China Day 5—Nanjing

Today was day without Justin because he had classes all day long. Needless to say, we were adventurers! We started with our breakfast Jian bing, but this time without seaweed, which we liked better than the previous, although I didn't dislike the seaweed version. From there Justin headed to class and we headed on a bus adventure to the Nanjing Massacre Museum. Jodi and I found our way along the bus line by checking road signs and comparing the characters Justin wrote down for us with the ones on the bus map. I think we need to brag a little and let everyone know that we didn't make a single mistake getting there or getting back, nor did we knock over any old ladies on bicycles. Liz and I each got a turn with the baby wrap today, although it didn't work too well for me, so Liz did the majority of carrying.


Tensions between China and Japan have existed for centuries as the two large and mighty kingdoms have attempted to exert dominance over the other. In fact, in Mandarin Tokyo is "Dongjing," or "western capital." The other capitals are the Northern (Beijing) and the Southern (Nanjing.) There were open hostilities in the 1880s, and tensions built with land gained and lost on the mainland over the next 50 years. After Japan seized portions of northern China and Taiwan, in 1937 they set their eyes on the capital. They attacked first in Shanghai and seized the city, then moved inland. In my mind I imagined armies marching old-style through the countryside until I remembered this was the twentieth century, and the Japanese attacked with bombs, planes, gas, and bacteria. After Shanghai fell, the Chinese government decided to move the capital from Nanjing to inland Chongquin to avoid the inevitable seizure of the capital. The story is told on the following plate.





The museum was akin to our National Holocaust museum, and it was beautiful and moving. It was one of the most modern, most beautiful things we've seen yet in the country. Around 340,000 people were killed, many execution-style, during the massacre, and the government is keen to ensure that it is not forgotten. I got the impression that many of the scripts were added fairly recently (perhaps since winning the olympic bid?) and focused on painting the Chinese as a peace-loving people and warning against forgetting the past and believing the Japanese accounts. There were dozens of first-hand account, both of Chinese Nationals as well as foreigners who were living in the city at the time. There was a sense that the nation needed to prove that such an atrocity actually happened, and from what I could gather, the Japanese government still denies it, although the military leaders were tried and convicted by international war crimes tribunals, just like the Nazis. It was a sad and solemn place, and we enjoyed the visit immensely.

While the day was ten degrees warmer (F) the wind was still a little icy, and we headed home for lunch. Jodi decided to keep Jaime in for the afternoon to warm and stretch, so Liz and I headed for high adventure and braved the city without a guide. Justin gave us directions to Purple Mountain, the mountain that houses the tomb of the first Ming emperor, his household, and his minions. It also the final resting place of Sun Yat-Sen, commonly known as the Father of China, and one of the few Chinese politicians to earn respect outside of the Chinese mainland. He espoused democracy, and was instrumental in overthrowing the Qing dynasty, China's last imperial rule, in 1911. The mountain itself is peppered with museums and gardens. Unfortunately, Justin's directions sent us the wrong direction on the bus, so we spent an hour and a half finding our way there by alternate means. But, FIND IT WE DID! It was our first great accomplishment of the day. It involved two bus transfers and a great deal of gesturing, but we did it. The museums were closing up, but we did get to pop into the museum of the ming tombs and saw the Dragon Chair and learned some about the architecture of the time. We strolled back down the mountain and opted for an alternate route home. It was a little scary, but it worked! We arrived back in familiar territory in only 20 minutes, and heartily congratulated ourselves on a job well done.

We spent the evening eat enjoying Justin's fried rice and planning our trip to Beijing. Fun times ahead!