Nanjing

I didn't really know what to expect from Nanjing. I never learned much about it in school, and was too busy studying to read up before we went. In fact, all I really knew about the city was what my high school World Cultures teacher told us about the Nanjing Massacre (南京大屠杀), which wasn't very much. I just remember learning that Japanese soldiers gruesomely and wantonly killed and raped lots of Chinese during the time they were there. Those of you who were there probably remember Mrs. Stapleford actually saying "The Rape of Nanking made the Holocaust look like a birthday party." I don't think I'll ever forget that line...

Although I wouldn't say the Nanjing Massacre in any way trivializes The Holocaust, the Nanjing Massacre was beyond vile. There are many things to do in the city, but I think most of our group made a point to visit The Nanjing Massacre Museum. I believe it's very important to learn about this event if one wants to really understand the complex relationship between Chinese and Japanese cultures. I am definitely not knowledgeable enough to talk much about it, but I encourage you read up on it if you don't either.

The city is a really interesting, and many times awkward, meshing of traditional China and modern China. You see it in everything--the way people dress, city layout, the architecture--everything. There are huge modern shopping plazas next to crumbling hutongs, and traditional-style buildings that have been gutted and replaced with clothing shops. Because of Nanjing's long, long history as the very seat of Han Chinese culture and recent economic surge, that's just the way is. But, of that long history, the past 100 years have probably been the most chaotic. Throughout the century it's been a capital, a developing city, a living hell, and a total mess. And oftentimes more than one at the same time.

Such rapid and immense change surely must have taken a huge toll on the people of the city. What I found really fascinating was how the people who have witnessed all of it carried on. Those in their 70's and 80's have lived through the Republic of China, the war with Japan, The Nanjing Massacre, the Chinese civil war, The People's Republic of China, The Cultural Revolution, the post-revolution era, and the recent economic development--all of them being either centered in Nanjing or severely affecting the city. I would have gone insane before adolescence, but the elderly people I saw in Nanjing are as serene and peaceful as any people I have ever seen. I am in awe of the strength they must have.

I'd like to go back and see more. In that city, almost every corner has more history than one can keep track of. The trip to Nanjing was an eye-opening one. I learned a lot, and still had fun (they had awesome 小吃).