The Rape of Nanking
Over 60 years ago, a fate so horrific befell the Chinese city of Nanking that its aftershocks are still being felt today. This undated photo shows a Chinese woman surveying the remains of her family, allegedly killed by Imperial Japanese troops after they took Nanking, China, in December 1937.The Canadian Press
Recruits of People's Liberation Army visit Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province September 18, 2010. The museum was built to commemorate the 1937 Nanjing massacre, also known as the "Rape of Nanking", when Japanese troops killed more than 300,000 Chinese. Saturday marks the 79th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, an act of aggression that marked the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War.SEAN YONG/Reuters
A woman carrying her child walks at the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province September 18, 2010. The museum was built to commemorate the 1937 Nanjing massacre, also known as the "Rape of Nanking", when Japanese troops killed more than 300,000 Chinese. Saturday marks the 79th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, an act of aggression that marked the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War.SEAN YONG/Reuters
A woman stands on flagstones imprinted with the footprints of Nanjing Massacre survivors as part of sculptures at the 'Memorial Hall for Compatriot Victims of the Japanese Military's Nanking Massacre' monument, commemorating victims of the 1937 Nanjing massacre; venue for a ceremony due to take place to mark the 70th anniversary, on December 12, 2007 in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, China. Japanese troops occupied the former captial city of Nanjing on December 13, 1937 and launched a six-week long massacre (also known as the 'Nanking Massacre' and 'Rape of Nanking') of over 300,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians.China Photos/Getty Images
This undated handout photo received 11 November 2004, shows US author Iris Chang. Acclaimed Chinese-American historical author Chang has been found dead in her car, apparently after shooting herself, police sources said 10 November. The 36-year-old writer and journalist, who chronicled the rape and massacre of thousands of Chinese civilians at the hands of Japanese troops before World War II, was found in her car on 09 November near the town of Los Gatos, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of San Francisco. "The body of Iris Chang was found near Highway 17, south of Los Gatos yesterday," a Santa Clara Country coroner's office official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Police sources said Chang apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after driving herself to an isolated spot near the small town. She was discovered by a motorist who alerted authorities. er best-known book was the haunting 1997 book, "The Rape of Nanking," which details the slaughter of Chinese civilians by the Imperial Japanese army that occupied China in the late 1930s. It was the first major full-length English-language account of the atrocity and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for months. A former newswire reporter, Chang was born in Princeton in the eastern state of New Jersey and lived in San Jose, California.JIMMY ESTIMADA/The New York Times
Nanjing survivor Chang Zhi Qiang, 79, is helped off the stage after speaking at the premiere for the documentary "Nanking" in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 3, 2007. The documentary "Nanking" premiered earlier at the Sundance Film Festival, co-director Bill Guttentag said while the filmmakers submitted an outline of the movie to the Chinese government, officials didn't interfere with its content. The film partly shot in Nanjing, deals with the events of the 1937 Nanjing massacre, it also revolves around foreigners who protected locals from Japanese soldiers. Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and other actors play the foreigners in stage readings recounting the horrors.Elizabeth Dalziel