9-18 in Suzhou
I knew that on September 18 2004, the very date that the Japanese army invaded China back in 1931, some people in China had went on to the streets to protest against the Japanese people. But to see it in photos is quite a different feeling.
I was surprised that so many people had took to the street and urged their fellow citizens to boycott Japanese goods. The demonstrators were so organized. They even had T-shirts printed for this demostration!
Isaac has also mentioned this picture on September 20. But I didn't spot it until yesterday.
Somehow all these bits reminded me of a news report I read on page 4 in the August 9th, 2004 edition of Economic Observer, a chinese newspaper from the mainland.
The paper reported that officials from Nanjing government went to Japan for a round of roadshow for thirty-seven investment projects. A total of 106 billion USD was raised. (There were lots of interesting statistics in this report that shows how interdependent Nanjing and Japanese economies are.)
During their visit, Japanese reporters cared more about the Nanjing Massacre rather than what was happening in the roadshow. The Chinese officials said that they have done a lot of explanation on that.
But "history is history, business is business", members of the roadshow and the director of Nanjing city external trade and economic cooperation policy office said. The Chinese officials didn't want to mention the past as they focus on the city's future. This is quite a stark difference from the ordinary people on the street that day.
Further reading:
Sino-Japan Relations by Andy Xie
Update:
Beijing tightens controls on domestic reporting on Japan.
I was surprised that so many people had took to the street and urged their fellow citizens to boycott Japanese goods. The demonstrators were so organized. They even had T-shirts printed for this demostration!
Isaac has also mentioned this picture on September 20. But I didn't spot it until yesterday.
"Some Japanese businesses, including SK-II, insist on their opening shop in that day. Many people in Suzhou got angerred with those Japanese businesses. They gathered and show objections to Japanese products. The protest was totally under tight surveillance by local police bureau, then ended after hours."
Somehow all these bits reminded me of a news report I read on page 4 in the August 9th, 2004 edition of Economic Observer, a chinese newspaper from the mainland.
The paper reported that officials from Nanjing government went to Japan for a round of roadshow for thirty-seven investment projects. A total of 106 billion USD was raised. (There were lots of interesting statistics in this report that shows how interdependent Nanjing and Japanese economies are.)
During their visit, Japanese reporters cared more about the Nanjing Massacre rather than what was happening in the roadshow. The Chinese officials said that they have done a lot of explanation on that.
But "history is history, business is business", members of the roadshow and the director of Nanjing city external trade and economic cooperation policy office said. The Chinese officials didn't want to mention the past as they focus on the city's future. This is quite a stark difference from the ordinary people on the street that day.
Further reading:
Sino-Japan Relations by Andy Xie
Update:
Beijing tightens controls on domestic reporting on Japan.
"This is not an era in which conventional centrally controlled reporting can contain the anti-Japan sentiment of the Chinese public.
The Chinese government has announced plans to rein in domestic reporting about Japan in an effort to improve bilateral relations.
If news organisations remain silent about Japan, unverified or false information may instead pop up on the Internet. So, the Chinese authorities also plan to monitor the Internet.
[...]
This indicates that Beijing is faced with a situation in which, if it silences anti-Japan opinions and adopts a new attitude towards Japan, the Chinese citizens' fierce anti-Japan sentiment could inevitably translate into anti-government feelings."
