Annual report of the Xi'an Cemetery (1950)

Composite administrative dossier concerning investigations of deaths, suicides, unidentified corpses, and injuries reported by suburban county governments and police authorities to the Shanghai Special Municipal Government in 1945. The file contains several distinct cases rather than a single incident. One group of documents concerns Zhou Sibao (周四保/周四寶), an airport laborer who committed suicide by drowning at Yuepu (月浦鎮); the authorities investigated his identity, family circumstances, mental condition, and the circumstances of his death. A second group concerns Cai Helin (蔡鶴林), whose death followed the ingestion of poison and whose case includes investigative reports and suicide letters. Other documents concern an unidentified male corpse found on the seashore northwest of Shidong (石洞西北海灘), with repeated instructions to continue inquiries into the deceased's identity and circumstances. The final section concerns an accident in Chuansha involving the collapse of a floor in the residence of a local security official, causing injuries to several people; municipal and county authorities investigated responsibility and ordered follow-up action.

Correspondance about Protests made against the establishment of a Chinese Municipality in the Zhabei area

Correspondance relating to the Shanghai Land Regulations from the year 1846 up to 1899

Correspondance  on the extension of the International Settlement, including aand memorandum by the Shanghai Municipal Council

Correspondance  on the extension of the International Settlement

Correspondance  on the extension of the International Settlement

Correspondance  on the extension of the International Settlement

Correspondance  on the extension of the International Settlement

Correspondance  on the extension of the International Settlement

Detailed financial fiche of Dazhong Funeral Parlor (大眾殯儀館) in 1955, with figures back to 1953. Detailed record of income and the distribution of profits.

Dossier concerning Cai Wangshi (蔡汪氏), a 39-year-old woman who committed suicide by jumping into the river in the Bund area of Shanghai on 8 October 1948. The Shanghai Municipal Police Water Branch investigated the case and recorded the place of the incident as the Huangpu River in the Bund area (外灘一帶浦江). The file contains a death certificate issued by Lester Chinese Hospital (上海仁濟醫院), police reports and witness interrogations concerning the circumstances of the incident, correspondence requesting a judicial examination, and the subsequent prosecutorial inquest and corpse examination. The examination identifies the deceased as Cai Wangshi, female, aged 39, and concludes that she died from drowning while alive (生前溺斃身死).

Dossier concerning Chen Gushi (陳顧氏), a 42-year-old woman from Zhejiang, whose death in Shanghai in August 1944 was investigated as suicide by jumping from a building. The incident occurred on 2 August 1944. Police reports and witness statements investigate the circumstances immediately preceding the suicide and include particularly detailed testimony from her husband, Chen Chunyou (陳春友).

Chen Chunyou stated that he and the deceased had been married for approximately twenty years. He explained that he had recently become unemployed and that the family was experiencing serious economic and subsistence difficulties. According to his testimony, these conditions had produced increasing tension in the household, and the couple had quarreled on the afternoon preceding the suicide. He explicitly connected his wife's decision to jump from the building with the family's deteriorating livelihood and their domestic dispute. The dossier subsequently passed to the prosecutorial authorities and contains formal questioning, a judicial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The medico-legal record identifies the deceased as 陳顧氏, aged 42, and documents injuries consistent with a fall from height. The final forensic conclusion attributes death to injuries sustained in the fall (跌傷身死).

Dossier concerning Chen Maoyin (陳毛因), a 49-year-old man from Shanghai, who died at his residence in Pudong on 28 May 1944 from a self-inflicted throat wound. Police documentation records that Chen had suffered from a prolonged illness and, because his condition had failed to improve, developed thoughts of suicide. At approximately 8 p.m. he used a razor (剃頭刀) to cut his throat. The incident occurred at 33 Chenjiazhai (陳家宅三十三號), Pudong. His brother, Chen Quangui (陳全貴), and other persons were questioned concerning Chen's illness, family circumstances, and the events surrounding his death.

The file contains police reports, interrogation records, correspondence with the prosecutorial authorities, a formal inquest conducted on 30 May 1944, and a detailed medico-legal examination of the corpse. The examination identifies the deceased as 陳毛因, aged 49 and native of Shanghai, and documents the throat wound and other physical findings. Because the medico-legal examination established death from a knife or razor wound but could not by itself determine whether the wound had been self-inflicted or inflicted by another person, the prosecutorial authorities requested further investigation into whether the death constituted suicide or homicide. Subsequent police inquiry supported the original account that Chen had taken his own life and found no evidence establishing homicide.

Dossier concerning Chen Wushi (陳吳氏), a 43-year-old woman from Anhui, whose death in Shanghai in 1944 followed a suicide attempt involving a self-inflicted throat wound with scissors. The police corpse report records that on 24 July 1944, at approximately 7 p.m., Chen used scissors to stab or cut her throat (用剪刀戳喉管自殺) at her residence on Fulüli Road (福履理路), no. 633. She was discovered and taken to Guangci Hospital (廣慈醫院) for treatment. She remained under medical care until 30 September 1944, when she died; the hospital then notified the police and the body was transferred for medico-legal examination. The dossier contains police correspondence, interrogation records and statements from family members concerning the deceased and the circumstances of the suicide attempt, followed by a detailed judicial examination of the corpse. The final medico-legal documentation records findings consistent with suicide and does not indicate evidence establishing homicide.

Dossier concerning Cheng Yongmei (成永美), a 28-year-old man, whose death in Shanghai in July 1944 was investigated as suicide by poisoning. The police documentation identifies the substance as 砒霜 (arsenic) and treats the case as deliberate ingestion with suicidal intent. The death report records that Cheng died on 28 July 1944 at the Chinese Red Cross Hospital on Huashan Road (華山路中國紅十字會醫院).

The dossier contains the police report on the non-natural death, a narrative investigation of the circumstances surrounding the poisoning, witness interrogation, correspondence requesting judicial examination, and a detailed medico-legal examination of the corpse. The subsequent forensic examination records no significant external traumatic injuries relevant to the cause of death. The final medico-legal conclusion states 委係服毒身死—that the deceased died as a result of ingesting poison.

Dossier concerning Chu Landi (褚蘭弟), a 32-year-old woman from Jiangsu who died in Shanghai in November 1948 after ingesting poison. The file includes a certificate from the Shanghai Municipal Fourth Hospital (上海市立第四醫院), police reports and witness statements concerning the circumstances preceding the poisoning, correspondence requesting a judicial examination, a prosecutorial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The inquest identifies the deceased as 褚蘭弟, female, aged 32, and records physical findings associated with the poisoning. The final medico-legal conclusion states that the deceased died from poison taken while alive (生前服毒身死).

Dossier concerning Ding Qian Yuyu (丁錢余玉), a 35-year-old woman from Jiangyin, Jiangsu, who committed suicide in Shanghai in April 1949 by ingesting sleeping pills. The police report records that she was found after taking an overdose of 安眠藥丸 and was sent for emergency medical treatment, where she subsequently died. The dossier contains a report on the non-natural death, police investigation records, statements from her husband and other persons concerning the circumstances preceding the suicide, administrative documentation, a prosecutorial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The corpse examination identifies the deceased as 丁錢氏, female, aged 35, native of Jiangyin. The final medico-legal conclusion states that she died after ingesting sleeping medication while alive (生前服安眠藥丸死).

Dossier concerning Fu Junsheng (傅俊生), a 25-year-old man from Sichuan who died in Shanghai in November 1948 following a fall from a building while hospitalized. He had been admitted to the Shanghai Municipal Police Hospital (上海市警察局警察醫院) on 16 November and died on 22 November 1948. The police file characterizes the incident as suicide by jumping from a building. The dossier contains the hospital death certificate, a report on the non-natural death, police investigation records and witness statements concerning the circumstances of the fall, correspondence requesting judicial examination, a prosecutorial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The final medico-legal conclusion states that Fu Junsheng died from injuries sustained in a fall following illness (生前因病後跌傷致死).

Dossier concerning Guo Yi (郭毅), a 28-year-old man from Hebei who died in Shanghai on 7 April 1949 after shooting himself. A medical certificate of death issued by Lester Chinese Hospital (上海仁濟醫院) identifies the deceased as 郭毅, male, aged 28, and records a gunshot wound to the head (頭腦部槍傷) as the primary cause of death. The place of death is given as the Lester Chinese Hospital on Shantung Road. The dossier contains the police report on the non-natural death, statements concerning the circumstances leading to the shooting, the hospital death certificate, judicial correspondence, a prosecutorial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The final medico-legal examination concludes that Guo Yi died after using a handgun on himself, with the gunshot directed at the left temple.

Dossier concerning Hu Cuishi (胡翠氏), a 39-year-old woman, who died in Shanghai on 22 May 1944 after jumping from a building. The police documentation explicitly describes her as a person suffering from 瘋病 and investigates the death as suicide. A medical report was obtained following the incident, and the body was subsequently transferred for formal judicial examination.

The police investigation records that Hu had suffered from what family members described as 瘋病 for nearly three years. On the morning of 22 May, she was outside the family residence with her daughter, Hu Qiuzhen (胡秋珍). Hu asked her daughter to go inside to fetch tea; when the daughter returned, her mother had disappeared. A search revealed Hu's body lying near the rear entrance of 321 Lane, Hankou Road (漢口路三二一弄後門口), with injuries resulting from the fall. The dossier contains the initial police death report, medical documentation, statements from Hu Qiuzhen and other witnesses or relatives, police correspondence, a judicial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The final medico-legal documentation attributes death to injuries sustained in the fall.

Dossier concerning Li Shimin (李世民), a male Shanghai resident who attempted suicide in 1948 by jumping from the second floor of his residence. A certificate from Chung San Memorial Hospital records that he had attempted suicide by jumping from a second floor and had subsequently received treatment in the hospital’s orthopedic department. Li Shimin died in Zhongshan Hospital on 10 September 1948, after which the hospital notified his family or related persons and the authorities. The Shanghai Municipal Police subsequently requested a judicial examination. The dossier contains police correspondence, hospital documentation, interrogation records concerning the circumstances of the suicide attempt, a prosecutorial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The medico-legal examination concluded that Li Shimin died from injuries sustained in a fall (生前跌傷身死).

Dossier concerning Li Weifang (李維芳), a young woman who attempted suicide in Shanghai in February 1949 by ingesting Lysol (來沙). She was taken for emergency treatment to the First Hospital of the Chinese Red Cross (中國紅十字會第一醫院), where her condition was recorded as critical. The Shanghai Municipal Government Health Bureau subsequently issued a medical certificate of death recording poisoning following ingestion of Lysol as the cause of death. The dossier contains medical documentation, police investigation reports and statements concerning the circumstances of the poisoning, correspondence requesting judicial examination, a prosecutorial inquest, and a detailed examination of the corpse. The final medico-legal conclusion states that the deceased died from poison ingested while alive (生前服毒身死).

Dossier concerning Li Xingxing (李杏興), an 18-year-old woman from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, whose body was found in a well in Shanghai in November 1948. The police treated the case as a suicide by jumping into a well and prepared a report on the non-natural death, together with statements concerning the discovery of the body and the circumstances surrounding her death. The file also contains judicial inquest records and a detailed corpse examination. The examination identifies the deceased as Li Xingxing, female, aged 18, native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and records signs consistent with immersion. The final medico-legal conclusion states that she died after falling into water while alive (生前落水身死).

Dossier concerning Li Zhangshi (李張氏), a 45-year-old woman from Shandong, whose death in Shanghai on 20 August 1944 was investigated as suicide involving a self-inflicted knife wound. The police death report identifies the deceased and records the circumstances of the death, while the subsequent investigation contains extensive statements from her husband, Li Hengchun (李恆春), and other persons acquainted with the family.

The witness testimony indicates that Li Zhangshi had suffered for approximately three years from a condition described in the documents as 神經病. Testimony concerning the couple's domestic relations states that she and her husband generally lived on good terms, suggesting that the investigation did not establish marital conflict as the principal explanation for the suicide. The police nevertheless questioned relatives and neighbors in detail concerning her health, behavior, family relations, and the circumstances immediately preceding her death.

The dossier also preserves physical evidence connected with the case. An official evidence inventory records a small knife (小刀乙把) and a blood-stained garment (血衣一件). The formal medico-legal examination identifies the deceased as 李張氏, aged 45 and native of Shandong, and documents a knife injury to the abdomen. The final forensic conclusion states 委係刀傷身死—that death resulted from a knife wound.

Dossier concerning Li Zijing (李子敬), a 33-year-old man employed as a worker at Mitsubishi (三菱洋行) in Pudong, whose death in Shanghai on 16 August 1945 was investigated as suicide by jumping into a well. The police non-natural death report records his residence as No. 110, Qipu Road (七浦路一一○號) and identifies this location as the site connected with the death. His wife, Li Fengshi (李馮氏), is recorded as the person responsible for receiving the body.

The police investigation provides evidence concerning Li's health immediately before his death. He had reportedly suffered for approximately two weeks from a condition described as 寒熱症 (recurrent fever/chills) and had undergone treatment without recovering. The police narrative further describes his condition in contemporary language as resembling 神經病亂狀, indicating apparent mental or nervous disturbance, and associates this condition with the circumstances preceding his suicide.

Testimony from Yang Dongzai (楊冬仔), who shared the premises with Li, confirms that Li had been ill with 寒熱症 for about two weeks and had repeatedly sought treatment without recovering. On the evening of 16 August, Yang noticed that Li was missing, searched for him, and eventually discovered his body in the well. Li was removed from the well but was already dead. The police were then notified and the body sent for examination.

The dossier subsequently passed to the prosecutorial authorities for formal medico-legal examination. The examination identifies the deceased as 李子敬, male, aged 33, and the final forensic conclusion gives 溺水身死—death by drowning.

Dossier concerning Li Zijing (李子敬), a 33-year-old man employed as a worker at Mitsubishi (三菱洋行) in Pudong, whose death in Shanghai on 16 August 1945 was investigated as suicide by jumping into a well. The police non-natural death report records his residence as No. 110, Qipu Road (七浦路一一○號) and identifies this location as the site connected with the death. His wife, Li Fengshi (李馮氏), is recorded as the person responsible for receiving the body.

The police investigation provides evidence concerning Li's health immediately before his death. He had reportedly suffered for approximately two weeks from a condition described as 寒熱症 (recurrent fever/chills) and had undergone treatment without recovering. The police narrative further describes his condition in contemporary language as resembling 神經病亂狀, indicating apparent mental or nervous disturbance, and associates this condition with the circumstances preceding his suicide.

Testimony from Yang Dongzai (楊冬仔), who shared the premises with Li, confirms that Li had been ill with 寒熱症 for about two weeks and had repeatedly sought treatment without recovering. On the evening of 16 August, Yang noticed that Li was missing, searched for him, and eventually discovered his body in the well. Li was removed from the well but was already dead. The police were then notified and the body sent for examination.

The dossier subsequently passed to the prosecutorial authorities for formal medico-legal examination. The examination identifies the deceased as 李子敬, male, aged 33, and the final forensic conclusion gives 溺水身死—death by drowning.

Dossier concerning Lin Kangshi (林康氏), a woman in her mid-fifties whose death in Shanghai on 17 May 1945 was investigated as suicide by jumping from a building. The archival heading explicitly attributes the suicide to a condition described as 神經病. The police non-natural death report identifies Lin as a 54-year-old woman, unemployed at the time of her death, and records the incident within the jurisdiction of the Taishan Police Branch.

Following the fall, Lin was taken for medical treatment. The dossier contains a police injury form from the Second Hospital of the Shanghai Medical Unit of the Tongrenhui (同仁會上海診療班第二醫院) and an English-language Medical Certificate of Death recording that she died at Renji Hospital (仁濟醫院) on 17 May. The latter documents severe traumatic injuries, including a forehead laceration and fracture of the base of the skull, consistent with a fall from height. It records her as female, married, Chinese, and 55 years old, creating a one-year age discrepancy with the police and later judicial records.

Police testimony investigates Lin's medical and mental condition before the suicide. Witness questioning explicitly discusses her 神經病, prior treatment, and the circumstances preceding the jump. The file also preserves medical documentation and a Chinese medical prescription associated with her treatment. The dossier subsequently passed to the prosecutorial authorities for formal examination. The medico-legal records again identify Lin as approximately 54 years old and document multiple traumatic injuries. The final conclusion attributes her death to injuries sustained in the fall (跌傷致死).

Dossier concerning Lu Shanxiang (陸善祥), a male native of Fenghua (奉化), whose death in Shanghai in June 1944 was investigated as suicide by hanging. The police death report identifies the deceased as 陸善祥, male, and records the place of the incident as 北四川路小菜場 (the small market on North Sichuan Road). Police documentation places the case within the jurisdiction of the Hongkou branch of the Shanghai Special Municipality First Police Bureau.

The dossier contains a medical certificate from Shanghai Chinese General Hospital (上海濟民醫院) dated 26 June 1944, a police report on the non-natural death, statements concerning the circumstances preceding the death, correspondence requesting judicial examination, and a detailed medico-legal examination of the corpse. The hospital certificate records the deceased as male and aged 30, whereas the subsequent police and medico-legal documentation records him as 33 years old, indicating a discrepancy in the age reported by the different institutions. The formal corpse examination documents findings associated with the neck and concludes that the deceased died by hanging (自縊身死).

Dossier concerning Mei Qijin (梅其金), a 37-year-old unmarried man from Guangdong, whose death in Shanghai on 16 August 1945 was investigated as suicide by jumping from a building. The police non-natural death report identifies him by name, age, sex, native place, and residence and places the incident on Daxi Road (大西路), within the jurisdiction of the Songshan Police Branch.

The dossier contains an unusually extensive investigation of the circumstances preceding Mei's death. Police reconstructed his movements and contacts during the days immediately before the incident and obtained statements from numerous persons who knew him or were connected with the premises. Because the archival heading explicitly asks 因何—why Mei Qijin committed suicide—the investigation pays particular attention to his personal relationships, living arrangements, recent activities, and conversations with acquaintances. The surviving testimony, however, does not establish a single motive with sufficient certainty to reduce the case to one causal explanation.

A particularly important feature of the dossier is that the physical evidence and medico-legal findings indicate a more complicated mechanism of death than the archival title alone suggests. The police classified the case as 跳樓自殺 (suicide by jumping), but the examination of the corpse documented both blade/knife injuries and injuries resulting from the fall. The file also preserves a formal inventory of objects retained during the investigation. The final medico-legal documentation concludes that Mei died from 刀傷及跌傷—knife wounds together with injuries sustained in the fall.

Dossier concerning Ni Yaqin (倪雅琴), an 18-year-old woman from Ningbo (寧波), whose death in Shanghai on 13 August 1945 was investigated as suicide by poisoning. The police non-natural death report identifies her as female, aged 18, and records the incident at No. 14, Lane 396, Jinling Road (金陵路396弄14號). She was subsequently taken for emergency medical treatment, but efforts to save her were unsuccessful.

The police narrative and witness material provide unusually substantial information about the circumstances preceding the suicide. The investigation states that Ni came from a poor family (家境貧寒) and that, several years earlier, her mother had wanted her to become a 童養媳 (tongyangxi, child bride/daughter-in-law raised for future marriage). Ni was dissatisfied with this arrangement, and her grandmother Xu Luoshi (徐羅氏) brought her from Ningbo to Shanghai, where she subsequently lived with her for an extended period. The police reconstruction also refers to the difficult circumstances of her parents and to her mother earning a living through domestic service (代人為傭). These family circumstances were presented by contemporary investigators as part of Ni's unhappiness and sense of dissatisfaction with her situation.

The subsequent interrogation of Xu Luoshi further explores Ni's family poverty, the proposed tongyangxi arrangement, her residence with her grandmother, and the events immediately preceding the poisoning. The testimony describes Ni ingesting a poisonous substance at the residence and being sent for emergency medical assistance. Medical documentation survives in the dossier, followed by formal prosecutorial and medico-legal examination. The judicial documentation identifies the deceased as 倪雅琴, female, aged 18, and supports poisoning as the physiological mechanism of death.

Dossier concerning Nikolay/N. Voronchihin (和郎切林; N. VORONCHIHIN), a 49-year-old Russian man living in Shanghai, who attempted suicide by cutting his throat on 31 May 1945 and subsequently died in hospital on 17 June 1945. Voronchihin was unmarried and employed as a watchman at the Tchakalian Brothers French Bakery, 477 Route de Sloyes. He resided at 107 Rue Delastre, where the suicide attempt took place. The English-language Shanghai police report records that he was found in his room bleeding heavily from a throat wound and was transported by emergency ambulance to the Red Cross Hospital, 363 Avenue Haig.

The investigation documents two important circumstances preceding the suicide attempt. Voronchihin had suffered for a considerable period from tuberculosis (T.B.) and was described as being in very poor health, with little prospect of recovery. He had also saved money in preparation for leaving Shanghai but lost his wallet containing the money and personal papers on 30 May 1945, the day before the attempt. His colleague Stepan Kalashnikoff, who had known him for approximately three years, testified that the loss greatly depressed him but considered his chronic tuberculosis and poor prognosis to be the more important reason for the suicide attempt.

Voronchihin used a razor to cut his throat. Police found the razor at the scene and also recovered a written note in his room indicating that he had attempted suicide by cutting his throat. His condition initially prevented police from taking a statement because the throat injury left him unable to speak. He remained in the Red Cross Hospital until 17 June, when police were notified that he had died. The hospital information quoted in the police report gives the primary cause of death as “Cut throat” and the secondary condition as “T.B.”

The body was transferred to the Public Mortuary on Rue Ningpo pending an inquest. As Voronchihin had no relatives in Shanghai, his employer, represented by Stepan Kalashnikoff, agreed to claim the body for burial. The subsequent Chinese judicial documentation records the throat injury during the formal corpse examination and confirms the death as resulting from the self-inflicted cutting injury, with tuberculosis also documented as a serious underlying medical condition.

Dossier concerning Otto Weisz (奧多惠司), a 34-year-old Austrian Jewish refugee living in Shanghai, who died on 1 November 1943 after jumping from the tenth-floor rear staircase of the Medhurst Apartments, 934 Bubbling Well Road. He was taken by emergency ambulance to the Country Hospital, 17 Great Western Road, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The hospital certificate records fractures of the right femur and right lower leg and contusion of the frontal region of the head.

The Shanghai Municipal Police investigation identifies Weisz as an Austrian Jew born in Vienna on 21 September 1909, who had arrived in Shanghai with other refugees in 1939 and was working as a piece-goods salesman. He lived with his brother at 503/20 Ward Road in the designated refugee “Special Area.” Shortly before his death he visited his fiancée and then proceeded to the Medhurst Apartments on business, where witnesses saw him enter the rear staircase and jump from an opening between the tenth and ninth floors. Police examination of the scene and witness testimony led investigators to conclude that the death was suicide and that there was no evidence of foul play. No suicide note was found; acquaintances described him as nervous and troubled by unspecified personal worries. The police notified the Jewish Refugee Committee and arranged for his relatives to attend the inquest.

The dossier subsequently passed to the Chinese judicial authorities and includes interrogation records, judicial correspondence, and a formal corpse examination. The final medico-legal documentation attributes death to injuries resulting from the fall.

Place: Medhurst Apartments, 934 Bubbling Well Road, Shanghai — death confirmed at The Country Hospital, 17 Great Western Road

Dossier concerning Pan Caishi (潘蔡氏), a 32-year-old woman from Wuxi (無錫), whose death in Shanghai on 5 June 1945 was investigated as suicide by ingestion of opium. The police non-natural death report identifies her by name, sex and age and initiates an investigation into the circumstances of the poisoning. The dossier contains an extensive police narrative and numerous witness interrogations concerning her family situation, activities immediately preceding the poisoning, and the circumstances in which she was discovered and taken for medical assistance.

The medical documentation from 惠旅養病院 identifies Pan Caishi as female, aged 32 and native of Wuxi, and records her address as No. 24, Lane 60, Yongshou Street (永壽街60弄24號). The hospital death certificate gives the time of death as approximately 8:40 a.m. on 5 June 1945 and states the cause as 鴉片中毒，急救無效—opium poisoning, with emergency treatment unsuccessful. The accompanying hospital record similarly documents the emergency condition in which she was received.

The case subsequently passed to the Shanghai prosecutorial authorities for formal judicial examination. The medico-legal examination again identifies the deceased as 潘蔡氏, aged 32, and records the physical condition of the body. The final forensic conclusion gives the cause of death as 服毒身死—death resulting from ingestion of poison.