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墨書 Inktalez
Qiluo Ling hurriedly walked out of the building holding a book.
Outside, the sky was blue with white clouds, and the sun was shining brightly.
Suddenly, the light became unusually intense, and she felt a wave of dizziness.
Across from the building was a bus stop. She crossed the crosswalk and arrived at the station. Just then, a bus heading towards Xu Xiaoya's home approached.
Qiluo Ling jumped on the bus and found a seat. It was rush hour, and only a few people were scattered in the large space of the bus.
Her seat faced the bus's onboard television, which was playing the Korean movie "Assassination."
This film, directed by Choi Dong-hoon and starring Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, and Ha Jung-woo, is a Korean action movie. The story revolves around members of the independence army, officials of the Korean provisional government, and professional assassins joining forces to Assassination pro-Japanese figures.
Qiluo Ling was surprised to find that this movie was set against the backdrop of Shanghai in 1933 and the capital of Korea occupied by Japan.
Back at home, Qiluo Ling eagerly took out the book and began to read:
"In 1919, the 'March First Movement' broke out in Korea. The Japanese opened fire, killing thousands of civilians and arresting tens of thousands. Revolutionaries began to flee in large numbers; some sought refuge in Soviet Russia and America, while most went to Northeast China across a narrow body of water, where they established the 'Korean Independence Army' and began armed struggle against Japan. Exiled Koreans in Shanghai established the 'Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea,' with Syngman Rhee elected as president from afar in America.
Due to the disparity in power, the main actions of the provisional government were to carry out Assassination attempts on Japanese officials. The two most famous attempts were an unsuccessful bombing of Emperor Hirohito and the Hongkou Park bombing incident. At that time, Japanese troops held a ceremony at Hongkou Park to celebrate their victory in the Battle of Shanghai. Korean youth Yun Bong-gil threw a bomb at the venue, killing Japanese General Shirakawa Yoshinori. This bombing shocked East Asia, leading the Chinese Nationalist Government to begin supporting the Korean independence movement. In subsequent wars of resistance, the Korean provisional government retreated alongside the Nationalist Government until they settled in Chongqing, remaining there until victory in the war.
In 1945, Japan unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. American and Soviet Union forces accepted territories south and north of latitude 38 degrees on the Korean Peninsula. In autumn 1947, America raised the issue of the Korean Peninsula at the United Nations. The UN passed a resolution calling for free elections on the peninsula to form a government before withdrawing occupying forces. However, elections in 1948 were only held in southern Korea. With American support, on August 15th, the 'Republic of Korea' was declared established. On September 9th of that same year, with support from the Soviet Union, Kim Il-sung announced the establishment of the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea.'"
After reading about Korea's independence revolution history, Qiluo Ling couldn't help but sigh; it turned out that there was such a shared history between China and Korea in resisting Japanese aggression during World War II.
Seeing the Korean film "Assassination" on the bus erased this shared anti-Japanese struggle in East Asia; it merely used Shanghai as a specific backdrop while ignoring that both China and the Korean Peninsula were targets of Japanese invasion at that time. The Korean independence movement should have received support from the Chinese Nationalist Government, just as Korean volunteer soldiers participated in China's own resistance efforts. In a global war, one must connect with world events to understand fully.
Then she began to think about her own situation; even if her Birth Mother was a descendant of Koreans who remained in Shanghai for various reasons after the war ended, it would still be difficult to find her based solely on this clue. She had neither her Birth Mother's full name nor any addresses where she had lived. In such a vast city like Shanghai, how could she search?
Qiluo Ling got up and went to the kitchen, took several spoonfuls of coffee grounds from a transparent jar, and brewed a steaming cup of coffee. The unique aroma of coffee slowly spread through the air.
As she sipped her slightly bitter coffee, she pondered; this was her habit when thinking deeply. After quite some time, her eyes brightened as if she had found an answer, and her furrowed brow relaxed.
She immediately opened her computer and searched for: 'Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea old site.'
Soon, Baidu Baike provided the following content:
“The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea is currently located at 4 Lane 306, Madang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai. It officially opened to the public after restoration in 1993. In 2001, the management of the old site collaborated with the Korean Independence Memorial Hall to comprehensively renovate the building. It showcases the activities of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai.”
She decided to visit the old site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea tomorrow.
The next morning, Qiluo Ling walked along Huaihai Middle Road, the busiest street in Shanghai, before turning into a small alley. This was a relatively quiet path, lined with French Sycamore trees, each thick enough to be embraced by a person. In such a bustling metropolis, having a place far removed from the noise of traffic felt like a miracle.
Behind the sycamore trees stood several Old Western-style Houses left from the French Concession period. These silent buildings had witnessed decades of change and turmoil. Each old structure had its own story, some legendary and some mysterious.
Qiluo Ling followed the small path until she finally entered a narrow lane.
The existence of the old Shanghai concession allowed many foreign expatriates to reside in the city, infusing some old lanes with mysterious foreign colors. These secrets were closely related to the fates of foreign expatriates and their nations.
Among them, none were more legendary than the old site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, regarded as a "sacred place" by Koreans, located in this narrow lane.
In those days, lush sidewalk trees lined the alleyway, where a reception and ticket office stood at its entrance. Inside the lane was a row of Shikumen Houses that comprised the old site. The red brick walls were deep crimson, with dark doors and tightly shut black iron gates; brass rings gleamed brightly, and everything was kept clean and tidy. A sign reading “Korean Provisional Government Old Site” was affixed to the outer wall, indicating the age and uniqueness of this Shikumen House.
As Qiluo Ling approached, she saw a Korean tour group blocking the narrow entrance, with a tour guide explaining something.
She arrived at the ticket booth and purchased an admission ticket for twenty yuan. The ticket seller looked at her in surprise and then said, “This is a place for Koreans; why are you here? You might as well go to a nearby large conference venue.”
Qiluo Ling smiled awkwardly but said nothing.
The old site had three floors: the ground floor housed a meeting room and kitchen; the second floor contained offices; and on the third floor were preserved sleeping quarters for temporary government personnel. The exhibition room on the third floor displayed an overview of the activities of the Korean provisional government in Shanghai.
The staff inside were friendly and could speak both Korean and Chinese. Whether it was black-and-white photos of Korean patriots like Kim Gu and Li Dongning hanging on the walls of the meeting room or two Taegukgi flags from the provisional government, as well as an ancient clock and coat rack, all exuded a profound sense of historical weight.
In the exhibition hall, there were photos of brave patriots taken before their assassination; similar to those in the movie “Assassination,” however, they appeared as malnourished young men rather than beautiful women like Jun Ji-hyun.
Inside, several people pointed at photos. Nearby stood an elderly man in his seventies with sparse gray hair and a balding head; he had a broad forehead and wore black reading glasses while tremblingly leaning on a cane.
Suddenly, he sighed heavily and said, “I’m old now; I can never go back.”
Qiluo Ling felt curious because he spoke fluent Chinese. She directly asked him in Chinese, “Are you Korean?”
The old man smiled bitterly and said, "My identity is Korean, but the blood flowing in my veins is that of a Korean."
She was stunned and remained silent for a long time.
The old man pointed at the black and white photos and said, "The heroic assassin of that time never returned to his homeland; he stayed forever in China. Do you say he is Korean or Korean?"
Qiluo Ling was startled and quickly asked, "Do you live in China?"
"Yes. I live in Shanghai."
"Do you know a Korean with the surname Dun who stayed in Shanghai at that time?"
The old man thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I came to Shanghai with my father. After my father was killed by the Japanese, World War II ended soon after. I was very young then and don't remember much."
Qiluo Ling felt disappointed, but the old man continued, "I know an elderly lady who is over ninety years old; she is also a Korean who stayed in China. She might know something."
"Can you give me her address?" Qiluo Ling asked.
"Of course. Her descendants run a French restaurant on a street in Xuhui District; you can go there to find her."
Qiluo Ling noted down the elderly lady's address, preparing to go there the next day.
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