Susan, my couch host, doesn't really know much history about her hometown. In fact, she doesn't even know as much as I learned from reading the Lonely Planet.
"Ask a boy. Boys are good at history," she said.
I guess the talents of the genders vary across the continents...
Not only does she not know much history, but she doesn't really seem interested in learning it. Nanjing was the capital of China several times. The most recent was under the Republic of China led by Sun Yat Sen (Sun Zhong Shan in Chinese). He led the Kuomingtang (Guomingtang), which was the enemy and chief rival of the Communists. Eventually, Mao's cunning smile and the idea of no poverty overtook the Nationalists (while somehow maintaining the idea of Nationalism). Mao is the hero and Sun Yat Sen was help hostage in the Chinese embassy in London (where he'd sought refuge).
BUT! There is a huge mausoleum for him in Nanjing. It's much, much MUCH bigger than that of Mao in Tiananmen. It has 392 steps to climb (one for each MILLION people that were in China at the time). And it's got a wonderful blue Chinese style roof on several little buildings that make up the complex. Best of all, it has the Nationalist flag in a mosaic on the ceiling.
Susan just smiled when I asked why this exists if he didn't win. Either she didn't understand or didn't care.
She didn't come along today when I visited the Memorial Site of the Nanjing Massacre. I tried to ask her about it several times. I mentioned a movie about it. I mentioned another museum I've been to that was about it. Eventually, she just looked me straight in the face and said, "I don't want to know everything about it. It was a terrible time in history."
I sort of let it drop, but not before responding with something along the lines of if we don't remember it, we're bound to repeat it.
That was basically the theme of the museum today. Each little plaque said something like, "...lest we forget."
It was not very neutral. Almost every plaque also mentioned something aobut the "awful Japanese". It's no wonder the Chinese young folk readily admit to hating the Japanese. I can easily see how an exhibit like that (with actual skeletons displayed) can lead to intense feelings. And potentiallyy skinhead subcultures.
One thing the museum neglected to mention that the L. P. talks about in some detail was how it started. A weak China was invaded by a much stronger Japan. Nanjing was the capital at the time surrounded by a city wall. The government officials left, but not before saying that it was better for the people to stay and fight. And then LOCKING THE CITY GATES. Essentially, they locked their own people into a prison of torture and murder.
And all the blame gets placed on the Japanese.
I'm not defending it. Killing 300,000 people is outrageous under any circumstances, but you don't see any memorials for the people who died duringthe Great Leap Forward (which some estimate to be upwards of 30 million), and they did that to themselves.
