Lu said that the biggest advantage of shooting the film was that he had an opportunity to read a good number of diaries of Japanese soldiers during the invasion. The role of the Japanese soldier who committed suicide was based on the diaries of several Japanese soldiers. Another leading role in the film, Jiang Shuyun, a teacher in the international safety zone (a demilitarized zone for Chinese civilians set up before Japanese troops broke through the Chinese defense), was also based on the diaries of some Chinese teachers at that time. One of the diaries said that there was a Chinese female teacher who saved six men by changing into different clothes before eventually being found out by Japanese soldiers.

"I wanted to show how humans face death, and how they maintain their dignity before death," Lu said.

He said that his film aims to express the rethinking of humans toward war. Lu said in his blog that this movie is dedicated to the memory of Chinese-American writer Iris Chang who wrote a book, called The Rape of Nanking, on the history of the Nanjing Massacre, and to all other people who fight for truth in the dark.

What is worth mentioning is that Chinese audiences recognized the performance of Japanese actors in the movie. During a public screening of the film in Liaoning Province, one of the three provinces in northeast China under Japanese occupation in 1931-45, many Chinese warmly applauded the courage and performance of the Japanese actors in the movie.

Bringing history alive

In order to effectively shoot the movie, a 53-hectare set depicting the city of Nanjing in 1937 was built in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province. It took six months and cost 15 million yuan ($2 million).

The movie took four years' preparation and shooting, and the average age of the creative group of the film is only 34.

Hoping to capture the war scenes as faithfully as possible, Lu attached the same importance to the costumes and makeup of film extras as the leading roles. Working with around 60,000 extras effectively was no mean feat, and Lu's skills in managing this were recognized by film critics and audiences alike.

All the set designs were loaned from museums, including the service uniforms, military swords and telescopes. Even the dinner sets that Japanese soldiers used at that time were on loan.

When shooting the street fighting, Lu used Chinese soldiers, which ensured the fighting sequences looked authentic.

"Only through true details, can the movie create an authentic atmosphere," Lu said.

At the end of the film, the name and the year of birth and death of the major Chinese figures appearing in the movie were featured on the screen, which deeply touched the hearts of audiences.

"I hope in the future when people talk about this period of history, they will think of the lively faces of these people who represent the millions of unyielding Chinese," Lu told Beijing Review.

Coincidently, the film John Rabe, jointly produced by Chinese and German artists, was screened one week after Lu's City of Life and Death. Depicting the same theme from different perspectives, the two films have once again made people recall this painful memory in China's past.

History in Japanese Eyes

By DING YING

World War II ended more than 60 years ago, but China and Japan continue to clash over differences in their interpretation of the history.

Zheng Donghui, an expert on Japanese studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that most ordinary Japanese have a different understanding about the history of Japan's invasion to China during World War II.

"Their conception of history is unclear and very vague," he said, adding that the direct reaction of ordinary Japanese is feeling pain about their suffering in the war. He holds that this is because Japanese militarism was never thoroughly purged after Japan's defeat, partly due to the postwar international environment. Besides, some Japanese politicians, especially the right wing, try to use this period of history as a tool to mislead the public and gain political benefit. But if the right wing goes too far in distorting history—for example, adopting school history textbooks with an untruthful version of Japan's wartime activities—some Japanese people, along with Asian countries that suffered from Japanese invasion and even the United States, will strongly condemn the extremists' actions.

In recent decades, more and more Japanese people have paid attention to the controversies around historical issues, aided by the exchange of information on the Internet. Therefore they can now better understand why Chinese people are so sensitive about the history, said Zheng.

Over the years, the Chinese Government has repeatedly expressed outrage over Japanese leaders' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class A war criminals are enshrined along with war dead going back to 1867. "In the beginning, most Japanese didn't understand China's stance, because they took it for granted that since the two countries have established diplomatic relations, that period of history wouldn't be mentioned again," said Zheng.

"We mention history not to encourage hostility or hatred toward ordinary Japanese, because they are also victims of the war. Actually, understanding between the two peoples can be easily achieved," Zheng said.

The Painful Memory

After Japanese troops occupied Nanjing on December 13, 1937, they launched into a six-week campaign of destruction, pillage, rape and slaughter that was ordered by two Japanese generals, Iwane Matsui and Tani Hisao. More than 300,000 Chinese, including unarmed soldiers and innocent civilians, were murdered, according to a post-war trial judgment. Many died as a result of mass executions, being buried alive and being burnt to death.

On December 16, Japanese troops arrested hundreds of thousands of young men out of the international safety zone, a demilitarized zone for Chinese civilians set up before Japanese troops broke through the Chinese defense, and shot them at a Yangtze River port in Xiaguan. The bodies were then pushed into the river. On December 18, Japanese troops drove 57,000 refugees and captives to Caoxiexia and executed them with machine guns. The troops then poured kerosene onto the bodies and lit them to destroy evidence of the massacre. Some Japanese soldiers laughed and applauded at the sight of a still-living person who was burning to death after being shot and then doused with gasoline. Other Japanese soldiers beheaded refugees and put their heads on bayonets to parade through the streets.

During the first month of occupation, more than 20,000 girls and women in Nanjing from 10 to over 70 years old were raped by Japanese troops. Many women were killed after being raped.

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, consisting of judges from 11 countries, found 25 Japanese guilty of war crimes in November 1948 and sentenced seven, including Iwane Matsui, to death by hanging. The tribunal wrote in its verdict, "It was pleaded on his behalf that at this time he was ill. His illness was not sufficient to prevent his conducting the military operations of his command nor to prevent his visiting the city for days while these atrocities were occurring. He was in command of the army responsible for these happenings. He knew of them. He had the power, as he had the duty, to control his troops and to protect the unfortunate citizens of Nanjing."

Tani Hisao was extradited to China and executed as a war criminal in April 1947.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)