The interpretation of history is an inherently political act in China, and the struggle for control of the narrative of the War of Resistance Against Japan—World War II—has heated up during the approach to the September 3 parade commemorating the Japanese surrender. Joining the Sinica hosts to talk about changing interpretations of World War II and the big military parade in front of Tiananmen is Rana Mitter, professor of modern Chinese history at Oxford University and the author of two books on twentieth century Chinese history: Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II 1937-1945 and A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World.

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Recommendations:

David Moser: Homepage of the State Archives Administration of the People’s Republic of China

Rana Mitter: Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, Timothy Snyder, Bodley Head, 2015

Kaiser Kuo: Gareth Jones’ Master File of All Sinica Podcast Recommendations