Book focuses on Chinese-British ties during darkest days

The main stage of the China Pavilion at this year's London Book Fair was crowded on Wednesday morning as the Chinese edition of a biography about a young British man was launched.

Blades of Grass — The Story of George Aylwin Hogg, which was written in English by Hogg's nephew, Mark Aylwin Thomas, was translated by Li Linxi, a lecturer at the Communication University of China in Beijing and published by Renmin Publishing House.

"The book title refers to his epitaph: Through his being and working, many blades of grass will grow where none grew before," Thomas explained.

According to Thomas, in February 1938, the 23-year-old George Hogg arrived in Shanghai and found work as a journalist.

It was during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and Hogg traveled widely to cover the war.

In October 1939, he joined the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, or CIC, in Baoji, Shaanxi province.

The idea of the CIC, which had New Zealand-born Rewi Alley as one of its major initiators, was to "create masses of small industry in the hinterland, as the major industrial regions on the coast had been totally wiped out by the Japanese armies", severely damaging the economy.

Hogg's stories, which were published in the Western media, recorded atrocities committed by the Japanese army, and the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression, and they raised awareness and financial support for the CIC.

Later, Hogg became headmaster of the Bailie School, which was founded by Alley in Shuangshipu, Shaanxi province, to conduct technical training for young people.

The school was forced to move during the war and Hogg oversaw its relocation, and the passage of 60 students and 20 metric tons of essential machinery over 1,000 kilometers and through two mountain passes, to Shandan in Northwest China's Gansu province.

In the summer of 1945, Hogg injured his foot and contracted tetanus during a basketball match at the school. He died on July 22 aged 30, shortly before Japan's surrender in September of that year, which marked the end of World War II.

With the launch of the Chinese edition of the book about Hogg's life, Thomas said: "At last, the Chinese people get to know more about my uncle … a man who loved and respected his fellow human beings, regardless of race, belief, cultural differences, striving selflessly with compassion for a common positive goal."

This year marks the 110th anniversary of Hogg's birth. Bi Haibo, minister counselor at China's embassy in London, said in his speech at the event that the book "provides an excellent opportunity for us to commemorate and carry forward Hogg's spirit".

During President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United Kingdom in 2015, he recounted the stories of Chinese fishermen from Zhoushan in Zhejiang province courageously rescuing British prisoners of war from the sinking Lisbon Maru, as well as Hogg sacrificing his life in support of the Chinese people's war of resistance.

Precious wealth

Bi said: "He emphasized that as allies in World War II, the Chinese and British people supported each other and shared weal and woe, and forged the never-fading friendship in the flames of war, which became precious wealth in bilateral relations."

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which Bi said China will solemnly commemorate.

Translator Li said the most extraordinary thing about Hogg, a graduate of the University of Oxford, was that "he chose to stay in China challenging hardship instead of living in comfort".

A panel discussion on the promotion of books about the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held during the book launch.

Andrew Hicks, a council member of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, shared the story of his book, A True Friend to China, which is about how the Friends Ambulance Unit brought medical supplies to China in the 1940s.

Michael Crook, chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, said such books are very important right now.

"The significance is the world is not a peaceful place. There are wars going on in various places. If people around the world do not see each other as friends or potential friends, but as enemies, then we are not going to get peaceful development," said Crook.