Gaming the Sino-Japanese War (II)

History is pretty much set in stone (although it’s open to constant re-interpretation), but for those who experienced the events of the past first-hand the future was still undetermined, and … Continue Reading →

Gaming the Sino-Japanese War (I)

Since World War II ended in 1945, historians and laypeople alike have strived to make sense of the event, place it into a larger context and grasp its lasting significance. They … Continue Reading →

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’

Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 antiwar novel All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues) became an international bestseller, selling nearly two million copies worldwide and translated into over 20 languages … Continue Reading →

‘Enemy of the People’

Chiang Kai-shek, China’s most important leader during the long war with Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, was different things to different people. While he was often portrayed in the west as … Continue Reading →

Q & A With Author

Taiwan Today recently featured Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze in a superb article, saying it “has all the elements of a fabulous historical novel”. Below is the full text of … Continue Reading →

Media War Over Shanghai (II)

The 1937 battle of Shanghai was waged not just in the city’s streets, but also in the pages of the world’s major papers. Journalists such as Harrison Forman, pictured left, were important … Continue Reading →

Media War Over Shanghai (I)

The 1937 battle of Shanghai was waged not just in the city’s streets, but also in the pages of the world’s major papers. Peter Harmsen, author of Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad … Continue Reading →

Strangers at the Gates

Scenes of despair unfolded as the Japanese army moved in on Shanghai in late 1937, spreading terror among the city’s three million civilians. Tens of thousands were thronging at the … Continue Reading →

War Poems

To express the essence of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in 104 poems—that is the mission which Honolulu businessman and writer Wing Tek Lum embarks upon in a new collection of poetry. He succeeds marvellously. … Continue Reading →

China’s Best Ambassador

Song Meiling, China’s First Lady during the war, was her country’s best ambassador by far. Mme Chiang Kai-shek, as she was often called, spoke fluent, flawless English, as she had … Continue Reading →