Customer Reviews

War and Popular Culture: Resistance in Modern China, 1937-1945

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

It has been well established that Japanese army committed unspeakable crimes against not only Chinese, but southeastern Asians and Americans (e.g., Battan Death March) during WWII. What's most disturbing is not the historical atrocity, as crual as it was, but the concerted efforts by some Japanese to deny, diminish, or even revise the painful history. This book is another attempt to expose the brutalities committed by the Japanese.

Too many book reviewers are so biased that they even (seem to) forget the fact that it was the Japanese Army who attached China. Do you really think China was a threat to Japan during the 1930's? Do you think it is legal to kill Chinese soldiers or civilians in China so long as you follow some of your rules? The death sentences to those war criminals at the end of WWII clearly demonstrated the illegality of the war waged by Japan in East Asia.

Aside from the propaganda stuff, the winner/loser argument does not stand a chance here. Who started invading China, and who bombed Pearl Harbor? Who occupied many other East Asian countries? If you love your country, fine, but please respect other countries and their peoples, or you yourself will not be respected. Simple as that.

Ms. Himori's reviews are full of biased opinions. Check out the star ratings and you will see her unjust perspective. She basically is setting out to defend the invasion by Japan of China, Karea, Phillipines, etc. Like Japan was doing something great for Asia and the other Asian people just did not understand it. I have no doubt that it was the women like her that joined the ranks of the comfort women during WWII period.

Fortunately there are more kind, impartial people on this planet. And history has shown that time after time again.

I really also worry that the review spaces have become a tool for some biased people to carry out their own agenda.

It is really a disappointing review writen by a Japanese who cannot face the reality. I don't know what mean "alleged atrocities of the Japanese Army". That is a war on the land of China. It is so clear that the Japanese invasion cause the war. Compared with German, Japanese are so silly because they don't want to admit their atrocities and do something to change the views of Asian people.

Why did Japanese invade China£¿the truth told by the former xapanese soldier is said by the shameless xpanese reviewers in here to be fake and just plain stories. so then why xapanese went to the other territory with its army without the nation's permission? are you stupid enough to say this is just a visit? why did xapan invade China? you can NOT deny the war. Or, you xapanese people will DENY the war for sure, you hope and dream there was no war at all initiated by xapan. that "Hiromi" keeps talking her biased and shameless nonsense like everybody will believe you, where did you escape from?

The things you denied, will tell us that they must be the truth.
xapan will have to pay for this! people around the world will NOT be fooled by you. you will all be accused and cursed!!!

Germans and Japanese both did horrible things, Germans
sincerely apologized to Jewish people and made an anti-fascism
law, and their premier even kelt down for forgiveness. Germans are still gentle men, they dare to face their atrocities.

Surprisingly, Japanese killed so many civilians across Asia brutally during WWII, especially in China and Korea, their horrible crimes cannot be described by words. Yet they have kept denying using whatever excuses. Now this "Hiromi" even talk about who started the war to avoid what were perpetuated by Japanese army. I guess she will also say US started war in Pearl Habor because Japanese was forced to attack.

If a nation cannot face its own horrible crimes, they are reduced to worms, why? because they do not have consciences and memory like worms.

Yes, worms, you can keep bury your heads in sand, while Asian people's anger is exploding.

It is the fact that Janpanese invaded China and murduered millions of Chinese people. China didn't start/want the war, but the Japs did. This is the fact. This is HISTORY. History is written by people, and it will not be altered by some yahoos who try to make a living in this country.

Just because you say the Earth is square-shaped doesn't mean it is the truth. It is a shame of this book being published.

save it for yourself. Japan nevers says sorry to china for Naking Massacre and for invading China.German apologized to all the Jews for their unhumanistic behaviors. What have you shameless Japanese done to Chinese people? All you've done is just like what you are doing now. Saying that Chinese are no innocent victims, and refuse to say sorry, to apologize. How about if it was China who had killed so many Japanese? what will you say? will you still say that you, Japanese are no innocent victims? The reason you said so many shamless words is because you were all tought so in Japanese. Japanese's abilities to distort the truth and the facts are really really perfect. I must say this. You people living on that tiny bit island, not only your sights are narrow but your mind. You Japanese are always anxious and worried that China one day will invade your stinky country. Let me point out to you that just people with dirty mind will think the other people are dirty. Of course China is getting stronger and stronger, and she is just so broad, the vast land, you Japanese can never ever compare.
Let me tell you what, this site is just for book review, it is NOT for your close minded rhetoric. save the shameless nonsense for your Japanese.Grow up and expand your mind, take a look at what German have done to Jews. If you couldn't see it, or don't wanna face the truth, then just SHUT UP you moron!

Based on Hiromi's ligic, US never dropped nuclear bombs. Japanese made up those stories. So, stop playing victims, you
short-memory people. I wish other countries will invade a island country named Japan and then deny.

How shameless this guy is!!! "the Sino-Japanese War was waged by the Communists China and the Soviet Union in order to stop the Nationalist's advance and dominance in China". Nationalist government was the legal government of China at that time. How Communists and Soviet "stop the advance"?? Did you mean the war was started by Chinese, because, obviously, Chinese communists are Chinese. I traveled a lot in China and found many tome remains of Japanese soldiers in China. Can I ask you this question first? Why are those damn guys there? Can you find any tombs of Chinese soldiers in Japan? And the Japanese (including the Prime Minister) are still worshiping in a shrine those bustards that killed millions of Chinese. What kind of "people" can behave and speak as this guy did? Are they human beings at all?
Japan was a little island country and dreamed to invade the continent. This is the essence.
The war between the Chinese nationalists and Communists was a civil war that was so different from the anti Japanese war. If you cannot make a distinction between them, I would say what you said is totally based on misleading reasoning. Well, why did the US join the war against Japanese? Was it because President Roosevelt wanted to win a re-election?
And lets us see how silly the conclusions this book made...
"The Communists' use of popular culture contributed to their victory in revolution". You mean, Iraq lose the war against the US because Sadam didn't use propaganda properly? You mean, the brutal Japanese lose the war because they didn't use propaganda properly? Isn't that nonsense? You mean all those killings ruthless Japanese made in China are propaganda? And this was made because communists wanted to and continued to rule China? Oh, come on, national strength and power is the only decisive factor.
If you think all publications and movies in Mainland China are communist propaganda. Please watch the movie "Hong Kong 1941". Please look how those little kids mimic Japanese soldiers to "kill" each others. Please notice how they bow to Japanese when Japs pass by. Please look how Japanese soldiers force everybody to sing "Sakura". The war was only 50 years away. Many of those who experienced the war are still alive. Even now, these people have begun to deny the truth by saying the war was evoked by Chinese. How can you convince me that Japan will not invade China again? What the Communist government is doing in these days is trying to persuade general public that they are doing well with Japan. Chinese people have deep hatred toward Japanese, while the communist government has to keep every right and covered. But I believe one thing: However those people hate communist China, China is going to be stronger and stronger. Japan will be marginalized not at the center in Asia, because, nobody in Asia trust or even like Japanese.

War and Popular Culture: Resistance in Modern China, 1937-1945 by Chang-tai Hung outlines the use of popular culture by both the Communist and the Guomindang Parties to mobilize the rural population during the Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese invasion forced the urban population from coastal treaty ports to the "hinterlands", putting many intellectuals and elites in contact with rural peasants. This "Ruralization" created an opportunity to recruit the peasantry to Communist and GMD causes. Hung outlines several types of popular culture mediums that were used to politicize the "masses", but he concentrates most thoroughly on cartoons, literature, and newspapers.
Poor communication and transportation channels, as well as the staggering illiteracy rate in rural China, made dissemination of media difficult. It was necessary for both parties to "activate an unprecedented, ambitious propaganda campaign." (p. 3)
Both parties used the technique of "pouring new wine into old bottles', or inserting new themes into old popular culture forms to win support. Hung asserts that the Communist Party was more adept at co-opting folk art due to having experience operating in rural areas, unlike the GMD. Also, the Communists created more varied and compelling propaganda because they not only created anti-Japanese works, but also portrayed images of progress and happiness that could be actualized through socialist reforms.
Unfortunately, some of Hung's assertions are simplistic or false. Hung admits that even in the interior, writers, artists, and actors were confined to larger towns, not remote villages. It is difficult to accept that propaganda that was principally disseminated in larger towns could have the widespread effect that Hung suggests it does. Hung also admits that intellectuals, not peasants, created these works. The art created by the political parties imitated the style popular culture, but does that automatically make it popular? Most damningly, Hung fails to establish that the propaganda actually worked. It is not enough to simply create a catalog of propaganda and assert that it was effective because it existed. Hung does not provide metrics for the effectiveness of the propaganda campaigns.
Rhetorical faults aside, War and Popular Culture contains many fascinating examples of art and literature produced during the Sino-Japanese war. Additionally, it gives a plausible account of the enormous transformation in artistic styles that Chinese art underwent during this period. This movement from an elitist Confucian style to a new and more accessible form represents a tremendous aesthetic and cultural shift. Because this book contains such a wealth of examples of "popular culture" it also serves as a useful reference work.