The Chinese People at War

By Asia Pacific Memo on November 10, 2010

Memo #36

Diana Lary

Dr. Diana Lary, Professor Emerita of History at the University of British Columbia speaks about her new book,  the “The Chinese People at War”. The book looks at the impact of the War of Resistance Against Japan (抗日戰爭) (1937-1945) on the people of China. It was a period of extreme social upheaval. Society was torn apart in fighting, bombing, and occupation. Tens of millions of people were made refugees; people were displaced by fighting and by scorched earth actions. Families were separated and divided, not only by the conflict but by decisions on whether or not to accept the invaders and stay in the occupied areas.

The war was a time of great tension, and of shortages. It lasted for eight years; despondency set in amongst the Nationalists (Guomindang). The political beneficiaries were the Communists, who gained massively in strength during the war. The war’s legacy of social division and turbulence left Chinese society in a state of profound confusion and disruption. These were the preconditions not only for the Communist revolution but also for the huge upheavals of the 1950s and 1960s that culminated in the Cultural Revolution.

This book tells the social story of the war through historical description, through the memoirs of individuals, and through the arts. Each chronological chapter ends with life stories and selections from contemporary literature and poetry. The book shows the range of responses to war, from courage and stoicism to fear and panic. It is illustrated with propaganda prints and with proverbs that sum up the feelings of the war. The cover picture is by the most celebrated war photographer, Robert Capa; he took the picture in 1938 at Taierzhuang, site of a major Chinese victory.

This is the seventh interview in the Behind the Book series at the Institute of Asian Research (IAR). Throughout the year, Behind the Book interviews are available on the IAR’s video gallery. Some also will appear in the Asia Pacific Memo video gallery. To find all the videos created by the IAR, visit the Asia Pacific Memo YouTube channel.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftMvdWuhtJg[/youtube]

Question 1 (0:03) – Why did you write the “Chinese People at War”?

Question 2 (1:45) – Two stories that define suffering and stoicism

Question 3 (3:43) – Can you tell a book by its cover?

Question 4 (5:12) – Was this experience in China unique?

Book Cover of “The Chinese People at War”

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