Wars, conquest, and national humiliation leave scars that may never truly heal.
I'm Chinese. I don't hate Japan. I hate those war crimes their military commited like any other person with a
humane heart, but I do not hate the Japanese as a people simply because they are Japanese. In fact, I've lived in
that country and now I speak both Chinese and Japanese. While I recognize the terrible tragedies that occured, I also
think an eternal grudge and endless violence like the recent bloodshed on both sides cannot and will not solve the
problem.
It is understandable why many Chinese feel intense hatred toward Japan. Many of the elderly generation saw firsthand
their homes destroyed, families killed, and livelihoods robbed.
And I also understand the desire by some, non-radical militaristic Japanese to at least try to move away from a past
that are painful to them too. It is after all a memory of many shameful, inhumane acts. I can see why some may want to
step away from that memory and move on to focus much more upon the prosperity that has blossomed in the
aftermath.
At the same time, there are those on both sides who take national pride to equate ethnic violence. The beatings and
killings of both Japanese and Chinese students in both countries may create self satisfaction in the moment. but one
must realize such violence will only perpetuate animosity between the nations. I think the ultimate end, however
seemingly impossible by human nature, is after all a peaceful coexistence. That goal can only come about if both sides
calm down and have civilized diplomatic dialogue over their differences rather than allow innocent lives to be
lost.
I do not in anyway condone what the Japanese military did in wwii. Yet nor do I condone the mob riots and student
murders on either side.
i spent the first few years of my life growing up in a China where films still glorify those war heros who killed the
Japanese. But I have also spend many years in Japan and learned from the moderate intellectuals I met another side of
that history.
That is why I come to the conclusion that for all the hatred that history has bestowed upon the present generations,
only peaceful, open dialogue can create any solution. The consequences of violence, however satisfying, is only
ephemeral. The changes that can result from friendly diplomacy, on the other hand, can be much more long-lasting.