The Rape of Nanjing: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanjing: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II chronicles one of the most violent yet obscure instances of mass extermination ever carried out within a historical context. As suggested by the books title, this topic has received little attention or scholarship, unlike contemporary events in Europe during this period, despite the estimated 260,000 Chinese tortured and killed by Japanese soldiers. Thus in the minds of many, the Rape of Nanjing has been forgotten, or worse erased from history all together.

Many accounts Chang includes in her book are based on interviews whose content relies merely on memory. While I am not suggesting that these awful accounts did not happen, I am curious how cultural bias and the passing of time have possibly altered these accounts. She also references diary entries from Westerners who were living in Nanjing throughout the massacre and documented their experiences. She includes perspectives from various individuals and groups. Japanese, Chinese, American and German perceptions are all considered, though some more thoroughly than others.

Chang explores the events leading up to the unthinkable atrocities which occurred after December 7, 1937 by laying out a historical narrative regarding the planning and execution of the Japanese invasion and occupation of Nanjing. She then chronicles the “Rape” itself and finally the after affects from all sides. However, Chang writes in a manner more closely related to a novel rather than a historical text. Relying only on only a few Japanese primary documents, her style of writing and voice reflects a sensationalized historical account at the expense of objectivity.

However, while Chang has been criticized because of her “lack of training as a historian”, one must also bear in mind her intentions for the book. Chang writes in the introduction, “I had first learned of the Rape when I was a little girl… (My parents) had grown up in China in the mist of World War II and after the war fled with their families to Taiwan and finally to the United States.” (8) She further writes, “They did not want me to forget about the Rape of Nanjing… their voices quivering with outrage, my parents characterized the Great Nanking Massacre… as the single most diabolical incident committed by the Japanese in a war that killed more than 10 million Chinese people.” (8) She also writes of her grandparents who were living in Nanjing before the massacre and includes accounts of their evacuation from the city during this period of chaos.

Wanting to learn more of this “massacre” she sought more historical resources. Finding none, she ultimately embarked on a life long project to understand the truth about Nanjing and believed in the importance of sharing her findings with the world. In my mind, this book shouldn’t be regarded as a history text. Chang never asserts herself a “historian”. The book is the result of her need to understand her own history, the history of her family and friends and the truth behind their personal accounts and in a broader sense, history associated with her own cultural identity.

This book has been viewed as highly controversial, viewed as misinformed and “seriously flawed” by several historians.

Chang presents information from an admittedly biased point of view. She belabors on the fact that the Nanjing massacre has left an atrocious stain in world history that has been subsequently ignored and then covered up. It seems that Chang was unable to separate herself from the tragedy of this massacre and the lifelong affects it had on those involved. Her writing reflects this as the counterarguments she includes seem too weak or disregardable. For example, she includes a quote from Ishihara Shintaro’s 1990 interview for Playboy suggesting that the Rape of Nanjing was fabricated by the Chinese. (201)

However, disregarding her own bias established and sustained by her research, if one simply looks at images of this massacre, there is no doubt that Chinese citizens (regardless of disputed numbers) were maliciously raped, tortured, mutilated and murdered in late 1937 through early 1938. I find it troubling that how many people who were actually killed is even an issue. The fact is that this massacre happened. Before this book, there was virtually no English scholarship devoted to the Rape of Nanjing. The Rape of Nanjing inaugurates a dialogue between historians and non-historians alike in regards to the topic. Chang’s book is simply an introduction to further understanding and research, thus successfully ensures that this tragedy will not be forgotten.