ChinaTalk

WWII's Legacy in China with Rana Mitter

Jan 17, 2021

Rana Mitter, a Professor of Chinese history at Oxford, delves into China's World War II legacy and its effect on modern nationalism. He discusses how the recent film 'The Eight Hundred' reflects a changing narrative around this pivotal period. Mitter emphasizes the shift in historical recognition, comparing the significance of 1945 to 1949. He also highlights the once-stigmatized Kuomintang heroes and how oral histories help preserve their stories. Intriguingly, he draws parallels between China's suffering during the war and Holocaust narratives, exploring their impact on current diplomatic relations.

01:03:38

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Episode guests

Rana Mitter

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Revisiting China's WWII Memory

30min

Resilience and Recognition: Lives of KMT Heroes in a Changing China

2min

Echoes of Tragedy: WWII Narratives in China

14min

Exploring War Cinema and Its Impact on Family Viewing

2min

War and Cinema: China's WWII Narratives

11min

Balancing Family Visits and Meal Preparations

3min

Rana Mitter, professor of Chinese history at Oxford University, discusses his book from earlier this year, China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism.

Now seventy-five years after China’s victory over Japan, China is rethinking how it grapples with the legacy of WWII (see, for example, The Eight Hundred, the highest-grossing film of 2020, discussed towards the end of the show). Mitter argues that this growing emphasis on World War II is evidence of a subtle rewriting of history, where 1945 takes on a significance comparable to 1949, and the CCP adopts historical victories of the Kuomintang.

Please consider supporting ChinaTalk at www.glow.fm/chinatalk Intro music: 赴戰, 'To Battle,‘ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB9TmKdo0qU&feature=youtu.be Outtro music: 大刀进行曲, or "Sword March," written in honor of the poorly armed Chinese fighters at the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. See here for more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_March. Get bonus content on Patreon

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