Historical Narrativeby Benjamin Chow

The Creative Process

Q  How  did  the  civil  war  start?

A.  The  civil  war  started  when  the  truce  of  the  communist  party  and  the  national  party  was  broken  apart  in  June  of  1946.

Q.  Where  did  you  and  grandpa  work?  

A.  There  was  a  little  ofDice  near  Xintiandi  where  we  worked  with  30  other  people  that  was  extremely  secret  because  at  that  time  it  was  still  a  nationalist  city.

Q.  How  were  the  people  around  you  acting  like?

A.  When  the  truce  was  broken  everyone  was  panicking  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  a  full  out  war.  Many  people  retreated  to  their  hometowns  to  hide  from  the  war  but  we  still  had  to  work.

Q.    What  were  your  surroundings  like?

A.  It  was  quite  chaotic.  People  were  throwing  things.  A  lot  of  screaming.  Sirens.

Q.  How  were  you  and  grandpas  reaction.

A.  Well  it  was  a  mixed  reaction.  We  were  scared  too  but  if  we  won  the  war  we  could  have  come  out  of  hiding

Q.  What  were  the  possible  outcomes  if  the  communists  lost  the  war.

A.  If  we  lost  the  war  we  would  be  in  danger.  We  might  have  moved  to  a  different  country.

Q.  What  did  you  see,  smell,  touch,  hear,  taste.

A.  Saw  people  panicking,  heard  guns  and  mortar.  Smelt  mortar  and  smoke  everywhere.  Tasted  ruble.

Q.  How  did  you  hide?

A.  Whenever  there  were  attacks  that  might  hit  us,  we  were  informed  to  hide  in  the  bomb  shelter.

Q.  Did  the  ofDice  get  hit?

A.no

Q.  What  was  the  ofDice  like?

A.  The  ofDice  was  quite  small  and  cramped.  It  was  hidden  underground  of  a  convenience  store.

Q.  During  the  war,  how  did  you  and  your  colleagues  work?

A.  It  was  actually  quite  normal.  But  we  didn’t  have  any  of  the  operatives  go  outside  so  we  stayed  in  the  bomb  shelter.

Q.  How  did  you  get  food  and  water?

A.  Since  we  were  a  “convenience  store”  we  lived  off  of  the  food  and  water.  

Q  were  their  other  ofDices  in  the  city?

A.  Yes.  There  were  3  more  ofDices  that  were  in  shanghai.

Q.  What  happened  to  your  ofDice  and  the  other  ofDices  after  the  war?

A.  They  were  all  destroyed  because  they  were  no  longer  needed.

Interview

Family Tree

Research Notes...

Most of the Peoples Liberation Army used Russian issued weapons like Mosin Nagants.

The communists used Russian t-34s and Smuggled American m4 Sherman

Communists used the foco war strategy

Chinese civil war was the third biggest war in history

Communists and nationalists were clashing before the war

Nationalists used Chiang Kai-shek rifles

Chiang Kai-shek Rifle

Communists were trying to push the nationalists out of control.

Communists fought with small actions, against Kuomintang and war lords.

Communists were better trained.

The KMT, or Kuomintang was lead by Chiang Kai-shek

The Communist were lead by Mao Zedong.

The war started when the KMT decided toget rid of the Communists.

Mao’s version of communism is now called “Maoism.”

Foco Warfare

Historical Narrative

Battlefield By Benjamin Chow

                                       Huff,  puff.  Staggering,  I  attempted  to  get  a  hold  of  my  breath.  War  continued  to  rage  throughout  the  city,  engulDing  Shanghai  in  a  chaotic  turmoil.  Mao  Zedong’s  communist  forces  pelted  through  the  defenses  of  the  Nationalists  with  Russian  Mosin  Nagant  machine  guns.  Dawdling  throughout  the  streets  in  bafDlement,  I  looked  for  Hao,  a  general  and  my  Diancé,  who  went  to  look  for  one  of  the  key  members  of  the  Chinese  communist  party.  The  reek  of  weapons  tainted  the  air,  suffocating  the  environment    Shrhrshshhshshhshhshrsh.  Mortars  howled  through  the  air  like  a  pack  of  wolves.  Machine  turrets  blazed  in  the  air  like  a  horriDic  light  show.  War  was  ending.  

                                       “Jia!”  The  commander  yelled,  “Have  you  found  Hao  yet?”

                                       “No,”  I  whimpered.

                                       “Well  don’t  stand  there,  go  Dind  him!”  The  general’s  voice  boomed  through  out  the  ruins  of  Shanghai.  

                                       Emerging  from  the  plateau  on  the  distant  horizon,  a  brigade  of  nationalist  Type-­‐58  tanks  rushed  down  the  hill,  at  a  blazing  pace.  The  nationalists  stopped  on  one  side  of  the  intersection  while  the  opposing  communists  arrived  with  no  haste  on  the  other  side,  prepared  for  direct  combat  and  no  mercy.  Armed  with  Mg-­‐34  light  machine  guns,  the  communist  troops  cried  for  war.  Ruins  of  building  wrecked  by  war  overlooked  the  battle.  On  both  sides  of  the  intersection,  the  sides  were  beginning  to  pounce.  In  between  the  opposing  sides,  my  breath  grew  faint.  Click  Click  Click.  The  gears  meshed  as  the  tanks  grabbed  a  hold  of  their  aim.  Clink.  The  tank’s  hatch  opened.  A  soldier  peeped  out  of  the  tank.  “Fire!”  he  commanded.

                                       A  Diery  bullet  burst  through  the  tank,  charged  towards  me.  Motionless,  I  stood  there  in  the  middle  of  the  intersection  with  both  sides  ready  for  full  out  war.  As  the  bullet  drew  closer,  the  blinding  light  shone  like  a  shooting  star.  Out  of  nowhere,  a  man  leaped  through  the  air,  saving  my  life.  Scrambling  towards  safety,  my  eyelids  grew  dreary  and  my  legs  became  noodles.  Blacking  out,  I  screamed,  “Run!”

                                     Moments  later,  my  vision  approached,  and  my  legs  came  back  to  life.  Looking  around,  Hao  stood  by  the  bed.  ”Hao!”  I  exclaimed  in  joy,  “What  happened?”  

                                     “The  war  is  over,”  Hao  responded.

ReflectionHow has working on this project helped you learn about your family’s history and given you a better sense of your identity?

1.I think this project has wildly change my knowledge about my family. Before, I didn’t know anything about my family’s history, or what my grandpa did when he was young. Not only has this given me a better sense of my identity, but it has changed my idea of my family’s identity.

2. Why do you think doing a project like this is important? In my opinion, I think that this project is important because it improves our knowledge of our own identity.

3. What part of this project did you enjoy the most? Why? My favorite part of this project was probably researching and interview because I got to learn about the things I enjoy learning about. I enjoyed the interview because I enjoyed hearing my grandma talk about all her stories.

4. What specific challenges did you face during this project and how did you over come them? I think writing the narrative was the hardest part of this story because it wasn’t my own experience. I overcame this obstacle by picturing it from my point of view.

5. What advice would you give future students as they begin this project? Don’t procrastinate on this project. Do the interview early and do light research but do the research often. Do not interview only once, as interview a couple times can help improve your story.

Bibliography

Chineseaction, Lao. "Chinese Civil War 1949 Battle of Shanghai 解�大�海 2." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Sept. 2011. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKDyGTTJ7Zw>.

Takahashi, Hatsumiya. "Yuku Free Message Boards." Yuku. Yuku, 03 Mar. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/31400>.

Thompson, Tryon. "Chinese Civil War 1946 49." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Apr. 2009. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf-6ff2B0yg>.

 "World War II Database." T-26 Light Tank. Ed. Bill Bob.

Wikipedia, 8 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://ww2db.com/vehicle_spec.php?q=303>.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanks_in_the_People's_Liberation_Army