NANJING/NANKING, CHINA: MORE TO IT THAN TRAGEDY

Published on by jacquelinemhadel

Jasmine Hostel, Nanjing. Quiet, relaxing.

Nanjing Massacre Museum.
FAMILY RUINED:
Never returns the son killed,
Never returns the husband buried alive,
Sorrow drowns the wife raped,
Heavens…

Main reason I came to Nanjing was to see this museum. One of the best books I’ve ever read, ‘The Rape of Nanking’ by Iris Chang. Found out in the museum yesterday that Chang committed suicide in 2004. She was working on a new book about the Bataan Death March. She was born in Princeton, NJ and the pressure of being a Chinese American and after her book, kind of representative of the victims to get the Japanese to admit guilt…she confronted the Japanese Ambassador in public…she started to feel paranoid, watched by the CIA…she thought they were trying to make her look crazy to discredit her…fell into deep depression…and killed herself. Brilliant writer, intense.

Bike,Tree,Lake

Ming Xiaoling Tomb. The first section of the avenue leading up to the mausoleum takes you along the ‘spirit path,’ lined with stone statues of lions, camels, elephants, and horses. These stone animals drive away evil spirits and guard the tomb.


Zhongsan Mountain National Park

Zhongyan

 April 2009. Nanjing, China.

7 thoughts on “NANJING/NANKING, CHINA: MORE TO IT THAN TRAGEDY”

  1. Yes “The Rape of Nanking,” was a intensely disturbing book. The images stay for forever in my mind. I am still concerned that this topic is repressed/not discussed. I am truly sad to hear of Iris Chang’s suicide, but can see how her intense involvement with this subject could have driven to this. The fear, nightmares, symptoms of vicarious traumatization, must have been overwhelming. She was a radiant light. Thanks for posting.
    Cindy

    Reply

    1. Yeah, it was in the museum at the end of my walk-through that I was hit with the news of her suicide. I couldn’t believe it. She had so much to offer. At the time of her death, she was apparently working on a book about the Bataan Death March, which I don’t know enough about, but want to read up on it.

      Reply

      1. Interesting, my favorite teacher in high school, physiology, Mr. Budge, back in around 1973…was a medic/prisoner on the Bataan Death March. I was alienated from high school, but loved physiology and Mr. Budge took an interest in me. He told me all about the march. I was in charge of caring for the rats for disection, selected for this task by Budge. He told me all about the march while I did this, how he gave the prisoners iodine tablets because they had to drink out of stagnant water littered with corpses causing them “to dance a jig,” because the iodine burned while urinating…. doing minor surgeries with no anesthetic, people being shot who fell back etc. What a incredible person. I think he turned me around, got me motivated. I have since read a lot about the march and scoured the rolls for Mr. Budge but couldn’t find him. But I know, he was a there and a good medic.

  2. I had a woman on my plane from Boston to Los Angeles traveling with her grown daughter. This older woman had been in the Khmer Rouge death camps. She unfortunately had packed her psyche meds and our flight was delayed. She had an episode and we had to land.. I felt so badly for her because I had a tiny inkling through reading what she had had to endure and survive.
    Your story is fascinating and the photography is wonderful. I dont’ want to sound redundant but it is true!

    Reply

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