A few years ago, I visited Harbin during the coldest part of winter.
The city was covered in deep snow, and the air was sharp and dry.
Walking through the streets, everything felt quiet and still - a kind of stillness that comes with extreme cold.
I had come as a tourist, interested in both the city's architecture and its history.
One site in particular stood out on the map: the Unit 731 Museum.
Unit 731 was a former covert military facility operated by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
It served as a research base for biological warfare. Inside, human experiments were conducted (studies on frostbite, intentional infection with disease, and live vivisections.)
Thousands of people, many of them civilians and prisoners of war, died as a result.
The museum is located on the original site of the compound.
It is quiet, with minimal signage and no background music.
The lighting is dim, and many areas of the building have been left in their original condition.
The displays include photos, documents, and preserved medical tools.
At one point, a guide pointed to a stairway leading underground and said,
"That tunnel leads to the prisoner cells. You may go down alone if you'd like."
I chose to go.
The stairs creaked as I descended.
The tunnel was narrow, the walls damp. The air was colder than above.
I had a flashlight, but the beam was weak and flickering.
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, and the passage echoed faintly with each step.
After a while, I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned, but saw no one.
I assumed it might be another visitor or an echo.
Continuing forward, I heard another sound... Faint, possibly a voice.
It resembled a quiet whisper, unclear"Ahma." (probably mother in Chinese)
I remained still for a moment. The sound stopped.
Then I heard what sounded like a slow exhale close to my ear.
At that point, I turned and walked back up the stairs.
Back in the main building, I told a staff about what I had experienced.
She didn't appear surprised.
She said, "Many people hear things in that tunnel. Some things stay, even when they're gone."
There was no further explanation.
I left the museum shortly afterward.
Though I don't claim to understand what I heard or felt, the visit to Unit 731 left an impression, not through horror or theatrics, but through the weight of documented history and preserved space.
It is a reminder of what human beings are capable of and why some places should be preserved, not forgotten.
Let us remember, and move forward with responsibility.
Sending Love and Peace to the world.
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In certain dialects of Chinese it also means grandmother.
It's quite sad that there's a spirit out there still looking for its mother or grandmother