Captives of Empire

Book excerpt: On the morning of December 8, 1941, thousands of American, British, Dutch, and other civilians of Allied nations living in China awoke to find that their countries were at war with Japan. Thousands of miles away from their home countries, they were cut off, isolated, and faced an uncertain future. As the rigors of life under the occupation increased, they were eventually herded into internment camps, known as Civilian Assembly Centres. There, they experienced starvation rations, horrible sanitary conditions, virtually no medical care apart from what they provided themselves, and an absolute lack of many of the essentials of civilized life. Yet through it all, internees rose to meet the challenges of survival. They placed their hope in the future and educated their children, organized kitchens and hospitals, started libraries, and engaged in subtle forms of resistance.