Holocaust Education In China
World War II was dramatic in Europe, but many fail to consider the affect it had on China and the Chinese people. The Chinese lost thirty million men and women in World War II and have since been focused on restoring and revitalizing their heritage as well as coming to terms with their own history (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme). Scholars speculate that the reason Holocaust education does not thrive in China is because the country is exerting its energy in rehabilitating itself as well as creating a curriculum to teach its own misfortune during the war. Additionally, the tragedies of Europe were far away which has led to a feeling that teaching such subjects is not necessary in Chinese culture (United Nations Outreach Programme). Shortly after the war, there were a few newspaper articles that circulated through China, but overall the population remained relatively uninformed of the atrocities of the Holocaust (United Nations Outreach Programme).
The 1980’s sparked a newfound interest in Judaic studies in China and in 1992 there was a normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Israel, which made discussing the Holocaust and Judaism much more common place (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme). In China, the Holocaust is seen specifically as a Jewish event. In other words, discussing the Holocaust without Judaism is taboo in China, but many times, the other groups of victims such as gypsies, are not mentioned or recognized. Books became available, though very few, which focused on stories from the Holocaust. For the first time since the war the people of China were able to readily access information regarding the atrocities of World War II (United Nations Outreach Programme).
Nanjing University played a crucial role in forming Holocaust education within China (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme). In 1992 the University hosted a conference entitled “Learning Jewish Culture”. Although the conference focused mainly on Judaism, a large portion of the sessions involved educating scholars about the Holocaust as well as the history around why it happened (United Nations Outreach Program). It was the first visible step towards enabling open dialogue about the Holocaust, particularly among Chinese scholars.
Nanjing began as a relatively small and seemingly insignificant city. In the 1920’s the population of Nanjing encompassed approximately 250,000 people, but by the 1930’s that number rose to over a million. The population increase resulted from on and off Japanese occupation as well as Japanese refugees who had escaped to Nanjing (Ehrlich 82). The Japanese army entered Nanjing in December of 1937. Within six short weeks, the death toll skyrocketed to 300,000 victims all of whom committed no crime other than being Chinese (82). The Japanese superiors convinced their soldiers that the Japanese race was the best race in the world and therefore had the right and obligation to rule all of Asia (87). Operating under the “three all” system, the Japanese army brutally seized the city using a “loot all. Kill all. Burn all.” policy (82). The Nanjing Massacre, also known as “The Rape of Nanjing” to remember the 20,000 women as young as nine and as old as seventy who were mercilessly raped by the Japanese army, demonstrates the most horrific atrocities committed in China to this date (83). Despite the inconceivable impact of the Nanjing Massacre, most people are never taught about it. Globally, the message of the Nanjing Massacre makes its way into textbooks rarely and most students in the United States skip over the appalling events in their entirety. This notion stems from the fact that most people in China do not even have access to thorough education about the Nanjing Massacre (Ehrlich 85).
It was not until the 1980’s that the Massacre became publicly discussed, and even then the topic created tension and uncomfortably. China created a Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall to honor the lives of those who were taken too early during the Massacre (Ehrlich 90). Today, although not necessarily widespread, the Massacre of Nanjing is used to teach the Holocaust and bring perspective to students, typically once they are college aged (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme).
Both the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre provide students with a sense of the heinous acts committed within the Second World War as well as different responses to such acts. The difficulty lies in making a comparison without creating a belief that both the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre represent the same thing. Both events are undoubtedly identifiable as genocide, as it is defined in the Rome Statute of International Law as, “…acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group” (Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court). Additionally, both events originated from one racial group exerting political power over another. Although differences here can be seen in the ceremonial way that Hitler and the Nazi’s destroyed the Jews and even attempted to destroy every trace of their existence by burning books and remnants of Jewish culture and the meaningless and unidentifiable way that the Japanese destroyed the Chinese people, both situations have unique qualifying factors. Germany had significant money and power that lead to their claim of superiority, but Japan did not. Japan was suffering economically and had a army that was powerful, but no more powerful or strategic than the Chinese army at the time (Ehrlich 86).
China certainly has very valid reasons for not placing a large focus on Holocaust education in middle and high schools, but it is problematic to leave that portion of education out of curriculum in its entirety. Although there are strong cultural reasons for China to shy away from issues such as the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre, it is absolutely crucial that generations to come are well versed in the mistakes mankind has made before their time.
Progress is beginning in China and there is evidence to support the fact that Holocaust education will only continue to improve over time. Right now, China needs to grapple with the disturbing history of the Nanjing Massacre as well as the ever-present tension with Japan regarding the legitimacy of the Massacre. However, as China begins to come to terms with what happened in Nanjing there will, hopefully, be a shift towards creating a core curriculum that focuses on both the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre.
Learning through a lens that hits close to home can be critical to developing a thorough understanding of a topic or creating a close relationship with the material. China should always take pride in its history and make education about the Nanjing Massacre readily available to students, but pairing it with comprehensive education about the Holocaust, and potentially other genocides, will only strengthen student’s knowledge. A better informed generation of students is more likely to learn from the mistakes of their ancestors and apply those lessons to decisions that will be made within their countries and communities. Knowledge is power, but power is pointless unless it applies that knowledge to better society on a micro and macro level.
Citations:
“Anne Frank House: Travelling Exhibition in China.” Anne Frank House, n.d. Web. 26 Mar.2015.
Ehrlich, M. Avrum. “Rethinking the Nanjing Massacre and Its Connection with the Holocaust.” The Jewish-Chinese Nexus: A Meeting of Civilizations. London: Routledge, 2008. 82-94. Print.
Kupfer, Peter, Youtai: Presence and Perception of Jews and Judaism in China. Frankfurt Am Main: Peter Lang, 2008. Print.
Lyons, Erica. “How the Anne Frank Story Captured China.” The Jewish Chronicle Online, 2 June 2011. Web. 27 Mar.2015.
“Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Articles 1-33).” Prevent Genocide International. N.p., n.d. Web. 28, Mar. 2015.
“The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme.” UN News Center. UN. N.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Zhou, Xun. Chinese Perceptions of the “Jews” and Judaism: A History of the Youtai. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 2001. Print.
The 1980’s sparked a newfound interest in Judaic studies in China and in 1992 there was a normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Israel, which made discussing the Holocaust and Judaism much more common place (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme). In China, the Holocaust is seen specifically as a Jewish event. In other words, discussing the Holocaust without Judaism is taboo in China, but many times, the other groups of victims such as gypsies, are not mentioned or recognized. Books became available, though very few, which focused on stories from the Holocaust. For the first time since the war the people of China were able to readily access information regarding the atrocities of World War II (United Nations Outreach Programme).
Nanjing University played a crucial role in forming Holocaust education within China (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme). In 1992 the University hosted a conference entitled “Learning Jewish Culture”. Although the conference focused mainly on Judaism, a large portion of the sessions involved educating scholars about the Holocaust as well as the history around why it happened (United Nations Outreach Program). It was the first visible step towards enabling open dialogue about the Holocaust, particularly among Chinese scholars.
Nanjing began as a relatively small and seemingly insignificant city. In the 1920’s the population of Nanjing encompassed approximately 250,000 people, but by the 1930’s that number rose to over a million. The population increase resulted from on and off Japanese occupation as well as Japanese refugees who had escaped to Nanjing (Ehrlich 82). The Japanese army entered Nanjing in December of 1937. Within six short weeks, the death toll skyrocketed to 300,000 victims all of whom committed no crime other than being Chinese (82). The Japanese superiors convinced their soldiers that the Japanese race was the best race in the world and therefore had the right and obligation to rule all of Asia (87). Operating under the “three all” system, the Japanese army brutally seized the city using a “loot all. Kill all. Burn all.” policy (82). The Nanjing Massacre, also known as “The Rape of Nanjing” to remember the 20,000 women as young as nine and as old as seventy who were mercilessly raped by the Japanese army, demonstrates the most horrific atrocities committed in China to this date (83). Despite the inconceivable impact of the Nanjing Massacre, most people are never taught about it. Globally, the message of the Nanjing Massacre makes its way into textbooks rarely and most students in the United States skip over the appalling events in their entirety. This notion stems from the fact that most people in China do not even have access to thorough education about the Nanjing Massacre (Ehrlich 85).
It was not until the 1980’s that the Massacre became publicly discussed, and even then the topic created tension and uncomfortably. China created a Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall to honor the lives of those who were taken too early during the Massacre (Ehrlich 90). Today, although not necessarily widespread, the Massacre of Nanjing is used to teach the Holocaust and bring perspective to students, typically once they are college aged (The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme).
Both the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre provide students with a sense of the heinous acts committed within the Second World War as well as different responses to such acts. The difficulty lies in making a comparison without creating a belief that both the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre represent the same thing. Both events are undoubtedly identifiable as genocide, as it is defined in the Rome Statute of International Law as, “…acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group” (Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court). Additionally, both events originated from one racial group exerting political power over another. Although differences here can be seen in the ceremonial way that Hitler and the Nazi’s destroyed the Jews and even attempted to destroy every trace of their existence by burning books and remnants of Jewish culture and the meaningless and unidentifiable way that the Japanese destroyed the Chinese people, both situations have unique qualifying factors. Germany had significant money and power that lead to their claim of superiority, but Japan did not. Japan was suffering economically and had a army that was powerful, but no more powerful or strategic than the Chinese army at the time (Ehrlich 86).
China certainly has very valid reasons for not placing a large focus on Holocaust education in middle and high schools, but it is problematic to leave that portion of education out of curriculum in its entirety. Although there are strong cultural reasons for China to shy away from issues such as the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre, it is absolutely crucial that generations to come are well versed in the mistakes mankind has made before their time.
Progress is beginning in China and there is evidence to support the fact that Holocaust education will only continue to improve over time. Right now, China needs to grapple with the disturbing history of the Nanjing Massacre as well as the ever-present tension with Japan regarding the legitimacy of the Massacre. However, as China begins to come to terms with what happened in Nanjing there will, hopefully, be a shift towards creating a core curriculum that focuses on both the Holocaust and the Nanjing Massacre.
Learning through a lens that hits close to home can be critical to developing a thorough understanding of a topic or creating a close relationship with the material. China should always take pride in its history and make education about the Nanjing Massacre readily available to students, but pairing it with comprehensive education about the Holocaust, and potentially other genocides, will only strengthen student’s knowledge. A better informed generation of students is more likely to learn from the mistakes of their ancestors and apply those lessons to decisions that will be made within their countries and communities. Knowledge is power, but power is pointless unless it applies that knowledge to better society on a micro and macro level.
Citations:
“Anne Frank House: Travelling Exhibition in China.” Anne Frank House, n.d. Web. 26 Mar.2015.
Ehrlich, M. Avrum. “Rethinking the Nanjing Massacre and Its Connection with the Holocaust.” The Jewish-Chinese Nexus: A Meeting of Civilizations. London: Routledge, 2008. 82-94. Print.
Kupfer, Peter, Youtai: Presence and Perception of Jews and Judaism in China. Frankfurt Am Main: Peter Lang, 2008. Print.
Lyons, Erica. “How the Anne Frank Story Captured China.” The Jewish Chronicle Online, 2 June 2011. Web. 27 Mar.2015.
“Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Articles 1-33).” Prevent Genocide International. N.p., n.d. Web. 28, Mar. 2015.
“The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme.” UN News Center. UN. N.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Zhou, Xun. Chinese Perceptions of the “Jews” and Judaism: A History of the Youtai. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 2001. Print.