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Author Iris Chang called the Rape of Nanjing "the forgotten Holocaust of World War II" and shone new light on the 1937 massacre. Now her own valiant story unfolds in a film released today, writes Xu Wei.
There have been many screen versions of the Nanjing Massacre - some true, some fictional tales set in Nanjing - all of them moving, but few of them really influential in the West.
An exception is the recent feature-length documentary "Iris Chang - The Rape of Nanking."
Nationwide release begins today in China.
It tells the story of the late Chinese-American writer and historian Iris Chang, who brought fresh attention to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in her 1997 groundbreaking book "The Rape of Nanking - The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II." The atrocities are relived on film as Chang excavates history not familiar in the West.
The Canadian film has been televised nationally in Canada and screened in 15 cities in Canada and the United States. Critics and audiences have acclaimed the personal story of Chang's courage and research.
Chang's parents and grandparents fled Nanjing before the Japanese invasion. She became determined to focus world attention on the Japanese war crimes through her best-seller. She even confronted Japan's US ambassador on television.
Last Friday, the film had its grand Chinese mainland premiere at the Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province. Hundreds of Nanjing residents attended.
The film stars Canadian actress Olivia Cheng, who long admired Chang and wrote the documentary's theme music. It is co-directed by Anne Pick and Bill Spahic.
"This docudrama is done from the Western perspective to make sure people in the West know details about this wartime atrocity," says executive producer Dr Joseph Wong. He is a co-founder of Canada ALPHA, the Canada Association for Learning and Preserving the History of World War II in Asia.
In December 1937, the Japanese army invaded Nanjing and began raping and murdering citizens in an orgy of violence. More than 300,000 Chinese were killed and thousands were raped over eight weeks. The anniversary is usually marked on December 8.
The documentary's 10-million-yuan (US$1.37 million) budget came from Harmony Education Foundation and Toronto ALPHA, as well as many donors in North America. Dr Wong, a friend of Chang, says the objective is not to reap money, but to carry on Chang's legacy and mission to ensure people never forget Nanjing.
"She was such a determined and intense person. Her courage and passionate pursuit of the truth and justice were impressive," he says.
To the surprise of many, Chang committed suicide in November 2004 after several breakdowns. She was being treated for clinical depression at the time. Speculation swirled about mounting threats and vilification from Japanese right-wing Massacre-deniers, however, Wong believes it was largely because Chang saw the dark side of human nature. She was depressed to find that such an atrocity could happen in the modern world.
As Chang herself says in the opening of the film, "I think that all human beings have this capacity for great evil if put under the right social and political circumstances. The Rape of Nanking was something that always could happen, and it did happen, and we have to learn from history if we want to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Actress Cheng calls Chang "a powerful voice who ended a stifling silence on behalf of countless victims whose cries for mercy might otherwise never have been heard."
In addition to archival footage and photos of that time, the film includes confessions of Japanese soldiers and the heart-rending recollections of survivors who saw their families murdered.
Chang's character and personal story are told through excerpts from her speeches and television appearances, along with interviews with friends, family and colleagues.
One of those in the premiere audience, retired worker Lu Fuhuan in his 70s, praised the film's artistry and profound significance for younger people.
"We can forgive, but not forget the history," Lu says. "We will not repeat this history. A universal mission for people all over the world is to prevent such horrors in the future."
Wang Chao, a university student and a Nanjing native, learned about the massacre from his parents. He says the pain persists deep in the hearts of Nanjing residents.
Nanjing has captured the imagination of other contemporary film makers. Bill Guttentag's documentary "Nanking" was released last year, telling the story of a handful of Westerners in Nanjing who sheltered 20,000 Chinese.
Two upcoming features are "John Rabe" by Florian Gallenberger and Chinese film maker Lu Chuan's "Nanjing! Nanjing!"
Comparing the new Iris Chang documentary and Guttentag's film, high school teacher Chen Yuan says: "Shot from different angles, the two films actually share the same goal - showing the cruelty of war and the truth of this forgotten history to the world, specially to the young generation."
All proceeds of "Iris Chang - The Rape of Nanking" will go to Canada ALPHA for further research and preservation of World War II history in Asia.
In July, Canada ALPHA will fund visits by around 40 Canadian historians and teachers to China and South Korea. They will collect more materials on the Nanjing Massacre.
The documentary will be made into DVDs for educational purposes. Some copies will be sent to secondary schools and colleges in Western countries. "We make this film not because we want people to hate," producer Wong says. "We want people of today to respect each other. The movie conveys our wish of peace and harmony across the globe."
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