Nanjing has been an important city in the People’s Republic of China for over a thousand years. This beautiful city is situated near a major delta of the Yangtze River. It has served as the capital of China for several dynasties. Most recently, in the early 20th century, it was the subject of Imperial Japanese invasion and bombardment. Horrible atrocities occurred in Nanjing. This is part of history that many Westerners are not taught about. When we think of Japan, we think of Pearl Harbor and then we think of Nagasaki / Hiroshima atomic bombs. There is much more to the story prior to that.
Over 200,000 died in the Japanese massacre of Nanjing. They have a very nice memorial set up.
Nanjing is a place to examine history and how we can strive to be a more civilized society. I highly recommend anyone visiting China to check out Nanjing and dive yourself into some history and reflection.
