foreword

the grid

In the winter of 1937, Nanjing—located in China’s eastern Jiangsu province­—fell to invading Japanese forces. No one could have foreseen what came next:

The Nanjing Massacre.

Later known as “the Rape of Nanjing,” (or Nanking in the West) this one-sided slaughter of Chinese civilians and soldiers took place over the course of six weeks and did not cease until the Japanese military left the city.

This atrocity would later become a source of great despair throughout China...as well as a source of shame and confusion throughout Japan. 

To this day, the pain and guilt still linger.

There, however, is an aspect to the tragedy that is even lesser known than the event itself:

The Tokyo Trials.

The Tokyo Trials, as well as numerous coinciding tribunals, occurred in the wake of Japan’s surrender during WWII. While the trial attempted to bring justice to the many victims of Japan’s actions throughout the war, and more specifically the Rape of Nanking, the trial revealed (as well as simultaneously and unintentionally caused) the many discrepancies, inconsistencies and controversies plaguing those forgotten six weeks.

This project serves as a way to remedy those inconsistencies or, at the very least, to shed some light on not only the Rape of Nanking but also the Tokyo Trials through the synthesis of various literature published in the late 20th—21st century.

This is:

The story of 260,000 Chinese men, women and children who lost their lives during the Rape of Nanking.*

The book will read as deceptively...empty, but the weight of the words and the content contained here necessitate its contrasting oversimplification. In addition, this project provides a detailed, yet pithy, analysis of the trial's operations through the lens of a young American Born Chinese woman.

The messages in this book are not meant to be "enjoyed." Rather, they aim to question and perhaps even inspire criticism. It is not meant to live on a shelf, although its aesthetics may imply otherwise; instead, this story is meant to travel, to pass through the hands of anyone willing to read it. 

You have now undertaken that responsibility of sharing this story. Best of luck.

*Title V1: China's initial victim estimate ran upwards of 260,000—300,000 lives. This number was later contested.