Nanjing 1937: A Japanese Pilot Remembers

Kaname Harada, a Japanese fighter ace during the war in China and the Pacific, took part in the conquest of China’s capital Nanjing in late 1937, and shortly afterwards bore … Continue Reading →

A Chinese Agent in Burma

The article, featuring the extraordinary story of Chinese agent Li Jui, was written by Richard Duckett, a history and international relations scholar at Reading College. It was first published on … Continue Reading →

Childhood in Shadow of War

Margaret Blair was born in Shanghai in 1936 and spent the years from 1942 to 1945 in a Japanese internment camp. In her memoir Gudao, Lone Islet she paints a vivid … Continue Reading →

Flying ‘The Hump’

This article, about one of the many American pilots who risked their lives to keep China supplied across the ‘Hump’ air route, is written by seasoned journalist George Morris. It … Continue Reading →

A Chinese Child Soldier Speaks

Huang Meng-hou, now 84 years old and a resident of Taiwan, served as a child soldier in the army of the collaborationist government headed by Wang Jingwei (or Wang Ching-wei). In … Continue Reading →

The Mysterious Prisoner

This website previously carried an article on Nadine Hwang (above in post-war photo from Venezuela, second from right), the mysterious Chinese prisoner of Nazi Germany’s Ravensbrück concentration camp. Much remains … Continue Reading →

An Early Role Model: Changing China from Within

Mme Sun Yat Sen, or Soong Chingling, was one of the most prominent figures of the Second Sino-Japanese War. On the photo above she is pictured with Chinese soldiers in the … Continue Reading →

A Life in a Passport

    This article by Neil Kaplan about an unusual British passport was first published on his website Our Passports. It is reproduced here with his kind permission.  Sometimes fate shines upon us collectors and … Continue Reading →

Scenes of Death and Struggle at ‘China’s Alamo’

Recently we carried a series of photos from Shanghai’s restored Sihang Warehouse, taken by Yi Lee. On this page find some more pictures, courtesy of Yi Lee, from this historic site, … Continue Reading →

A Boy in Wartime Shanghai, Part 2

George Kulstad, born in Shanghai in 1935, had a tumultuous childhood. His father, a Norwegian sea captain, was held captive by the Japanese, and George and his mother had to make do as best they could during … Continue Reading →