The Shanghai Club

ACT ONE

“Wake up! Wake up Tintin! We are running late!” yelled Snowy. “Hmmm…” Tintin manages to open his heavy eyelids after a late night drinking with his mates at Imperial Hotel Tokyo in Ginza. Tintin got dressed, rushed with Snowy for his part-time English teaching at university. 7,000 Japanese Yen per month in the Great Depression is a big money. Plus the salary for being a Belgian reporter in Japan, Tintin and Snowy were enjoying their comfortable and well-earned lives in Japan where far away from unemployment shot-up Europe.


“Take the honour to die in battle for the Emperor Hirohito” a white stripe with this sentence in red across the top of the gate to university. “My God! Where is the battle?” Tintin murmured. “In Korea, Taiwan or China?”

Tintin met his mates again in the Imperial Hotel on that night. They were all foreigners working and getting well paid in Japan. “I receive a telegraph from Mr Zhou a Chinese friend I met in Paris a few years ago urging me to go to Shanghai,” Tintin said. “Hahaha! Don’t be silly, Tintin. You will miss Sayuri in the elegant kimonos, her beautiful white make-up, her Tachitaka and Jikata.” The American Tom laughed. Tintin nod and agreed.

Shortly after, the male students the university started practising shooting and hand-to-hand combat in the soccer field while the female students were doing the first aid course in the lecture theatre. The teachers were all from the military. “Western technology and Japanese soul” was printed in bold on the notice board. One day Tintin was informed to collect his take-home pay from the university. He lost his teaching job at the university. He decided to pack the trunk left for Shanghai.




The barge which Tintin and snowy in first set sail for Taiwan to pick up bags and bags of rice, then set off for Shanghai. “Tintin, there are many women in this barge going to Shanghai too.” Snowy told Tintin after his evening walk on the third day of the journey. “Really?!” Tintin wondered. On the fourth day, Snowy explored the barge carried lots of condoms on the basement.

ACT TWO



After seven days journey in the sea, Tintin and Snowy arrived in Shanghai harbour. The Japanese soldiers stood along the harbour with guns in hands. Tintin and Snowy saw the exhausting Japanese women were pulled in the green Army trucks with Nisshoki (sun) flag in the front. The rice and condoms were moved into the last five trucks. The Japanese trucks carrying their soldiers, women, rice and condoms disappeared from the harbour. The wind blew softly. The air smelled fresh and sweet. It was no longer oily and smelly.



Tintin and Snowy were now in Shanghai, the Paris of the East, the New York of the West. After the refreshment in the Continental Hotel, Tintin and Snowy dressed up and went for their first function at International settlement in the Shanghai Bund. “Tintin, I am feeling at home,” said Snowy. “Me too, Snowy. No more Nihongo!” The colourful European flags waving on top of the various Western style buildings. The names of shops and streets were all in English. Everything here looked so familiar.



They arrived at Shanghai Club where the British counsellor hosted an evening for the residents at International Settlement. “ Good evening Sir!” The British waiter gave them a very warm greeting as they walked in. The magnificent sparling chandeliers were shining up the whole lobby. The golden tall pillars made the lobby look enormous and splendorous. “Good evening Mr Tintin! Welcome to Shanghai! I hope you enjoy your stay in China and let the world know we are waking up this eastern dragon and building him a better tomorrow!” The British counsellor Dawson came to Tintin with a big smiley face. The moustache was dancing up and down happily on his fatty face while he was talking. “We are proud being the largest investor in China. We provide huge amount of loans to the Chinese government, involving in mineral, railway, shipbuilding and military industries. Shanghai has become the centre of international business…” His moustache kept moving up and down when he carried on his talking.



After the function, Snowy asked for a walk in the park. “No Dogs or Chinese Allowed”, a sign was put up at the entrance to the Huangpu Park. Poor Snowy walked away with Tintin depressingly. Neither of them talked on the way back to hotel.



At the reception in the Continental Hotel, Tintin received a letter from Mr Zhou and a parcel with two sets of cotton Chinese costume for Snowy and himself. “There will be a brown rickshaw with a red handkerchief hanging on the handle to pick you up at 8.30 at the hotel entrance.” The letter said.

The next morning, Tintin and Snowing put on the cotton Chinese costumes and were taken to a wooden boat in a small river at the countryside of Shanghai. There he
met Mr Zhou one of the leaders of Chinese communist party. Mr Zhou studied Marxism in France, Britain, Belgian and German where he also became a student organizer in the Communist Revolution.

“Hello Tintin! Welcome to China! How are you, Snowy?” “Glad to see you Zhou. But we had an unpleasant time last night. No Dogs or Chinese Allowed in Huangpu Park” Tintin complained to Zhou angrily. “We know that sign, Tintin. Indeed, our people are treated worse than animals. I am asking a favour from you. I invite you to China to see our suffering and to tell the world the truth.” Mr Zhou talked in a low voice to Tintin seriously. “The imperialist powers are raping our country, Japanese in the north and British together with others in the south. They rob our resources and kill our people. Shanghai is the centre of international opium smuggling. China is in great danger. We are fighting for our freedom and for our country. Tintin, please let the world know the truth and let them know we need support.

Tintin and Snowy then travelled to the north. Bomb frightened, burning hut and hobos were everywhere. They arrived at a Japanese controlled zone. There they saw the women Snowy met in the ship. The women were working in the Comfort Station as ianfu (comfort women). At that night, Snowy sneaked in the Comfort Station and found two strips on each side of the entrance: “EN-POWERE OUR SOLDIER, SERVE OUR EMPIRE BETTER”. Snowy also managed to take a photo of the Comfort Policy:


1. Only Japanese army officer, soldier and army employee with ID card allowed
2. Pay in full before collecting one condom
3. Two Yen per ticket for the soldier or the army employee, Five Yen per ticket for the officer
4. Expires at same day when purchase. No refund when enter comfort room.
5. 30mins in comfort room per ticket
6. No alcohol in comfort room
7. Immediately out of comfort room when finish
8. No condom No sex

Tintin and Snowy took many frighten photos inside the zone: Opium trees were largely growing. Chemical Biomedical weapon industries were busy working, etc.

All the photos Tintin took in China were sent secretly by telegraph to Herge in Belgian for publishing. The photos had also arrived in United Nations. Immediately, the world was shocked, furious and cried. The American volunteered to destroy the all the Japanese military factories on their home island. Chinese people were strengthened with the international support. The Japanese troops in China surrendered.

ACT THREE

Tintin and Snowy were on their way home after farewelling Mr Zhou. The ship was crowded with lots people speaking different European languages. “Hello, Mr Dawson!” Tintin and Snowy met the British counsellor on deck with a big surprise. “Hello, Tintin my friend! I am on my way home to London. I am required by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East(IMTFE) to witness to the Tokyo war crimes in China. I am so proud of Chinese people. There will be a party for the old Shanghailanders in the ship tonight to celebrate the Chinese victory. Please do join us.” The humungous ship carried the Europeans leaving China, departing for home where they haven’t returned for long.