On September 13, 2023, in Beijing, the focus shifted to the descendants of Southern Overseas Chinese workers and their efforts to preserve the memories of the China-Burma Road with the help of their Chinese friends. Liu Yang has the story.
“The stretch of the China-Burma Road that spans 568 kilometers is incredibly steep and dangerous. Many Southern Overseas Chinese workers lost their lives here. We transformed the stories from this site into a stage play that we performed in Malaysia,” reflected Zhang Yunpeng, whose roots trace back to these workers.
Currently, the commemorative event titled “Geng: Retracing the Southern Overseas Chinese Workers on the China-Burma Road” is approaching its conclusion. This marks Zhang Yunpeng’s fourth journey along the China-Burma Road this year, where he shares these poignant stories with overseas Chinese individuals and experts.
Zhang’s father, Zhang Zhiyuan, emigrated from Chaozhou, China, to Singapore in 1937 to open a fabric store. Just two years later, he responded to Chen Jiageng’s call and joined the “Southern Overseas Chinese Workers Service Corps,” helping to transport war supplies along the China-Burma Road.
Zhang Yunpeng recalled that his father spoke little of this chapter in his life until 1985, when he was assigned the task of locating fellow workers. It was at that moment that Zhang uncovered the experiences of his father and uncles. After his father’s passing in 1986, he discovered a memoir and old photographs that offered deeper insights into his father’s past.
In a recent interview, Zhang shared a particular photograph of six men in suits, taken just before they returned to China to contribute to the war effort. He explained that this image tells a story that spans over ten years.
Among the individuals in the photo is a Southern Overseas Chinese worker named Chen Tuan Yuan. Tragically, he was buried alive by Japanese troops in 1944, leaving behind his three-month-old son, Ye Xiaodong. The premiere of the documentary “Southern Overseas Chinese Workers” in Kunming, Yunnan, in 2009 featured a poignant scene where Ye knelt before a monument, clutching an empty picture frame—a moment that resonated deeply with the audience, including Liu Daonan and Lu Guanying from Malaysia’s Southern Overseas Chinese Workers Research Studio. The couple promptly dedicated their efforts to assist Ye in finding photographs of his father.
Zhang recounted that Ye discovered Chen Tuan Yuan and Zhang Zhiyuan were listed in the same payroll records. He presented Ye and the couple with a copy of the group photo. Over the course of a decade, Liu and Lu made numerous trips between China and Malaysia, meticulously collecting research materials and publishing many articles in Malaysian Chinese newspapers. After Liu’s untimely passing in 2019, Lu carried on the mission.
In 2021, Zhang began receiving small newspaper clippings from Lu that provided vital information. These clippings were reports from Singapore’s Nanyang Siang Pau from August 8 and 9, 1939, detailing the names and roles of the “Third Southern Overseas Chinese Workers Corps.” With this newfound information, Zhang and his team were finally able to verify Chen Tuan Yuan’s likeness in the photograph.
Zhang expressed heartfelt gratitude for the decade-long dedication of Liu and Lu in compiling historical records and promoting the legacy of the Southern Overseas Chinese workers. He acknowledged that many Overseas Chinese joined him in this noble cause.
In 2011, Chinese organizations in Malaysia and Singapore coordinated a convoy to retrace the China-Burma Road, where attendees enjoyed a performance by the descendants of the Southern Overseas Chinese workers. Lin Qiuyah, the permanent honorary president of the Malaysian Hainan Association, expressed her enthusiasm for the play and encouraged Zhang to bring it to Malaysia.
What truly touched Zhang was the support from Lin and the local Chinese community, who covered most of the costs to alleviate financial burdens on the team. In 2012, a troupe of 35 descendants traveled to various cities, including Kulai, Muar, and Kuala Lumpur, receiving significant media coverage. Zhang has kept these articles, and each time he revisits them, he is moved. “Many Overseas Chinese paused their own work to support us in this endeavor. It’s something I could never have accomplished alone,” he observed.
Now at 78 years old, Zhang Yunpeng was a physics teacher before his retirement. He humorously mentioned that he wasn’t skilled at writing in his youth; yet, here he is, having authored several articles about the Southern Overseas Chinese workers. He is thankful for the Chinese friends who have stood by him in this journey to share their stories.
