Here's another survivor story if you guys are interested

Nanking Massacre Documentary

Here's another documentary I found if anybody is interested. Only downfall is that it's not in English but just watching the movie itself and seeing the pictures and scenes you will defiantly understand the brutality of the event. 

Documentary Part 1 of 8

The Nanking Massacre

After taking control of Shanghai, Japanese forces made its way to the city of Nanking. On December 11, 1937 the Japanese army launched its attack on the city and by December 13th they entered the city and began a reign of terror on its citizens and soldiers. Reports estimate that some 300,000 Chinese were killed and about 20,000 female Chinese were raped by Japanese soldiers. The atrocities performed by the Japanese on the Chinese living in Nanking range from looting, burning, mass executions, and rape.  Even today many Japanese people say the incidents of Nanking are completely false or overly exaggerated. However, many stories and testimonies from the Chinese victims and even some Japanese soldiers says otherwise.

One Japanese soldier reports of mass killings on December 13th. On the day the Japanese arrived in Nanking a large number of Chinese refugees were trying to flee across the Yangtze River. Many tried to swim across the river in an effort to escape the intruding Japanese. However, the refugees were cut off by the Japanese army and were then relentlessly fired upon. The Japanese soldier says the next day he estimated that almost 50,000 Chinese were killed during this one particular incident. During the first two days of the Japanese occupation almost a 100,000 Chinese citizens and soldiers were executed on the two major streets of the city. The Japanese forces also rounded up thousands of Chinese soldiers and anyone they suspected of being a soldier and forced them out of the city to be executed. Most were killed by gun fire but many were also stabbed, burned alive, and poison gas was also used. Many of the methods used to kill the citizens of Nanking were of the most brutal and inhuman. Some soldiers would cut open abdomen's of its victims, beat them to death, decapitate, castrate, burn, and torture.

Besides the mass killing of innocent civilians the Japanese soldier performed many harsh and inhuman exercises on its victims. An estimated 20,000 women were raped and killed by the Japanese and they held no age restrictions. They also forced family members to rape each other and were killed if resisted or killed afterwards. The Japanese forces not only victimised Nanking's people but also the city itself. They looted from homes and stores alike stealing almost everything in the city. After robbing the city they burned down many houses and historical buildings until almost nothing was left standing.

I found much of this research from Andreas Viklund's website 1937 Nanking Massacre.

Hey all, 


For all of those who are podcast fanatics and perceive the world around us in a auditory fashion, here we have some podcasts discussing the Nanking massacre. 

1. http://libwww.freelibrary.org/podcast/?podcastID=757

2. http://www.podcast-directory.co.uk/episodes/iris-chang-the-rape-of-nanking-16709315.html

3. http://www.leftfieldcinema.com/asian-avant-garde-city-of-life-and-death-podcast

4. http://www.podcast-directory.co.uk/episodes/episode-30-the-nanking-massacre-7963625.html

A short historical background

The city of Nanking was founded in the eighth century B.C and is located on the Eastern half of China along the Yangtze River. This city has played an important role in Chinese history and culture. The city has served as China's primary capital for many separate periods in time until 1949 when Beijing was finally made the new capital of China. Nanking is known for its historically rich culture and industries. The port of Nanking on the Yangtze River was once the largest port in China for foreign trade.

To understand why or how the Nanking Massacre happened we must first understand the history between China and Japan. Both China and Japan, the two most powerful countries of Eastern Asia, have continually fought each other for territory and power. One of the most important pieces of land fought over was of Korea. Korea had mainly been a tributary state of China for most of history. During the 19th century Japan had grown into a more military power and set its aims on gaining control of Korea, which lead to the First Sino-Japanese War. In 1894 Japanese troops attacked the Chinese troops in Korea setting off the war. Only one year later Japan had defeated China and declared Korea independent from China's rule and demanding China to pay 200 million taels to Japan.



After the First Sino-Japanese War Japan continued to build a strong military and focused a large majority of its time and energy on doing so. While in China the government and its citizens continued to deal with internal struggles to establish a unified government. The Chinese Nationalist party and the Communist party continually fought over government power in China. After World War I Japan wanted to expand its military dominance over Asia and saw China as their next victims.  In 1931 Japan began to force its military into northern China. By 1937 Japan had taken control of Shanghai and its next move was to march towards Nanking.



Here you can see the short distance
from Shanghai and Nanking







Documentary film by Rhawn Joseph

If this video does not play for you there is a link down below that will direct to the video on you tube itself

Rape of Nanking - Nanjing Massacre. Japanese Atrocities in Asia 

Here is a couple of books covering the Nanking Massacre:

The Undaunted Women of Nanking: The Wartime Diaries of Minnie Vautrin and Tsen Shui-fang
by: Hua-ling Hu and Lian-hong Zhang (June 30, 2010)

Eyewitnesses to Massacre: American Missionaries Bear Witness to Japanese Atrocities in Nanjing (An East Gate Book)
by: Kai-Yuan Chang and Zhang Kaiyuan (December 2000)

Purple Mountain: A Story of the Rape of Nanking
by: Shouhua Qi (May 18, 2010)

American Goddess at the Rape of Nanking: The Courage of Minnie Vautrin
by: Hauling Hu and Paul Simon (October 1, 2000)

Inventing Japan: 1853-1964 (Modern Library Chronicles)
by: Ian Buruma (November 9, 2004)