This Chinese force was paid tribute to by the U.S. President and had its representative bestowed with honor by the British Crown. They are the Hong Kong-Kowloon Independent Brigade of the Dongjiang (East River) Column.
During World War II (WWII), under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, they were primarily active in Guangdong and Hong Kong, forming the only organized force that sustained resistance against the Japanese invasion throughout the conflict.
Under the tight blockades of the Japanese military, they dramatically rescued dozens of Allied comrades from the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Denmark, and other nations.
In 1966, the film "La Grande Vadrouille", starring Danielle Thompson and others, which tells the story of the French rescuing British air force pilots during World War II, became a global hit. However, the numerous rescue operations carried out in Guangdong and Hong Kong, which were no less heroic, remain relatively unknown.
Recently, South reporters accompanied the descendant of a rescued Allied soldier to revisit the "escape route" of his father in Hong Kong, and together they uncovered the story of this Brigade and the " La Grande Vadrouille" that took place in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Planning | Huang Can
Coordinating | Zhao Yang, Xie Miaofeng
Execution | Wang Yongxing
Script | Chen Chen
Producer director | Chen Chen, Xu Xiaoxin
Videographer | Xu Xiaoxin, Deng Yingheng, Guo Hongda, Qin Shaolong
Video editor | Xu Xiaoxin
Reporter | Chen Chen, Wu Caiqian, Deng Shengshi (intern)
Poster | Lai Meiya, Cai Junru
English editor | Liu Lingzhi, Zhan Xuanzhen (intern), Liao Ying (intern), James Campion, Hu Guangyao
Some of the archives are provided by the Guangdong Provincial Archives and the People's History Museum in Manchester, UK.
Special thanks to the decendants of Dongjiang Column soldiers, including Deng Liping, Wang Yuzhen, Jiang Shan, Huang Wenzhuang, Liao Guoqiu, Lin Ming and Zhang Fang, as well as Hong Kong Chronicles Institute, and Shenzhen Dapeng New Area Museum.
