Nanjing Massacre and Japan's War Crimes: Collected Works of Gao Xingzu

Author: Gao Xingzu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Professor Gao Xingzu is one of the earliest scholars in China to engage in the study of the Nanjing Massacre and achieve outstanding accomplishments. He began researching the Nanjing Massacre as early as the 1960s, and his research findings played a significant role in promoting the understanding of the truth among the people of China and Japan at the time. Throughout his career, Professor Gao has consistently dedicated himself to teaching and researching modern Japanese history and post-war international relations, publishing dozens of papers in various domestic and international journals. After Professor Gao passed away in 2001, his colleagues and disciples began collecting his published papers from various sources, with the support of many experts and scholars. This book compiles 46 formally published papers by Professor Gao, divided into four themes: the Nanjing Massacre issue, the atrocities of the Japanese army in China, Japan's relations with domestic and international countries, and some book reviews by Professor Gao on Japanese books related to the invasion of China. Experts unanimously agree that the current rampant right-wing forces in Japan distort historical facts. The publication of this book on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of China's victory in the war holds special social significance, enabling the Chinese people, especially the younger generation, to gain a more comprehensive and profound understanding of that humiliating history. Experts point out that this book has three characteristics: First is its keenness. When the Nanjing Massacre was not yet a major historical event in China in the 1960s, Professor Gao took the lead in paying attention to it, and many of the materials he cited at the time are still highly valued by scholars today. Second is its breadth. At that time, Professor Gao did not focus solely on the Nanjing Massacre as a single historical event but instead covered the entire history of the Japanese invasion of China and paid attention to changes in Japan's relations with other countries. Third is its authority. Many of Professor Gao's research conclusions powerfully countered right-wing forces and are still widely cited by later scholars. For example, despite the lack of materials at the time, the list of foreign journalists in Nanjing compiled by Professor Gao was accurate and comprehensive.