shanghai (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1990).
Regarding the last letters from Farrow, Hallmark and Spatz, please read:
Glines, Carroll V., Four Came Home (Princeton: D. Van Nostrand, 1966).
Watson, C. H., DeShazer, The Doolittle Raider Who Turned Missionary (Winona Lake, Indiana: light and life Press, 1950).
Other books:
Bergamini, David, Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy (New York: William Morris, 1971).
Lawson, T. W., Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (New York: Random House, 1943).
National Archives, International Military Tribunal, Far East RG 331.
Rosten, Leo, the quote on pages 236-7 is taken from Infinite Riches (New York: McGraw Hill, 1979).
Schultz, Duane, The Doolittle Raid (New York: St Martin’s Press, 1988).
Wasserstein, Bernard, Secret War in Shanghai (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998).
For more information about the USS Hornet visit www.uss-hornet.org
* On 10 June 1942, the Nazis destroyed the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia after the Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated. They killed 172 men and boys, and sent all the women and children to concentration camps where most of them died.