“Visiting Dongji, Zhejiang: The Rescue Site of the Lisbon Maru During WWII, Where Wartime Bonds Live On in Descendants”

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In 1942, the Japanese armed transport ship “Lisbon Maru” carried 1,816 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong, China, to Japan. In October of that year, while passing near Dongji in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, the ship was struck by an American torpedo because the Japanese had not raised any flags or markings indicating it was transporting POWs. To prevent the British prisoners from escaping, the Japanese nailed wooden planks and canvas over the hatchways and mercilessly fired upon those who attempted to jump into the sea. Amid the hail of bullets, hundreds of fishermen from Dongji risked their lives, rowing their boats back and forth dozens of times to rescue 384 British POWs, providing them with food, clothing, and shelter—a heroic tale of the era. Decades later, Dongji not only erected a monument commemorating the fishermen’s rescue and a memorial hall for the “Lisbon Maru” incident, but local residents also depicted the event through traditional fishing village paintings. Today, the legacy of this courageous rescue lives on among later generations, and the memory of the “Lisbon Maru” incident has become a new bond of friendship between the Chinese and British people. The photo shows the Dongji People’s Rescue Site Monument for British POWs, standing on Qingbang Island near the sinking and rescue site of the “Lisbon Maru” on August 5.