Nanjing, Nanjing

A short trip to Nanjing turned out to be a fruitful educational trip, even with the unforgiving sun and searing heat. Nanjing was the place where the infamous Rape of Nanking occured, and I had thought that the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall was the only thing worth going for, but boy, was I wrong.

The highlight of the trip was the Memorial Hall, where they created an atmosphere of bleakness and death. That was deliberate, to remind all of us that 300 000 people died when Nanjing was captured by the Japanese in 1937 during WWII. Floating candles, check. Countless name lists and photos of victims, check. Grotesque pictures and videos of intestines spilling, women being raped, heads being chopped off, check. One huge ass incense flame smack in the middle of a prayer compound for people to offer incense, check.

It was there that I suddenly had an inkling of why Chairman Mao's radical ideas were so widely received by the people of China. He emerged to power around the 1940s, a period after China has just been freed from constant Japanese bombardment (and torture). His ideas were all about fighting, war, and having enemies. That was exactly the sentiments of the Chinese people, who had suffered much humiliation and were licking their WWII wounds. That was exactly what they wanted (not neccessarily what they needed), and so, that was one factor why China went into communism.

Another educational highlight was the spotlight on Dr Sun Yat-Sen, whose body is in Sun Yat-Sen Mausolem. I learnt about the Father of Modern China, and a little bit about Chiang Kai- Shek, and how Taiwan came to be the rebel of China. There was also mention of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was formed by rebels and which managed to hold its own against the Qing empire for 11 years. This same Kingdom was the inspiration for Sun Yat-Sen to overthrow the feudal system of china.

Sounds confusing right?

To really know the history of China, one really must be in China. I'd never have known about all of these facts, and the way they link up to each other, and truly understand why China is the way it is now if I had never came for this.

Plus, I bought the above stamp for 60RMB. It's of Chairman Mao shaking hands with Joseph Stalin. Mao and Stalin leh! It's the epitome of Communism!

At this very moment, I think I made a wrong choice studying A Level Chemistry. Very wrong.