The Rape Of Nanking

2 Pages 471 Words

The Second Holocaust



If the phrase “crimes against humanity” was coined exclusively to describe the atrocities committed against the innocent Chinese trapped in wartime Nanking, both Asians and Westerners, living in present times, should not be surprised. Although the incident in Nanking, China, did not see a considerable amount of analysis and coverage after World War II as compared to the Nazi-induced Holocaust, the victims’ experiences and suffering were as real, as tangible, and as intense. The Rape of Nanking, which was written by Iris Chang, chronicles the events that occurred roughly 70 years ago. Three different viewpoints regarding the same situation are displayed: the Chinese view, the Japanese view, and the foreigners’ view.
From the Chinese perspective, Japanese soldiers were nothing but demons sent from hell to torture innocent Chinese. During the Japanese military expansion into China, which spanned from the year 1937 to 1945, incidents of rape, torture, and mass massacres were widespread. The horrors in Nanking became even more personal as the readers were able to see through the eyes of Tang, a Chinese man who miraculously survived. He stood helpless as “a competition began among the soldiers—a competition to determine who could kill the fastest” (85). Perhaps, almost all Chinese shared Tang’s sentiment that ‘There was no place to run. I was prepared to die’ (85).
The Japanese military leaders were ruthless and coldly methodical during the invasion. They handed down orders to ‘KILL ALL CAPTIVES’ (40). At least, “killing them [the Chinese prisoners of war] would not only eliminate the food problem but diminish the possibility of retaliation” (41). The Japanese did not respect the Chinese soldiers, who were not willing to fight to the death. The number of Chinese soldiers who surrendered and were held captive were considerably more than the number of captors. This fac...