Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (also known as the "Memorial for compatriots killed in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Forces of Aggression), built in 1985 by the municipal government of the city of Nanjing, does what its name suggests. It is a memorial for the estimated 300,000 people (estimation by government of China including civilians; the Japanese government estimates around the range of 200,000 all-military deaths- note the nationalistic bias) who died in the Nanjing Massacre during World War II.

Although the memorial itself is not at the center of such conflicts, the Nanjing Massacre is a source of tension and controversy- especially between China and Japan. One reason the Memorial Hall was created was due to the trend in the 1980s of Japanese politicians and writers attempting to alter Japanese historical textbooks and write the Massacre off as a minor incident; The Chinese government wanted to remind its people and the rest of the world of the event, and that such happenings would not be tolerated.

Visitors to the Memorial Hall often remark that the mood of the Hall is very somber and silent. One such experience is referenced here in a blog-post by a traveller who visited the Memorial Hall. The poster also subtly (and perhaps unconsciously) argues that the previous attempts by Japanese politicians to play down the event were bad (for lack of a better-fitting term), and agrees with the Chinese government's reasons for creating the memorial.

Recently, the Japanese government has begun to offer compensation to those who were directly affected by the Nanjing Massacre. One woman (80 years old) named Xia Shuqin won 4.55 million Yen from the Japanese government in compensation (read about her story and the rest of this story here).

Also recently, a Chinese director named Lu Chuan has started to create a film called The City of Life and Death (also known as Nanjing! Nanjing!) that will document the Massacre from many different historical perspectives (with both fictional and non-fictional characters) and attempt to further explain the struggle of the those living in the city during the Massacre. (Somewhat Off-topic: I found this quote from the article quite amusing:

"
The director believes there are three ways to solve China-Japanese relationship problems.

'First, we destroy Japan. Second, Japan destroys us,' he says. 'Or the third way is we try really hard to understand each other.'

'I think we should choose the third way.' "

Seeing as this is a somewhat-recently-constructed memorial (as far as memorials go, at any rate...), there has not been much time for controversial stories to come out about it (as a quick Google-search will show). However, the issue itself- the Nanjing Massacre- is much more controversial than the memorial, and holds more potential for the fluidity of opinions.

El Angel de la Independencia

This monument is located on el Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City.
Officially known as Columna de la Independencia (cite in Spanish) it was built in 1910 to commemorate to beginning of Mexico’s War of independence, but later it began to represent the most important leaders of the war. It is a victory column signifying law, war, justice, and peace. At the top of the column lays an angel bronze statue holding a crown above Miguel Hidalgo head symbolizing victory. Surrounding the column there are many statues representing the heroes of the war and characteristics such as strength and innocence. This column is a very important traditional gathering place for celebrations, especially soccer victories. In 1986 the celebrations damaged the column so much it had to go under restoration. There have been two major restorations and some have been quite controversial. The first was due to the earthquake in 1957 and the second due to a celebration of the World Cup victory celebrations.
Another article I found that is more recent said that a copy of it was made and sent to Beijing for the Olympics. It was supposed to enhance Mexico’s relationship with China and to wish everybody the best of wishes. This symbol of independence, peace and friendship was able to do just that.

The Mysterious call--Berlin Wall

There was a phone call made just before the fall of the Berlin wall by the Socialist Party, who at the time were the communists' ruling Germany regarding the fall of the Wall. There are also those who believe that the GDR took down the all to make traveling abroad possible. At the time the populating was not allowed to travel abroad so it makes sense that they might have had an uprising that had the end result of t justification he collapse of the wall. There are many theories on how the wall fell, but there is always in the wall having been taken down.

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall may be one of the most well known monuments in the world. Its construction, and eventual fall were a symbol to the world of how separation in a country affects its people. In present day, some of the remaining parts of the wall are even being painted on. However, the most interesting article I found was this. It is about whether the fall of the Berlin wall was engineered by the GDR (German Democratic Republic), which was the east side of Germany, the socialist part. The controversy emerges from the statement made by Gunter Schabowski, a representative of the SED, when asked if the citizens of the GDR would be allowed to travel abroad and when it will take effect he said, "That is ... as far as I'm aware ... it is right now, immediately." Some of the press that was present at the conference took this as meaning the end of the Berlin Wall and it is interesting to see how one unclear statement can lead to so much controversy.

The Berlin Wall

After almost 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are still issues surrounding it. It had just received a fresh lick of paint. This summer, the wall is going to repainted by the same people that painted it the first time. This is used to cover up the past. Some might think that by repainting the wall, the wall will stand out more and make people think more about what happened in the past. However, this is incorrect. People do not want to look at one of the country's down points, so they try to cover it up by painting it. The Germans are trying to erase their past. I think that this is an incorrect approach. I think that hiding something under a coat of paint will not erase the memory of the Wall. Instead I think that it should be memorialized as a monument so that the new generation will learn from the mistakes of separation.

Another issue in the world today is whether fall of Berlin Wall due to the GDR backing it up. In my opinion, this was brought up due to the tension that is present between Russia and the United States. The Berlin Wall was build by these countries (yes I know it was the USSR back then). This is a battle for power once more. Those that destroyed the Berlin Wall are seen are the "good guys" and each country wants to be viewed as such.

Jackie Robinson memorial

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/ballpark/citifield_overview.jsp

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2008/04/15/2008-04-15_mets_unveil_designs_for_jackie_robinson_.html

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dedicating-the-jackie-robinson-rotunda/

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is part of the new ballpark Citi Field. The purpose is to honor the legacy and what Jackie Robinson did to not only to baseball, but also to the civil rights movement. The rotunda has famous quotes from Jackie as well pictures. Jackie Robinson had to overcome a lot in order to play baseball just because he was black. 

Heres a quote from Rachel Robinson, "I'm speechless. Jack was actually a very humble man. Some of you who are baseball fans wouldn't believe that because you only saw him on the field arguing with umpires and trying to beat the other guys. But he was a very humble man. I think he would have been stunned by being acknowledged in this way and remembered in this way. It's so grand and so beautiful. And the rotunda is not just a physical space but it carries with it so many memories and so many messages."

Every year now on Jackie Robinson day, every player wears number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. The number 42, since it was Jackie Robinson's number on the dodgers (although 5 in the negro leagues), is retired by major league baseball, which means that no player may wear the number 42 anymore an any team.  

Sharon (Jackie's daughter) said, "What the Rotunda means to me is the progress we've made in the past and how that's going to affect future generations. When fans and families and children walk through the Rotunda I hope they will reflect on not only what Jackie Robinson accomplished, but also think about themselves and think, 'What am I doing? How am I living my life? What am I doing in my community?' It's a place where I hope people will feel inspired."

At the rotunda there are pictures, quotes, video showing his career highlights, etc

Fred Wilpon is credited with coming up with the idea for the rotunda. 

Govenor David A. Paterson said when talking about the memorial, "When Jackie Robinson took the number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers . . . he changed the course of America. Not just baseball. Baseball, our national pastime, was the catalyst for that [movement] that has made life a lot more possible for people like me to be governor for the state of New York."
http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spjackie1612656678apr15,0,213711.story


The monument of the battle of Verdun is of great importance. This battle took place in 1916. The people that were affected by this the most were the French and German families. The monument tries its best not to be one sided. It strives to portray that not only were the French suffering, but the German's were too. The monument does a good job of serving as an educational tool. Physically, the monument is placed in the center of the battle field. Placing it in the center helps commemorate all the soldiers that were lost during battle. All in all, the monument of the battle of Verdun, is a great monument in terms of visuals, and educational facts.