In a dim alleyway home in China's Hunan province, 96-year-old Peng Zhuying keeps a single light bulb burning for visitors – a fragile yet defiant symbol of survival. Her story, etched in both history and flesh, reveals the human cost of Japan's WWII-era atrocities with unflinching clarity.
Stolen Childhood, Unbroken Spirit
Blinded by Japanese mustard gas at age 9, Peng endured a second theft of innocence five years later when soldiers broke her toes and forced her into a military "comfort station." Today, she stands as the only person in China's official records to have survived both Japan's biological weapons testing and its institutionalized system of sexual slavery.
The Weight of Memory
Medical scans in 2024 revealed a chilling physical testament to her trauma: a calcified fetus preserved in her abdomen since age 15, conceived during her enslavement. "Can your government apologize?" she asked a visiting Japanese journalist in 2025, repeating the question that has hung unanswered for 80 years. He left silently.
Fading Voices, Urgent Questions
Of the estimated 400,000 women enslaved by Japanese forces – half from the Chinese mainland – only seven survive in China today. Peng's persistent light challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths: How many survivors will see justice? When will historical accountability outweigh diplomatic hesitation?
