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Lot Essay
The recipient of this painting Chen Kunwang was a native of Taiwan, born in 1922. Chen travelled to Japan to study in 1941, and graduated from the Tokyo Chuo University, Law department. In 1949 Chen was council member of the Chinese Overseas Association, President of the Tokyo Overseas Chinese Association. The associations were invited by Zhou Enlai and Guo Moruo to attend the establishment of the Republic of China.
In 1953, Chen escorted over 500 overseas Chinese scholars from Japan back to China, and in 1958, a further 4000 members were escorted safely home. During the Sino-Japanese war, over 30,000 overseas Chinese working in Japan died due to exhaustion-the Tokyo Overseas Chinese Association worked to return the remains of these members from over 130 locations back home, setting up memorials, work which was not completed until the 1970's. After Sino-Japanese relations were normalized, much work was made by the association to assist overseas Chinese working in Japan.
In 1953, Chen escorted over 500 overseas Chinese scholars from Japan back to China, and in 1958, a further 4000 members were escorted safely home. During the Sino-Japanese war, over 30,000 overseas Chinese working in Japan died due to exhaustion-the Tokyo Overseas Chinese Association worked to return the remains of these members from over 130 locations back home, setting up memorials, work which was not completed until the 1970's. After Sino-Japanese relations were normalized, much work was made by the association to assist overseas Chinese working in Japan.