I’ve used the film Nanking in my 10th grade World History classes before, and would recommend it for most teachers, but with some reservations. The documentary focuses on the Japanese army’s invasion of Nanjing, China in 1937 and the war crimes that follow. The story is told through primary source documents read and reenacted by famous actors, most notably Woodly Harrelson. The film is produced by HBO and would cover at least two full class periods with time for discussion.
First, teachers should be made aware of the fact that the film is rated R, mainly for graphic descriptions of sexual assault and rape. The film spares no details of the horrors of war and the acts of violence committed against women in the city of Nanjing at the hands of the Japanese army. Some of the more graphic scenes could be used with proper frontloading by the teacher, but it should be noted that the descriptions could be triggering for students who have experienced sexual abuse, and therefore may not be suitable for all students. Aside from the graphic (sadly historically accurate) content, my other main issue with the film is the focus on the seemingly all Western hero’s. While the film covers some of the atrocities from the perspectives of Chinese citizens, and includes diary entries from Japanese soldiers, the majority of the actions taken to actually stop horrific acts come from Westerners, stationed in Nanjing on religious and humanitarian missions. If not addressed by the teacher, this could leave students with the perception that only European and Americans within China had the wherewithal or drive to attempt to stop the Japanese invasion, or that these Western voices were somehow the only ones that could share the stories of those who perished within the city of Nanjing.
Facing History, And Ourselves has produced a wonderful curriculum guide to accompany the film, found here: https://www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/publications/The_Nanjing_Atrocities_Crimes_of_War_0.pdf
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Nanking (2007)
01/04/2016 12:04 PM
#1
Nanking (2007)
I also watched the video Nanking. It told the story of the Rape of Nanking through the stories of Chinese civilians who lived through the experience as well as actors who recount the stories of those who had passed, but played a large role during this time; the Dean of the School where the Safety Zone was created, a Businessman, a doctor, etc. Both the primary and secondary accounts provided in this documentary are great because it allows the audience to hear the thoughts and experiences of those living during the time. Besides providing the emotional aspect of tragic time, the film describes the history through images. One of the quotes that stuck with me was the “3 Alls” policy that was taken by the Japanese: “Burn all, Kill all, Loot all.” I feel like this would be something that students would remember, especially after seeing the images that were presented in the film. It also discusses the “Safety Zone” created by westerners as a means to protect Chinese civilians. I liked that the documentary also went into the experiences of people during the Safety Zone and the dilemmas that occurred during their attempt to protect the people. I would definitely use parts of this documentary in my classroom because of the humanization that this video provides. Some of the descriptions are a bit graphic, but there are certainly sections that can be relevant to explaining what happened and providing context for people’s experiences.