This file photo shows people in Chongqing rebuilding houses in the debris after an air raid. CHINA DAILY

First Person

'There were no rules to follow'

SU YUANKUI

director of the Chongqing Bombing Survivors' Litigation Group.

Although the deaths and loss of property caused by the indiscriminant raids were awful, the uncertainty engendered by the threat of raids and the need to constantly run from them also took a terrible psychological toll on the people of Chongqing during World War II.

The frequent attacks that took place during the period 1938-1943 meant running to the shelter as soon as the alarm was sounded became a daily ritual in what was then the Chinese capital. There were no rules to follow, and things were chaotic. Sometimes, we had to head to and then evacuate the shelters several times a day.

Often, the air raid sirens didn't work at all because the electricity had been cut off, so the air defense personnel began using red balloons to warn of impending raids: Two balloons indicated a state of readiness, meaning everyone was required to stay inside the bomb shelters, while three balloons signified a state of emergency, and no one was allowed to walk on the streets. At night, fire lanterns were used instead. The balloons and the lanterns were set up at the highest points in the downtown and the suburbs so everyone had a clear view of them and knew what was happening.

Su Yuankui spoke with Deng Rui and He Na.