We had a free day to travel so myself and four other students in the
program decided to go to Nanjing. This is a city that is not too far from
Shanghai, only a two hour train ride, and holds much historical
significance. Particularly, it is the one city I wanted to visit in China
as a result of an experience I had in one of my classes. Last semester, I
took an 8WK2 class with Professor Hargett called East Asian Cinema. I was
doing it to fill one of the electives on my Chinese Studies minor but in
turned out to be really insightful on Asian culture, specifically Chinese
culture and the relationship that exists between Asian culture and western
culture, including stereotypes, roles, etc. One movie we watched was The
Rape of Nanking, which was based on the attack of the Japanese on the
Chinese soldiers and their attack on the city of Nanjing, following World
War II. Women and girls were raped and slaughtered, babies were murdered,
men and women were murdered. The elderly, the youth, everyone was
murdered. The documentary really had an impact on me; I never really had
heard of the event and to me, it was just as bad as the Holocaust, if not
worse. The discussion in class was a heated debate , but my professor
spoke about the memorial and museum that was dedicated to the what
happened in Nanjing.
The day was extremely hot, it definitely hit 100 degrees and the city of
Nanjing was pretty quiet. I thought it was going to be just as busy and
have a metropolitan atmosphere like Shanghai, but it did not. It took
forever to find the museum and memorial and took five buses back and forth
because we somehow missed the stop each time! When we finally got to the
Memorial site, there was just this huge emotional feeling that set over
me. I don’t quite know if I was sad or mad or scared or anxious; I just
know it was a feeling that I don’t feel often. Kind of like at the
cemetery, walking amongst the dead. Anyway, on the outside there are
beautiful sculptures and when I say beautiful , I mean beautifully carved,
but there was nothing beautiful about the images. Each huge sculpture was
a sculpture of pain. I remember one was a baby being torn from his mother
and another was an elderly woman being slaughtered. As I approached
inside, the feeling got more eerie. I am not really an emotional type who
cries when I hear heartbreaking stories, but it really did impact me. I
got my camera out, and of course, as I walk inside there is no camera
usage. Usually I try to sneak a picture or two in the “No Camera” zones
but I just felt I owed the respect to follow the rules to those who rest
in peace. The museum was really amazing. I have been to museums in
Paris, London, NYC, U.S., and Africa , and I could not tell you what I saw
in any of those but I feel as if I will remember this museum like it was
yesterday. There were stories and accounts from the survivors, including
video footage as well as the stories of the victims. So much happened
that day that I really will never forget. It truly was a great experience!
Much needed rest as well as a great shower. Zaijian!
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Posted By: Alicia Tambe, Shanghai, China
