A friendship forged by food and fear

First Person | Li Lishui

Editor's note: Li Lishui was an apprentice at MKK. He told He Na about his experiences there.

Concerned that the Chinese would help the prisoners, the Japanese ordered the POWs to work in the northern section of the factory, while the Chinese worked in the south. Talking and the use of hand gestures were banned. Anyone that contravened the rule was beaten heavily. On many occasions, I saw POWs pick up food we had inadvertently dropped on the ground. I often saw one particular POW, number 266.