Analyzing the “Photographic Evidence” of the Nanking Massacre

Subsequently, the Japanese army, which was “unable to recognize any intent ofsurrender on the opponent,” launched a general offensive against the Nanking city wallsat 2 p.m. the same day. The Chinese garrison troops resolutely counterattacked.Nanking was a traditional Chinese walled city. Inside the city walls, manystores began to close in late August, and a substantial number of the inhabitants startedevacuating the city. The pace of the exodus accelerated when it became known thatgovernment offices were to relocate to Hankou. The people of Nanking panicked andfled not only because of the anticipated battle but also because they fearedjianbi-qingye—a scorched-earth strategy that the Chinese troops were likely to conduct inthe Nanking area. Already on July 31, the GMD issued a statement that they weredetermined to turn every Chinese national and every piece of their soil into ash, ratherthan turn them over to the opponent. Upon hearing this, the population of Nankingexpected that the Chinese troops would burn everything in and around Nanking so as toleave nothing for the Japanese army. Their prediction came true. The Nankinggarrison force started setting fire to buildings and houses in the areas close to Xiakuan tothe north as well as in the vicinities of the eastern and southern city gates.In the end, those who remained in Nanking were the “poorest of the poor” (in thewords of ICNSZ chairman Rabe), who could not afford the trip to extricate themselvesfrom the city. With the addition of those people who lost their houses due to thescorched-earth strategy and those who fled from the anticipated battle area, as ofNovember 28, the population of Nanking that remained totaled some 200,000.Other sources corroborate this information. In her diary entry of November 30,Minnie Vautrin of Jinling University quoted Rabe and Fitch as saying that about 200,000people remained within the city walls. The ICNSZ also noted on the same day that itwould be obliged to feed a total of 200,000 people. On December 8, the remainingpopulation entered the safety zone in accordance with the previously mentionedevacuation order. Immediately before the fall of the city on December 12, the ICNSZreferred to “200,000 citizens” in its proposal for a ceasefire. Clearly, there was acommonly accepted notion then that the number of people who stayed within theNanking city walls totaled about 200,000.Principal gates of NankingZhongshan Gate seen fromabove. The upper portionof the photograph is theinside of the city walls.(Property of “Mr. I”)22