Jan Wong starts out as a naïve, nineteen year old, Canadian student who is displeased with the capitalistic nature of her surroundings. It was the early seventies and to the author, she was experiencing a cultural revolution all her own. Opposition to the Vietnam War was strongly prevalent, the notion of feminism was beginning to arise, and there was a strong desire against conformity of any nature. The author grew up middle class to second generation Chinese citizens and was fueled by bourgeois guilt, and by a feeling of separation from her roots. “Curiosity about my ancestry made me feel ashamed that I couldn’t speak Chinese and knew so little about China” (14). After devouring every morsel of information that she could, she firmly believed Mao and his “comrades” were the only people who had a legit shot at establishing a utopic society. It was official. Jan Wong was going to Beijing.…
Whether it’s a massacre in Tiananmen Square or a mass murder throughout parts of China, Bruce Dawe uses historical references as a technique to highlight the importance of the events in each of his two poems. The use of this technique in the poem ‘War Without End’ emphasises and applies the idea in to the reader’s minds that the accidental deaths on our roads is compared…
The Rape of Nanking is a book that has detailed accounts of the horrific events of 1937 in Nanking after the Japanese invaded and slaughtered, raped, mutilated, and tortured Chinese. Iris Chang refers to the Rape of Nanking by calling it the ‘forgotten Holocaust’ and draws a connection to the World War II victims. The Rape of Nanking isn’t discussed very much due to the survivors who feel greatly humiliated by the event and the Japanese try to hide this part of history. Chang tells the tales of not only the viewpoint of the Chinese, but also from the Japanese and Westerners perspective view as well. It is interesting to note that only those at Nanking have been documented which provides most of the information for this book. No one can quarrel…
The internal struggles and civil wars that surrounded World War II were far more intense than I previously imagined. I appreciate how the battle of communism versus democracy spread well beyond the Eastern European Theater, where it is more infamously known. Furthermore, Taylor’s insights into Chiang’s thought process surrounding his major decisions shed light on how the nationalist party leader considered all of the options but remained firm in his judgments. The Generalissimo provides a plethora of insights into the life of Chiang Kai-shek while simultaneously explaining the role of outside forces; this dynamic allowed me to acquire a comprehensive understanding of modern Chinese…
First, during world war II, the Japanese had a very strong will to become the biggest race of the pacific, but china was a major threat to their success during this time. During the 1930s, the capital of China was Nanking and which made it a good move on the Japanese side, to attack the capital so that they could weaken the Chinese government. According to Chang, in December 1937 there was an invasion that extended to almost eight weeks. The Nipponese army of japan brutally tortured and murdered the Nanking people who then could be considered prisoners of war since their city had been invaded by the Japanese people. Chang gives several accounts of how horrible these acts were when the Japanese army shot the Chinese by setting them on fire after pouring gasoline on them and then making them run. This was like a game to the Japanese army. Chang listed and described the kinds of torture that were visited upon the residents, including being buried alive, mutilation, "death by fire", "death by ice", and "death by dogs". Based on the testimony of a survivor of the massacre, Chang also described a killing contest amongst a group of Japanese soldiers to determine who could kill the fastest. On the rape that occurred during the massacre, Chang wrote that "certainly it was one of the greatest mass rapes in world history." She estimated that the number…
The respondents came from various walks of life and different places in China, and the result is a book that goes into the lives and experiences of Chinese people ranging from artists to businesspeople, former Red Guards to rural migrants, prostitutes to Olympic athletes. However, for this assignment, it was asked to only read the interviews of a wealthy business man, a worker, and a Red Guard. I have heard about China Candid before and that’s why I know a lot about it. Sang Ye shows great interest in the personal experiences of his informants and they were presented not as representative of their occupation or class, but as interesting individuals with rich stories to tell. But with the context being modern China, political considerations affected the lives of all three people with whom he had conversations with. How the political expression was managed differed with every person. Some went along with the party line such as the Red Guard, while others distanced themselves from the authorities or make local officials a part of their schemes. Together, the personal stories told in this collection open a window onto what life is really like for both the Mao and post-Mao generations of…
Their Eyes Were Watching God features many symbols throughout Hurston’s novel; however, one symbol in particular attracts men towards Janie and creates Janie’s image and personality – her hair. Her hair is a symbol of power to her, an overwhelming presence in the eyes of men, and a strength most people don’t expect out of most women during this time.…
This memoir of Ma Bo’s sent shock waves throughout China when it was published and was even first banned by the Communist Government. This passionate story paints a clear picture for what the Great Chinese Cultural Revolution was really like. Many Chinese living today can attest to similar if not identical ordeals as expressed in Ma Bo’s story. The toils of being a young Red Guard in inner China were experienced by many if not millions. The horrors and atrocities were wide spread throughout the country, not just in Inner Mongolia. The experiences illustrated in Blood Red Sunset uniquely belong to Ma Bo’s entire generation of mislead Chinese. As expressed in the books dedication the Cultural Revolution produced victims, people who suffered from unspeakable wrongs, not limited by any criteria but all segments of society. All parts of China were turned completely upside down. Along with the turmoil came more than just suffering, but pure tragedy. Even the strongest unit throughout all of China’s millennia’s of history, the tight knit family unit, was broken. Particularly profound is the exhibited brutality, victimizing, and sheer loss of humanity that the common people of China subjected each other to during this tumultuous period. This sad theme was seen over and over again throughout the memoir. The devastation Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution inflicted on China has the country still in recovery today. The oldest still standing civilization in history became lawless and un-secure for an entire decade. This resulted in millions of atrocities and injustices taking place throughout the country. Injustice ran rampant everywhere and humanity itself struggled to survive. It awakened the most malicious side of mankind ever seen on such a large scale. To truly appreciate the Communist China 1966-1976 national aberration known as the Great Cultural revolution it is necessary to read an account of a person who actually lived in…
“Need soldiers in China,” Poh-Poh said, slapping the last bandage on my arm. She poured her stinging homemade lotion on one of Jung’s battle wounds. “Fight the warlords!Fight the Japanese!”(Page 230 )…
Explain why you think this book will or will not be read 100 years from now. Support your opinion by stating specific events in the story.…
From 1937 through 1938, China had been a victim of not only many deaths, but rape and brutal torture as well. In the midst of heavy fighting, Japanese would still find time to, once a city was captured, take advantage of all that came with it. For example, Chiang was captured mid December and is known for being witness to the worst barbarity of the war. Japanese soldiers were turned loose to murder, rape, steal goods, and burn at will. It is one things to hear about horror going on, but it does not compare to seeing up close and personal as to what happened. When rabe was writing about his travel around the city he says, “It is not until we tour the city that we learn the extent of destruction. We come across corpses…
Chung displays an arduous tone as he relays a new perspective of the Vietnam War. This ardor demonstrates the passion and love which had fueled the sacrifices of the Chung family and allowed them to stay alive and together throughout the devastating war. Their perseverance, motivated by love and respect of family, is the main component which drives Chung’s story with intensity and earnest. Not only is the family genuine in their love and respect for each other, but the passion and fervent desire to do anything for any relative truly encompass the memoir and bolster Chung’s theme of perseverance, family, and success amidst a time of war.…
During Second Sino-Japanese War, mass murder and mass rape by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing. Over a period of six weeks over 300,000 innocent citizens were killed. The diaries of John Reba on one hand showed the life’s he saved but on the other it also showed the awful and brutal reality that was happening. “It is not until we tour the city that we learn the extent of the destruction. We come across corpses every 100 and 200 yards. The bodies of civilians that I examined had bullet holes in their back. These people had presumably been fleeing and were shot from behind.”…
First, bandit wars in South China, Communist—Gung Chang—wars everywhere, and all those sun-cursed Japanese dogs yapping into North China...”…
Xin-Hua: “So many of my friend,s my classmates, were shot down” “Even one of my teachers. My friends” (165)…