Comments on: Japan: A new assertiveness in dealing with international criticism

By: The Shots Not Heard Around the World « World War II - A Living Chronology

The Shots Not Heard Around the World « World War II - A Living Chronology — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:08:36 +0000

[...] have noticed that the controversy isn’t over. China is still angry (scroll down) and Japan isn’t inclined to empathy [...]

By: Transpacific Triangle » links for 2007-06-18 by Graham Webster

Transpacific Triangle » links for 2007-06-18 by Graham Webster — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:19:33 +0000

[...] Japan: A new assertiveness in dealing with international criticism « AMPONTAN [...]

By: ampontan

ampontan — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:29:01 +0000

Aceface: Thanks for recommending those books about Mao.

By: tomojiro

tomojiro — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:11:08 +0000

I read chinese. Yes, chinese historiography is changing. Since mid 1990ies they became more and more positivistic than rather ideological.

When it comes to modern history, yes, ideology is still strong, but I am somewhat amazed recently about the range of alternative views and interpretation which are allowed to be expressed. Even critical reevaluation about the role of chinese communistic party are (to some degree) allowed.

It is still far from democracy of course, but it is changing. The Magzine “Shokun” ran an article by Ritsumeikan proffeseur David Askew about a meeting between Japanese historians and Chinese historians, and the Chinese historians admitted that the Chinese research about Nanjing massacre were too much ideological.

And I think there was a news about the change of histoy books in Shanghai schools this year.

By: Aceface

Aceface — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 06:54:09 +0000

Well,I don’t read Chinese.I heard about this from Japanese Koreanologist saying some of the recent works by Chinese academic’s work on Korean War using declassified PRC papers are impressive(He quote them in his own papers).He also said some Chinese academics are more reliable than recent South Korean progressive academics on issues related with North Korea for student movement influenced acadmics tend to choose politics over facts,although I have no way to prove what the man told me on this.

I’ve also read 毛沢東秘録 from Sankei.It’s Beijing bureau collected and edited the books and memoirs written by Chinese politicians and other figures on life and times of Mao to reconstruct what Chinese have come to know about the chairman,which before were top secret or taboo.Using that approach which is simply using just books sold in the ordinary Chinese bookshops(no samizdat nor unproven documents,internet rumours),they avoided the judgement dispute whether it is genuine or not like The Tienanmen papers.

Since Sankei is known to be no panda hugger,the torn of the book is critical,but deinitely more objective than Chiang/Haliday’s “MAO”.And one must have to admit that while PRC of today is not embracing freedom of academism nor speech, it is clear that PRC is no Soviet Union before Gorbachev nor North Korea today.Facts do come out in the openin China if you have eyes and time to collect them.

By: ampontan

ampontan — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:21:07 +0000

Aceface: You’re right, there is, but I don’t think it’s getting put into Chinese school textbooks.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think most of those books are being published overseas. And there has been rising criticism of Western scholars of China for going soft on Chinese history to avoid displeasing China’s government and having their permission to come to China revoked.

By: Aceface

Aceface — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:15:33 +0000

Actually there are many interesting works done by the Chinese historians done recently.
Either that their wrong doing in Mao days or demythfying certain events like intervention in Korean war or secretly to the wars in Indochina.The problem is the politicization of the historical debate here….

By: bender

bender — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 02:25:33 +0000

I’m puzzled at the Chinese claims I sometimes encounter on the media and the web that assert the Chinese empires have always been peaceful- no foreign campaigns, they say- now what kind of whitewash could that be? I guess the Chinese history books never teach about the foreign conquests and campaigns that almost every Chinese empires were busy engaged in. How the heck did the Han Chinese spread beyond the Yellow River plain where they originated?

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:58:43 +0000

Was Jiabao referring to China? I assume so, though there isn’t enough context there – and I don’t know enough about that speech.

the Chinese aren’t very interested in the ultimate truth

I’m still waiting to see any government that is interested in such. I still can’t trust a single word that comes from any of them. All of the talk here, on both sides, from any government, is mere posturing and fluffing the feathers for domestic political gain on the false bedrock that the name on the front is more important that the name on the back.