07.26.09
My Comments on The Children of Huang Shi
For anyone who likes stories of unsung heroes, I recommend the movie, The Children of Huang Shi. Many of us are all too familiar with the horrific results of war, but we should also know and remember the heroic actions of those who are or have been brave enough to preserve and value the lives of his fellow man in the face of eminent danger and even death. In the story of The Children of Huang Shi there are several unsung heroes who manage to save the lives of about 60 Chinese children during the Japanese occupation of China during the 1930s and 40s. While there were several heroes involved, the story focuses on one particular man, George Hogg.
Before I praise the movie too much, I do want to comment that like many other movies based on true stories, the “real” story was greatly altered. From reading an article at the Times Online titled, The Long March of a Forgotten English Hero, it is apparent that the movie embellished quite a lot while at the same time leaving out quite a lot. The main story, however, remained intact. And that story was of an Englishman named George Hogg who cared for about 60 Chinese school boys who, I gathered, were orphaned possibly as a result of the Japanese occupation of China. Hogg was able to develop discipline and order amongst the boys, and later, to keep them safe from the ravages of war (such as being recruited by the enemy), Hogg decided to move the whole school to a safer location about 700 miles away. He and his boys traveled 500 miles on foot and by carts, then were able to obtain a few old trucks to complete the next 200 miles to their new destination.
One of the interesting aspects of Hogg’s story is that according to the Scriptwriter, James MacManus, he discovered Hogg’s story just by accident. MacManus happened to be in a Beijing bar when he overheard a conversation wherein a man was complaining about a statue being errected of an Englishman in an remote town of Shandon on the Mongolian border. This statue was in memory of an Englishman who died in 1944. No one in the embassy had heard of George Hogg, but through a little research MacManus was finally able to locate someone who did know Hogg. From there Hogg’s story unfolded, and MacManus found that Hogg “was an outstanding Englishman who fell in love with a foreign people and devoted his life to their betterment. What he did made him deeply and widely loved.”
At the end of the movie is a segment wherein some of the real-life “Hogg’s boys” speak about him. These boys are now in their 80s, but remember Hogg very well and with much fondness. Two of the brothers said that they didn’t know when their birthdays were, so when Hogg died, they used the date of Hogg’s death as their birthday. This story reminds me of the documentary film I watch on Nanking because there were also a few other foreigners such as John Rabe, Robert O. Wilson, and Minnie Vautrin who risked their lives to help the Chinese. Through their bravery, they were able to save hundreds of lives. I still remember the readings from their diaries such as how they had to “bluff” their “braveness.” That is, when the soldiers would come, they would be so scared, but they had to “pretend” that they weren’t and would even shout down the soldiers to leave the premises. I can’t imagine doing that, but there are real live people who have done such things. I admire those who have the resolve to do what’s right in the face of danger. I am reminded of the Bible and how we are told to care for the helpless such as the orphans and widows and those in prison. I used to wonder about visiting “prisoners.” I’m seeing more and more that there are many who have been imprisoned for political or religious reasons, not because they were criminals or had committed any crimes. Just as John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, and many others were imprisoned for their beliefs or just because they were foreigners, that type of thing still happens today. I am reminded of some of the stories I’ve read and heard from the Veterans Against the Iraq War. It shows me that even today there are still innocent prisoners who need comfort and brave people to help them out. And I am reminded of Matthew 25:34-40:
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
These heroes who helped these children and the hundreds of others have acted kindly towards God, as God said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” What an amazing thing. I’m sure God, who sees all, has not missed them.
Two thumbs up for The Children of Huang Shi. I know it’s quite embellished, however, artisticlly it blended the events of the day into the story to help give a feel of the climate of the time. Hogg and his boys lived during a very hard time in China where their people were being brutally massacred by the hundreds. To understand the situation in which Hogg lived and died helped to emphasize his devotion and the depth of his sacrifice.
Marlakins
