In 2014, the family of Chinese shipping king Chen Shuntong finally succeeded in obtaining more than 2 billion in arrears from Japan through the persistence of three generations. After 75 years of perseverance and the unremitting efforts of several generations, what Chen Shuntong strives for is not only his own legitimate interests, but also the integrity of the Chinese nation.

The growth path of China’s shipping king

Chinese shipping king Chen Shuntong was born in an ordinary family in Ningbo, Zhejiang. Due to financial constraints, Chen Shuntong went out to make a living at a young age. At the age of 14, he came to Shanghai to make a living with his own hands.

Chen Shuntong was diligent, hard-working and gradually appreciated by his leaders. In the sixth year after joining the fleet, he changed from an ordinary sailor to a captain.

Chen Shuntong

In April 1920, Chen Shuntong returned from a boat trip and accidentally rescued a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man admired his bravery and kindness very much, and asked: "Young man, are you willing to stay on the ship and live peacefully all your life? Do you want to do a big career?"

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After careful consideration, Chen Shuntong decided to continue his unfulfilled boyhood dream of protecting his family and country.

At this time, the middle-aged talent told Chen Shuntong that he was Zhang Jingjiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang. With the help of Zhang Jingjiang, Chen Shuntong had a new life.

At that time, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China were preparing for the Northern Expedition. Chen Shuntong, who had been determined to serve the country since he was a child, was excited and decided to follow Zhang Jingjiang and do something grand.

As a result, Chen Shuntong became the deputy manager of the National Shipping Company, responsible for maritime passenger transportation, freight, and arms transportation.

Zhang Jingjiang

The National Shipping Company has three cargo ships. Chen Shuntong is connected with the Kuomintang and is responsible for the transportation of arms.

At the same time, Chen Shuntong used cargo ships to deceive others, transported a large number of revolutionaries, and successfully opened a revolutionary line from Shanghai to Guangzhou. The large quantities of arms purchased by Chiang Kai-shek from Western capitalist countries were also transported by Chen Shuntong.

After the Northern Expedition, Chen Shuntong, who had a lot of management experience, carried out drastic reforms. He vigorously rectified the behavior of crew members who enriched their own pockets. Zhang Jingjiang admired it and entrusted him with important responsibilities more firmly.

During the reform of China Merchants Bureau, colleague Zhao Tieqiao was assassinated for touching the interests of die-hards. For the safety of himself and his family, Chen Shuntong decided to leave the China Merchants Group and start his own business.

In 1930, Chen Shuntong spent his previous savings to establish his own shipping company: Zhongwei Shipping Company. Chen Shuntong purchased the first merchant ship "Taiping", hoping that his first ship would sail peacefully.

"Tai Ping Wan" is Chen Shuntong's first ship and the originator of the entire company.

During the period from the Northern Expedition to the Anti-Japanese War, Chen Shuntong's steamship business reached its peak. Because Chen Shuntong is good at business, he needs to purchase a ship every other year so that he can meet the huge passenger demand.

In just a few years, the capital of Chen Shuntong Company has increased from the initial 300,000 silver dollars to 1 million silver dollars.

In 1936, Chen Shuntong already owned four ships: "Taiping Wan", "Yuanchang Wan", "New Taiping Wan" and "Shun Feng Wan", and controlled a large number of routes from the Yangtze River to the ocean. At this time, Chen Shuntong had become a veritable Chinese shipping king.

Shipwreck, bankruptcy, national disaster

Chen Shuntong's business is booming and he is gradually known by the Japanese. In the field of business and trade, Chen Shuntong still maintains cooperative relations with the Japanese.

In the eyes of everyone, in the face of national justice, Chen Shuntong still did business with the Japanese, which was unpatriotic, but this was not the case.

Although Japan's war of aggression against China has begun, the Kuomintang and Japan still maintain some commercial relations. As a businessman, Chen Shuntong's choice is understandable.

In 1936, Japan's Datong Shipping Co., Ltd. took the initiative to find Chen Shuntong and asked to lease his ship. After multiple rounds of negotiations, the two parties finally reached an agreement, and Chen Shuntong leased the 6,725-ton "SF Express" and the 5,025-ton "New Taiping" to Japan for one year. In order to prevent it from breaching the contract, Chen Shuntong invested in hull insurance with Nippon Co., Ltd.

The Anti-Japanese War broke out in an all-round way the following year. The Kuomintang blocked important ports across the country and urgently built fortifications. At the same time, they requisitioned larger ships across the country and sank them in important sea lanes to prevent Japan from attacking from the water.

According to the agreement between China and Japan, the one-year contract signed by Chen Shuntong with Japan has expired, but the Japanese government has tried every means to delay the final use period and refused to perform the contract. Chen Shuntong cannot get back the right to use the two merchant ships. .

Therefore, at this time, Chen Shuntong only had "SF Lun" and "Yuan Chang Lun" left in his hands. Despite this, Chen Shuntong took the initiative to hand over all his property, two merchant ships, to the government for use in resisting the Japanese attack.

As the war situation enters a white-hot stage, the Nationalist Government is retreating steadily. Whether it can hold Ningbo Zhenhaikou is the key to the Sino-Japanese War.

In 1938, after everyone's discussion, it was decided to sail Chen Shuntong's "Taiping Ferry" to Zhenhai Pier and sink it at the mouth of the Yongjiang River to prevent Japan from landing on the water.

The Japanese arrived in Zhenhai in June 1939 and began a new round of bombing. In just three days, Zhenhai has been riddled with holes, and it is urgent to defend Zhenhai’s water safety.

On the 27th, the government issued an order to the captain of the Taiping: sink the Taiping in the river.

For Chen Shuntong, the Taiping Wheel is a witness to his growth. Now that it is about to sink, he is naturally in great pain. However, he never had any ego in the face of the country's justice. He had no complaints, only a few "requests."

When the "Taiping Ship" was about to sink, the captain received a telegram from Chen Shuntong. Chen Shuntong asked that the bow of the ship should point to his hometown when it sank. At such a critical moment, Chen Shuntong reluctantly gave up his love, and his heart was still with his motherland.

When mentioning the experience of that year, people still feel infinite emotion in their hearts: "In the nostalgia of many people, in the lamentation of many people, in the resentment of many people, the Taiping Wheel finally sank. "

After hearing the news of the sinking of the "Taiping Wheel", Chen Shuntong and his wife sat in their apartment in Shanghai, with tears already hanging on their faces. The sinking of the "Taiping Wheel" and "Yuanchang Wheel" was Chen Shuntong's active sacrifice.

However, the Japanese defaulted on the use date and assets of the merchant ships, which caused huge harm to Chen Shuntong and his shipping company, which can never be erased.

After the charter contract with Japan expired, Chen Shuntong sent relevant personnel to communicate many times, but the Japanese either ignored him or were unclear, and had no attitude towards solving the problem.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the shipping market was very prosperous, and the charter capital increased from the original 1.47 US dollars to 7.5 US dollars. In other words, the monthly rent for a 3,000-ton cargo ship can reach more than 10,000 yuan. The Japanese refused to return the ship, and Chen Shuntong's losses were immeasurable.

What is infuriating is that the Japanese not only refused to return the ship, but also coerced and induced Chen Shuntong. Chen Shuntong's shipping company has deep-rooted influence, and he himself has numerous business contacts with Japan. Therefore, the Japanese believe that Chen Shuntong is an effective assistant.

Japanese spies have talked to Chen Shuntong many times and asked him to cooperate with the Japanese. The Japanese broke their word, and Chen Shuntong was very angry, so he decisively refused to cooperate.

The Japanese government is shameless and even threatens the "New Taiping" and "SF Express". They said: "As long as you cooperate with us, we will help you get back the SF and New Taiping." Even so, Chen Shuntong remained unmoved.

Although Chen Shuntong's wife, Dai Yunxiang, is a so-called "women's family", she also understands the hatred of the country and the family. He often educates his children: "My family was injured at the hands of the Japanese."

Chen Shuntong also said to the children: "If one day I go out and cannot come back, there will be nothing else but my refusal to help the Japanese." Accidents happen when people do things."

Over the years, even though the Japanese tried to shirk the responsibility in every possible way, Chen Shuntong never gave up on retrieving the "New Taiping Wheel" and "SF Wheel": "Yuanchang sank for the sake of the War of Resistance. I don’t feel sorry for the SF and Taiping ships, but I must get back the ship and the rent for the SF and New Taiping ships that were rented to the Japanese!”

In the spring of 1939, Chen Shuntong traveled to Japan. Came to Datong Company in person to negotiate with the other party on the time for the return of the ship. Chen Shuntong was full of hope, but the person in charge of Datong Co., Ltd. said:

"It is very regrettable that those two rounds were captured by the Imperial Japanese Army in accordance with the law on August 22, 1938, and the ownership has been vested in Japan. Xinsheng has nothing to do with us. Moreover, our company is not operating well and is on the verge of bankruptcy. "

At this time, Chen Shuntong no longer has ships in his hands, and the shipping company can only temporarily close down. "New Taiping" and "SF Express" are the last spiritual support for Chen Shuntong and the company.

With just one sentence, the Japanese extinguished all Chen Shuntong's hopes. After being requisitioned by the military, how could Chen Shuntong be recovered as a civilian?

With no ship and no money, Chen Shuntong had nothing at this time. He was extremely sad and fell seriously ill after returning home. Chen Shuntong was determined and after regaining his mood, he decided to fight Japan to the end. Since then, Chen Shuntong has embarked on a long road to compensation.

The road to compensation is long

In 1945, the Japanese government announced its unconditional surrender. Chen Shuntong was very excited when he learned the news. He said: "It has finally dawned, and I want to revive the Zhongwei Shipping Company."

Since then, Chen Shuntong has been busy in many ways, preparing to order ships in Hong Kong and make a comeback. Chen Shuntong's great act of sacrificing the individual and achieving the greater self during the Anti-Japanese War touched many Chinese people.

In the same year, the Nationalist Government commended Chen Shuntong. He received the Second-Class Medal of Merit in the Anti-Japanese War and became the head of the Claims Committee against Japan, responsible for matters related to claims against Japan. Chen Shuntong sent representatives to Japan's Datong Company many times to negotiate and ask for his two ships, but nothing happened.

In desperation, Chen Shuntong found U.S. Army Commander MacArthur through his friends and asked him to help find the ships that had been requisitioned by the Japanese military. However, the news fed back by the United States finally defeated Chen Shuntong.

MacArthur

Chen Shuntong did not know that as early as 1938, the "New Taiping" ran aground and sank near Hokkaido. The culprit was not the so-called military, but the Datong Company. Own.

Previously, Chen Shuntong had purchased insurance from an insurance company, but Datong actually concealed it from Chen Shuntong and pocketed all the compensation fees. As for another ship, the SF Express, it hit a mine and sank in the South China Sea in 1944. All Chen Shuntong's beliefs suddenly collapsed, and he fell ill from then on.

In November 1949, Chen Shuntong passed away in grief and indignation. Before his death, he made a will in which he hoped that his eldest son, Chen Qiaqun, would continue to claim ship compensation from Japan. Chen Qiaqun made a guarantee, but even he did not expect that the collection of debts owed by the Japanese would last for three generations.

In 1958, Chen Qiaqun, who was full of hope, moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong and registered Zhongwei Shipping Company. Soon after, he contacted the Japanese Datong Company and asked it to compensate his father's two ships.

Datong Company still denies it and refuses to investigate on the grounds of personnel changes. At the same time, they insisted that the ship had been commandeered by the Japanese military and continued to shirk responsibility.

At this time, Chen Qiaqun realized that practical problems could not be solved through international communication and advocacy. In 1961, with the belief that he would win, Chen Qiaqun went to Japan in person.

After many negotiations, Chen Qiaqun finally received a reply letter from Datong Company regarding the capture of two rounds by the Japanese Navy. He carried relevant documents and traveled repeatedly among various agencies in Japan, but still could not find the specific responsible agency.

Chen Qiaqun was very helpless and finally decided to take up the weapon of law and fight the Japanese to the end. In 1964, Chen Qiaqun hired a professional lawyer to formally sue the Japanese government. Since then, Chen Qiaqun's tug-of-war with Japan began.

In 1970, the Tokyo District Court opened a trial and officially accepted the Chen Qiaqun case. As soon as the trial began, Chen Qiaqun and others encountered a problem: identification.

At that time, Chen Qiaqun was living in Hong Kong. The Tokyo Court required Chen Qiaqun to provide proof of kinship with his father Chen Shuntong and mother Dai Yunxiang. If he could not prove it, the prosecution would be dismissed.

This certificate must be issued by the Chinese government. At that time, Hong Kong had not returned to the motherland and its relationship with the mainland was somewhat delicate. The Japanese believed that the Chinese government would not issue a certificate.

Obviously, Japan’s move is to make Chen Qiaqun and others give up on prosecution. To their surprise, Chen Qiaqun and his mother Dai Yunxiang were far more determined to seek justice than they imagined.

In order to win the support of the Chinese government, Chen Tongshun's wife Dai Yunxiang promised: "If the claim is successful, we will remit all the money to the country."

After learning the ins and outs of the matter, the Chinese government Premier Zhou attached great importance to this matter and personally ordered that the "Zhongwei" ship litigation case occurred before the normal diplomatic relations between China and Japan and could be handled according to people's diplomacy.

Despite the joint efforts of many parties, the results are still unsatisfactory. In 1974, the Japanese government once again ruled that Chen Qiaqun had lost the case on the grounds of "exceeding the statute of limitations."

After more than ten years of tug-of-war, Chen Qiaqun is exhausted mentally and physically, and cannot financially or physically support his continued appeal. In 1985, Chen Qiaqun suffered a stroke and completely lost the ability to handle claims. He unfortunately died seven years later.

After Chen Qiaqun suffered a stroke, the responsibility for claiming compensation was passed to Chen Shuntong’s grandsons, Chen Zhen and Chen Chun brothers.

In 1987, after the promulgation of the "General Principles of the People's Republic of China and Civil Law", Chen Shuntong's case gained the right to be heard in China. In 1988, Chen Zhen and Chen Chun formally filed a lawsuit with the Shanghai Maritime Court. In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, the Chen brothers spent a lot of money to invite authoritative lawyers from Hong Kong and the United States to form a team of 60 people.

In 2007, after a long trial period, the Shanghai Court officially announced that the defendant Japanese company had to pay Chen Zhen and Chen Chun 2.9 billion yen in rent, losses, etc. for the "New Taiping" and "SF Cruises", equivalent to RMB 190 million yuan.

Although the judgment has been issued, the Japanese government is still unwilling to fulfill it.

In 2010, the Shanghai Court rejected the Japanese defendant’s retrial application and required Japan to immediately fulfill its compensation obligations. In 2011, the Chen brothers negotiated with Nippon Co., Ltd. many times, but the two sides were never able to reach an agreement, and Japan still refused to compensate.

In 2014, the Shanghai Court made a judgment that the execution was officially effective. The court solemnly declared: If Japan is still unwilling to fulfill its compensation obligations, the court will seize its ships in accordance with the law.

In April, at Majishan Port in Shengsi, Zhejiang, China detained the merchant ship "BAOSTEEL EMOTION" owned by Mitsui Co., Ltd., a merchant ship subject to execution, in accordance with the law.

In the end, Mitsui Co., Ltd. could only choose to fulfill its compensation obligations and pay the Chen brothers 2.9 billion yen. On the 24th, after the compensation was completed, China lifted the seizure of the ship of the person subject to execution.

The justice pursued by three generations for 75 years has finally arrived.

Through the struggle and perseverance of three generations, what is inherited is not money, but the mission of the family, and it is also a reflection of the growing strength of the Chinese nation