Ianto Kaneti:Flower of love bloomed in wartime

He Yan

J ose Kaneti returned to his 1943 birthplace — Tuyunguan in Guiyang， Guizhou province， China. He was just 2 years old when he left China with them.

Seven decades later， in 2015， as a gray-haired old man， he returned again with his wife， Snezhanka Bakalova， and his two daughters， Dianna and Marina， who had traveled to join them with his grandson， Anton.

Joses father， Dr Ianto Kaneti， was a Bulgarian who served as one of the leaders of the International Medical Team for Aid to China. His mother， Zhang Sunfen， was Chinese. She served as a medical instructor for the Chinese Red Cross medical relief corps headquartered in Tuyunguan. In the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， the two young people from different countries met in Tuyunguan and fell in love.

Jose Kaneti had the impression that his parents were kindhearted， optimistic and easygoing. However， they seldom talked with family members about their experience in China.

Meeting with Soong Ching-ling

Jose had long tried to gain a better understanding of his father， who was born in February 1910 in Kazanlak， Bulgaria. Ianto Kaneti began working at age 7 at a dairy factory after school to help support his poor family. In 1935， he received a bachelors degree in medicine at Sofia University under a work-study program. In 1936， he was hired as a national doctor.

That same year， Francisco Franco and his military administration of spain betrayed the republican government， arousing anger among the people in Europe and America. In 1937， the elder Kaneti quit his high-salary job， joined the International Brigades and the Communist Party in Spain after crossing the Pyrenees from France. At the end of 1938， he and other survivors retreated to France， but he was then detained in the Gurs camp.

“Justice doesnt always have the upper hand， and violence may override the spirit of righteousness，” Ianto Kaneti said.

In 1939， the Association of British Medical Aid to China came to the Gurs camp to recruit medical staff. Kaneti applied to join the International Medical Team for Aid to China and went to the United Kingdom to acquire medical equipment for China， together with Dr Herbert Baer of Germany， Dr David Iancu of Romania and Dr Walter Freudmann of Austria. On Aug. 5，1939， they boarded the ship Aeneas in Liverpool and headed for China.

Their first port of call was Marseille， France， where they were joined by another 10 medical personnel of the International Brigades under the leadership of Polish doctor Szmuel-Moysze Flato. After six weeks， they arrived in Hong Kong and were received by Hilda Selwyn-Clarke， secretary of the China Defense League and representative of the Association of British Medical Aid to China in Hong Kong.

The day before departing for Hanoi， Vietnam， they attended a banquet hosted by Soong Ching-ling， president of the China Defense League. Dr Walter Freudmann recalled：

“She didnt live in the rich downtown area. Across many narrow and crowded valleys， we walked a long way to arrive at her residence， a simple and narrow house.

“Her behaviors， as simple as her residence， were unsullied from the clamorous Hong Kong. Her incomparable elegance revealed to us the true greatness of humanity. Her energy， power of action and spirit of devotion were reflected in her conversations with others and were most needed qualities in our effort to help China.

“It was a beautiful night. We were treated to Chinese cuisine. We could feel strongly Madame Sun Yat-sens interest in us and her vitality. Her concern with the refugees who were mired in a horrible plight could be read here and there between the lines. Her suspicions and criticism about the administration of her brother-in-law， Chiang Kai-shek， were quite obvious.

“She suggested with particular emphasis that all the foreign doctors should stay and play a better role in middle China， instead of being confined to the northwestern area. The two choices were decisively different. What she said was quite worth consideration.

“At almost the end of the banquet before our leaving， we noticed that the hostess whispered to Hilda SelwynClarke， the honorary secretary of the China Defense League. Clarke seemed astonished and hesitated. She didnt speak until the hostess repeated her wish. Clarke then told the guests： ‘Madame Sun Yat-sen would like to invite you， dear friends， to sing the Internationale to end this beautiful night.

“We were amazed by the request. After a long while of silence， we finally began the chorus in different languages. In fact， it was the first time for us to sing this song， aimed at fighting for human liberation， after leaving the Gurs camp in France. We might have sung off-key here and there， but this outstanding female leader of China， which has the largest population in the world， listened carefully with utmost inner concern， touching us a lot.”

At parting， Soong Ching-ling presented a bouquet of flowers to the visi- tors.

Lovers destined to unite

Tuyuguan lies in a mountainous area seven miles from Guiyang. Acacia and wild azaleas cover the mountains. At that time， rows of thatched cottages on the hillsides on both sides of the road made up the humble offices， wards and classrooms of the Red Cross Society of China.

The foreign doctors applied to work in the CPC-liberated area on their arrival at Tuyunguan. Robert Kho-Seng Lim， head of the Medical Relief Corps of the Red Cross Society of China， declined directly and clearly， but comforted them to wait for a better opportunity.

Jose Kaneti remembered that his father always talked in gentle tones about Zhou Enlai， or Chou En-lai as was known at the time. In the autumn of 1942， the elder Kaneti and Dr Szmuel-Moysze Flato met with Zhou in Chongqing. Considering the big picture of the war， Zhou hoped that they could stay in a Kuomintang-ruled area. Kaneti accepted the suggestion. He served first as instructor of health services and then as captain of the Third Squadron to lead the medical relief corps to the frontiers of Changsha and Pingjiang in Hunan province.

During their stay in Tuyunguan， they lived in a warehouse and slept on camp beds， with rats scuttling around and biting them occasionally. They ate their meals in the same canteen as the Chinese. At first， they found it difficult to eat unpolished rice since they were accustomed to eating bread. But they soon got used to the Chinese food. As for Kaneti， he acquired a particular taste for stinky tofu.

It was then that a woman with a petite figure drew Kanetis attention. Her name was Zhang Sunfen. In charge of training nurses， Zhang won a lot of respect from her students. She was born into a scholarly family in Peking and majored in nursing at Yenching University. The slim， short girl had come to Guizhou via Hong Kong and Vietnam for one simple reason： “Everyone has a share of responsibility for the fate of his or her country. We dont want to be slaves of a foreign power.”

Zhang was inducted into the Eighth Squadron as medical inspector and then left for Conghua， Guangzhou， under the leadership of Dr Yi Baolin from Hong Kong， to build field hospitals. At the end of 1940， she returned to her squadron in Tuyunguan.

Zhang， at a young age， was good at singing and dancing and could speak fluent English. One day， she led the medical staff in song and suddenly caught a male voice that was offkey. That man happened to be Kaneti. Zhang corrected him and said： “Maybe I should teach you Chinese first and then you can sing well.”

After that， Kaneti often came to Zhang to learn Chinese. Once he sang the Song of Young Communist Leaguers in Russian. When singing “Goodbye mom！ Dont be grieved！ Dont be sad！” both of them shed tears. Kaneti asked Zhang： “Where is your mom？”Zhang replied： “She is in fallen Peking. How about yours？” Kaneti answered：“Mine is in Europe， which is now under the rule of German fascists.” They then sank into silence. It was after a long while before they said， coincidentally： “We cant reunite with our moth-ers until we defeat fascism.”

The two hearts drew closer as time went on. They often went downtown to watch Peking Opera and enjoy Chinese cuisine. On a serene night， they strolled along a forest trail， bathed in soft moonlight， and Kaneti suddenly asked Zhang： “Would you like to come to Europe with me？” Zhang understood what the suggestion meant. Meeting his sincere and expectant eyes， she answered in the affirmative without hesitation.

In 1942， they married in Tuyunguan. In 1943， when Zhang gave birth to her first son， Jose Kaneti， Zhou Meiyu， head of the nursing department， asked someone to bring a hen to her for better nourishment after the delivery. She was deeply touched and said emotionally decades later： “Chickens were really rare in Tuyunguan at that time. I wondered from where she managed to get the hen！”

Bloody battle in Tengchong

In 1943， Kaneti was assigned to the 10th Brigade in Yunnan， serving as the medical captain of the 012 team and was assigned to the 54th Army in Anning.

In May 1944， the Yunnan-Burma counteroffensive began. The 54th Army left Anning and crossed the Nujiang River on the night of May 11， together with the 53rd Army. The 54th Army was in charge of attacking enemies north of Zhaigongfang. Kaneti followed with his team and set up a center to wrap the wounds of officers and men. The more seriously wounded would be transferred to a field hospital. It was raining heavily on Gaoligong Mountain. Kaneti was soaked and cov- ered with soldiers blood.

On the morning of July 23， the 53rd and 54th armies advanced to the periphery of Tengchong and attacked Laifengshan， the main Japanese stronghold. After three days of bloody battle and great sacrifice， they finally occupied the strategic location and laid siege to Tengchong. Kaneti led the team over northern Zhaigongfang and came to the field hospital in a village at the foot of Laifengshan Mountain. After extremely tough battles， the number of injuries was great， and blood stained the ground of the hospital.

The troops pounded the city of Tengchong on Aug 2， and the Japanese defended the city wall desperately. Many soldiers on the Chinese side were killed or wounded. The Chinese troops dug tunnels， bombed the city walls and finally occupied several corners of the city. Divisions of the 54th Army rushed into the city and engaged in fierce street battles with the Japanese.

In the deafening cannon fire， Kaneti led his team to work around the clock to save the injured. Urgently needed medicines were shipped by air. When a patient arrived， the medical staff immediately poured one gram of sulfa powder into his mouth， and then injected painkillers and tetanus antitoxin. Kaneti checked the wound to see if surgery was needed. Thanks to strict medical procedures， there was not a single case of tetanus or gangrene.

After more than a month of desperate and bloody battles， the Chinese side won the Battle of Tengchong on Sept 14. The people there， having been besieged by the enemy for nearly three years， cheered when the 54th Army arrived. “It was as if prisoners in a cage were finally freed，” Kaneti said. “Yes， we were finally there to liberate them.”

Afterward， the 54th and 53rd armies retook Longling and Mangshi and joined the India-stationed Chinese troops in Wanding. Kaneti led his team along the same route. During tense rescue maneuvers， news came of Allied forces landing in Normandy， France. Kaneti said excitedly to the wounded：“Listen， guys， victory is coming！ Please try your best to recover soon！”

In August 1945， Kaneti took his wife and their eldest son， Jose， back to Bulgaria via the Soviet Union. The following year， the couple had their second child and named him Baohua in Chinese， which means safeguarding China. Jose Kaneti remembered his father saying that his name and his younger brothers name mean， respectively， “friendship between Bulgaria and China” and “safeguarding China”. He hoped his sons would never forget that they were Bulgarian Chinese.

In the city of Sofia， Kaneti first served as head of the First Army health department. In 1953， considering the political situation， he gave up his official position and qualified as an expert in radiology. From then on， he worked as a professor in the medical school until his retirement.

Chinese teaching in Rose Kingdom

Joses mother， Zhang Sunfen， settled in Bulgaria with her husband and adjusted to the new country. At first， she worked in a municipal hospital in Sofia. She helped receive a Chinese delegation and translated for them often in her spare time.

Jose Kaneti recalled that his mother also participated in prepara-tions for the establishment of the Chinese embassy in Bulgaria and served as a translator. In the 1950s， a Chinese professor came to Sofia University to teach Chinese， and Zhang Sunfen became his assistant. Before retirement， Zhang taught Chinese at the university， contributing to the spread of Chinese culture in Bulgaria. Currently， the Confucius Institute at the University of Sofia is large and active. It is run by her students.

After the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and China， the two countries began to exchange students. In 1952， Peking University professor Zhu Dexi was dispatched by the Chinese government to teach Chinese at the University of Sofia. This was the earliest Chinese language class set up by China in Eastern Europe.

Zhang was employed as a translator for the class. On the first day of the class， it caused a sensation at the university， and the lecture hall was filled to capacity with some 200 people. The students were attracted by the charm of the Chinese language， and many chose it as an optional course. Without readymade textbooks， the two teachers sacrificed much of their time off to compile the first Bulgarian-annotated Chinese textbook. The job was done in a short period and the book was published in 1954.

Professor Zhu returned to China after two years of teaching， leaving Zhang to take up the teaching task alone. She presented more than 20 classes a week. In the following years， influenced by the situation in Eastern Europe， Chinese language teaching in Bulgaria experienced many twists and turns， but she persisted in teaching without interruption.

In addition to teaching， Zhang published many Chinese textbooks and readers in 1958， 1972 and 1980. The Chinese characters in the textbooks were written by her in hand-carved elegant and neat fonts on waxed paper； she also typed the Bulgarian annotations herself. She often worked at a desk late at night. When her little granddaughter woke up in the middle of night， the child would ask curiously：“Grandma， when are you going to bed？ Why are you writing and typing day and night？”

In 1969， A Classified Dictionary of Bulgarian-Chinese， compiled by Zhang Sunfen， was published by Sophia University Press. The dictionary filled the gap in Bulgarias teaching of Oriental language and became a milestone in the development of Sinology in Bulgaria. Then， in 1978， she wrote and published the reference book Chinese-Bulgarian Dictionary of Commonly Used Vocabulary.

Zhang devoted herself to teaching for 30 years， cultivating more than 400 experts of Chinese language and laying the foundation for Sinology research in Bulgaria. In 2004， she was awarded the Order of the Blue Ribbon， the highest honor in Bulgarian educational circles.

Jose Kaneti said affectionately：“Neither me nor my brother could learn Chinese well. I am only able to understand and speak simple sentences of Chinese and write simple Chinese characters such as the character da（big）. However， my mother taught me to work hard， so my career was fairly successful. As a professor of chemistry， I continue working， even after retire- ment.”

In 1983， Kaneti and his wife visited China， and gathered with old friends， including Wang Bingnan， in Beijing. He donated a batch of historical photos from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the National Museum of China. On his 75th birthday， the Bulgarian government awarded him the Order of the Republic. In 1989， the couple paid another visit to China. Their eldest son Jose Kaneti accompanied them on a visit to Tuyunguan. It was the first time Jose had returned to his birthplace.

At the end of August 2015， on the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， Jose Kaneti brought his family to Tuyunguan to participate in commemorative activities presented by the International Medical Team for Aid to China. His youngest daughter， Marina， could speak Chinese and lived in the United States with her elder sister， Diana. His grandson Anton was interested in Chinese culture and studied at Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Twenty-six years have passed since Jose Kaneti first returned to his birthplace. When he visited Tuyunguan again， he could still remember his mothers words before her death： “Sixty years of living overseas cant change my true character. I have always been proud of being Chinese.”

Ianto Kaneti and Zhang Sunfen walked hand-in-hand through the ups and downs of life and loved each other until the end. Their flower of love， which blossomed in the midst of raging war， has yielded rich fruit. The love of China will continue in this foreign family.