STORY: Lisbon Maru rescue remembered amid Chinese New Year celebrations
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 24, 2024
DATELINE: March 4, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:06
LOCATION: London
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of commemorative event for the Lisbon Maru rescue
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU BUWEI, Family member of one of the Chinese fishermen from Zhoushan
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SIMON PENNY, Relative of Lisbon Maru POWs

STORYLINE:

The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom (UK) has held a special reception in Gloucester for families of the Lisbon Maru survivors to commemorate the rescue in WWII and celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival and the Chinese New Year.

In October 1942, "Lisbon Maru," a cargo vessel requisitioned by the Japanese army to carry more than 1,800 British prisoners of war (POWs) from Hong Kong to Japan, was hit by the U.S. army off the Zhoushan Islands in China's Zhejiang Province. Local fishermen risked their own lives and rescued over 300 POWs.

In his remarks delivered at the reception in the city in the west of England, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang recounted the Lisbon Maru rescue, calling for keeping in mind the friendship between the two peoples and treasuring the hard-won peace of today.

Wu Buwei, the family member of one of the Chinese fishermen from Zhoushan, who had participated in the rescue, shared the heroic deeds of his grandfather in rescuing three British POWs, and displayed a precious photograph of his grandfather with the British soldiers from that time.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU BUWEI, Family member of one of the Chinese fishermen from Zhoushan
"I hope that people of our generation, family members of the Chinese fishermen and the British POWs on the "Lisbon Maru", can continue to be promoters and guardians of China-UK cooperation, and together preserve this special friendship forged during the war."

Retired Major Brian Finch has been committed to collecting the historical documents on Lisbon Maru over the years. He said he was pleased to see the growing awareness of the Lisbon Maru rescue and encouraged everyone present to carry forward the memory of the incident and promote the friendship between the two peoples.

Simon Penny, whose uncle died when Lisbon Maru sank, traveled with his wife and son from Sussex to attend the event.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SIMON PENNY, Relative of Lisbon Maru POWs
"I think it's just good for the younger generation to understand where the country has been and where we want to move forward in better times and learn from our mistakes, so having the younger generation here helps."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London.
(XHTV)