The Children of Huang Shi

What do you say to a few hoops?

Are you out of your mind?

Possibly.

I've been cooped up in

a ship for five days.

Well I'm sorry for you, fella,

but I gotta conserve my strength.

I... I get married on Tuesday.

Brilliant.

That's if I get back

from Nanjing on time.

I drive for the Red Cross.

Really?

You're going to Nanjing?

Yeah. Two days before my wedding.

I'd say that calls for a drink.

- Okay.

- Maybe I can help your plans along.

All right.

I repeat. Nanjing is closed to the press.

Ask the Japs. It's their call.

Not ours.

Barnes!

This is my good friend Andy...

...Fisher.

- Fisher. Terrific fellow.

He's here to see his girl.

I'm George Hogg.

- Hi, Daisy.

- Meet Roger Appsley.

An ungrateful sh*t from

the British Embassy.

Mr. Fisher and I have already met.

Hey, there you are!

Excuse me, gentlemen?

That's his girl?

He's marrying her on Tuesday.

He won't be here on Tuesday.

He's headed straight for

hell himself in the morning.

You bastard! You've got him

a pass to Nanjing?

Barnes!

How long have we known each other,

you arsehole? Ten years?

Will you excuse us, Mr. Appsley?

Come on, Barnes...

He's not press.

Andy Fisher. Red Cross.

That's why he got a pass.

I made a deal with Andy Fisher.

He gave me

his Red Cross papers and his truck.

They'll get us into Nanjing.

Barnes, we've got a scoop.

I'm Andy Fisher.

You're David Barcley.

We're accredited drivers

for the Red Cross,

bringing medical supplies to Nanjing.

In this...

Andy Fisher's in love, Barnes.

He wants to get married.

Now everybody's happy.

Christ, you're nuts!

Damn! Eddie!

Eddie?

Eddie Wei. He's in the back.

You know. The photographer from U.P.

I know who the hell he is.

But what's he doing here?

He was desperate to come with us.

Set your watch an hour ahead, Daisy.

We're now on Tokyo time.

Do you want to know

what they're saying in Tokyo?

They say they're trying to

help the Chinese.

But it's chaos over here.

Warlords, corruption, civil war.

The Nationalists against the Communists.

They say they're trying to restore order.

That's all bullshit.

They haven't declared war on China.

I'll tell you why

they haven't declared war on China.

It's because if they don't declare war,

they don't have to treat captured

Chinese soldiers as prisoners of war.

They don't have to play

by any goddamn rules at all.

The Japanese are not savages.

But they've decided the Chinese are.

Take a good long look, Daisy.

There's thousands of them,

and they're all coming from Nanjing.

The next Great War's already begun.

The folks back home

just don't know it yet.

The papers say we're

both from the States.

So try and talk American.

Of course, old chap.

We're carrying Red Cross supplies...

from the British Government.

This must be searched.

Excuse me, Lieutenant.

These goods have been sterilized.

Your men don't seem to understand...

that these goods...

must be delivered safely.

That's enough. Go back.

Proceed.

If you're not back here

by 9:
00 tomorrow night,

I'll go without you.

Okay.

Good luck, Eddie.

Get me the cigarette.

You are safe now.

What's your name?

What is your nationality?

British?

And you're a journalist?

How did you know that?

Nobody but a journalist

would walk into Nanjing

armed with nothing but a sports coat.

The enemy's patrol team is

six streets away from us.

What is this place?

What's going on? Who are you?

It's the Tax Office.

And my name is Chen. Han-Sheng Chen.

Han-Sheng Chen?

Call me Jack, why don't you.

So, why were they going to kill you?

The Japs usually leave

British nationals alone.

- I saw something I shouldn't have.

- Got it.

I took photographs. They found them.

Oh. No wonder...

Pardon my ignorance,

but what are you doing in the Tax Office?

They're killing people out there.

We are completely out-numbered here.

And the Japs are better armed.

So we are going to fight another day.

Hold this...

But before we go,

we're going to blow up a few buildings.

They are very orderly, the Japanese.

They hate it when we

blow up a city's records.

Let's go out. Hurry...

Thank you.

Wait me out there.

We'll try for the British consulate.

They may be able to

get you out of Nanjing.

You have to leave.

You have to tell the world

what's happening here.

I love this part

Come on. Your friends should be this way.

Take it easy, Daisy.

I have a pass.

I have a pass in my pocket.

Shoot him!

There's nothing we can do.

Shoot him!

You're too reckless, George.

Shoot him... Shoot him...

Hey...

You were hit pretty bad.

Was I? I didn't feel a thing.

Must've been the cold numbing the pain.

Most of your blood's

gone down the Yangtze. But

- I decided you'll live.

I hope you're going to thank him

for saving your life.

Thank you once again.

She was talking to me. Right, Lee?

So. You are in a hospital bed.

- What?

- You talk a lot in your sleep.

What about you?

You didn't learn your English at Berlitz,

if I may say so.

West Point.

- I thought you were a Communist

- I am.

Figure it out yourself.

And when you do, you will understand

much more about China.

I never thought of you

as the kind to pick up strays.

Not male ones, anyhow.

I can't just dump him out here, can I?

Well he won't be up to

much for at least a month.

I can't get him back to Shanghai.

So, Miss Pearson.

Tell me what in God's name

I'm going to do with

a six-foot Oxford graduate

- who can't speak a word of Chinese.

Jack!

Have you ever heard of

a place called Huang Shi?

You know I came back to

China to teach engineering.

Now I'm teaching peasants

how to blow things up.

To tell you the truth,

it's much more fun.

Seriously.

Seriously. I travel around to

organize the resistance,

and try to stay ahead

of the Japanese army.

I have to leave tomorrow.

Take me with you.

How fit do I need to be to

use a typewriter, for God's sake?

I'm not worried about you.

I'm worried about the poor bastards

who have to carry you around with them.

But there is a place

up in the North-West.

It's called Huang Shi.

It's somewhere you can pick up

good background material

and work on your Chinese

while you are convalescing,

before you go on to the front.

Very good.

Did you understand it?

I certainly did. You said -

"Let me introduce myself."

"I am a pumpkin."

This area is controlled

by the Communists -

this by our Nationalist brothers-in-arms.

You will take the train

as far as Pao-Chi here,

and Huang Shi's right about here.

That's where you're going.

- Chen?

- Hey! Get down!

What's the matter?

They're not the Japanese.

No. They are not.

They're the government troops

of Chiang Kai-Sek.

- Nationalists?

- Yeah.

- I thought you were brothers.

- Sometimes.

I thought you were fighting together

against the Japanese.

When it suits them - or us.

This could be one of those times. Or...

...maybe not.

What are they doing here?

They are conscripts.

From the south.

They like to take them

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