How pen and paper also fought the war

2015-08-18    Source: Chinadaily.com.cn

The Immortal Great Wall exhibition at National Library of China displays 1,500 text and video files fromthe War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). [Wang Kaihao / For China Daily]

Away from the guns and bullets on the battlefields of World War II, China also courageously fought invaders using words and ideas.

On Aug 14, the day before the 70th anniversary marking Japan's surrender to the Allies, a major exhibition kicked off in Beijing's National Museum of Classic Books, which is affiliated to National Library of China. The show looks at the efforts made by China's literati to safeguard their homeland.

The Immortal Great Wall displays 1,500 pieces of text and video files recorded during the war. It is the library's biggest exhibition of documents on the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) since the founding of New China in 1949.

Wartime diaries, manuscripts, newspapers, photos, books and short films allow visitors to experience the war from both sides.

Many Japanese bulletins, brochures and books recording the war have been collected by the library in the recent years as evidence of the atrocities committed by Japanese troops. Many of these documents are being shown to the public for the first time.

The time period covered by the exhibition expands beyond the eight years the war raged. Files on regional wars in Northeast China from 1931 and in Shanghai in 1932, are also focuses. The earliest exhibit dates back to 1928. It is a written document warning of Japan's ambition to conquer China. The text refers to an incident that same year, when Japan massacred thousands of people in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, in an attempt to influence the Chinese revolution.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the cache of historical files recording Chinese efforts to save precious ancient books, preventing them from falling into enemies' hands or being destroyed.

"The hidden struggle against cultural plunder is just as important as the fight on the battlefields," says Chen Li, deputy director of NLC.

Many of the collections in NLC (then called National Peiping Library) were transported to Hunan and Yunnan provinces, dodging gunfire. Some were even shipped to the United States.

One of the most important ancient book collections in today's NLC, Zhaocheng Jin Tripitaka, a 12th century Buddhist canon, was secretly transported and hidden by Chinese troops in an abandoned coal mine to keep it out of Japanese hands.

However, some national written treasures did not survive the war.

The Immortal Great Wall exhibition at National Library of China displays 1,500 text and video files fromthe War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). [Wang Kaihao / For China Daily]

Chen says the Japanese bombing of the Shanghai-based Commercial Press in 1932, prompted many Chinese literati to join the frontline of the war movement. China's national anthem, Volunteers Marching On, was born at that time.

In 1940, Japan's bombing of Chongqing destroyed most ancient books from Tsinghua University. The books had been evacuated to Chongqing under the belief they would be safer there. The collection's demise is considered one of the greatest losses in the contemporary history of Chinese literature.

"Opera, literature, film, music and fine arts," Chen says of the manuscripts on display. "The entire Chinese literati became geared up to create works, spread patriotism and inspire people all over the country. Though they may not hold guns, their contributions to the final victory should not be undervalued."

In a corner of the exhibition hall, visitors are able to put on headphones and listen to inspirational melodies.

Screens in the exhibition hall play videos of interviews with veteran Chinese soldiers. On a photo wall next to the screens, pictures are printed in black-and-white, indicating that these veterans have passed away since being interviewed.

NLC launched a project to record the oral history of the war in 2012. Chen says the mission to save the living history is urgent.

A virtual exhibition has also been launched on the library's official website. Last week, a digital database of documents from the Tokyo Trials was launched online.

The results of the trials, also known as the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, have been denied by some people in Japan in the recent years, which, Chen explains, is one reason in-depth study of the trials began in 2012.

More than 49,000 pages of trial records, 2,400 pages of written judgments, and other documents and historical photos are available on the database.

"Most of the files are collected from overseas, which have filled the void in domestic files, and we also expect the public to provide more evidence to enrich its content and support relevant academic studies," Chen says.