I will start off by clarifying that this book was not written from the perspective of evaluating leadership. With many books about harrowing events in history, there are leadership principles on display for all to see. The Rape of Nanking is no exception. Let me be clear here, my review is not an indictment on or approval of the immutable characteristics of individuals portrayed in this book. I am only evaluating what I read and how I perceived the leadership lessons through my mind as influenced by my life experiences.
Nanking (aka Nanjing) is about 300 kilometers / 190 miles west by northwest of Shanghai and was the administrative capital of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Second Sino-Japanese War was really the Japanese involvement in and a precursor to the Pacific front of World War 2. The distinction is focused on the Japanese invasion of and subsequent occupation of China.
This book focuses on the plight of the Chinese people in Nanking for six weeks starting December 13, 1937. There are far too many accounts of what occurred to recount here in this post. The overall attitude was that prisoners of war were to be killed. All of the inhabitants of Nanking who did not escape before the Japanese invasion were labeled as prisoners of war. This included women and children. Iris Chang, the author of this book took painstaking efforts to track down survivors, locate journals, and locate news footage which was not released to the public.
During this six-week period, a number of Americans and Europeans set up a “Nanking Safety Zone” which was intended to be an asylum for the Chinese people to seek refuge. John Rabe is known as “The Nazi Hero of Nanking”. He would consistently appeal to the Chinese military leaders as well as Emporer Hirohito’s staff in interceding for the Chinese people. On a regular basis, he would write to Adolph Hitler to seek additional influence in protecting the people of Nanking. Dr. Robert Wilson was the only surgeon in Nanking during this massacre. Minnie Vautrin would stand between Japanese soldiers and the Chinese in the Nanking Safety Zone to save as many lives as possible.
Leadership is not the use of power over others as a reason to destroy lives. What the Japanese did during this Second Sino-Japanese War was abuse power to destroy lives. Even though the two nations come from the same ancestral heritage, at that time Japanese considered Chinese to be sub-human. The violence documented in this book is only a portion of the same kinds of atrocities occurring across all of China. Throughout the ages, this was not the first nor the last time these kinds of horrible acts have been or will be carried out. These horrendous acts are not singularly the product of Japanese culture of this documented time but can be found throughout the history of mankind. However, this is an extreme example and most of us have been sheltered from the stories.
In this account, the true leadership came from those who served the citizens of Nanking tirelessly at a great cost to themselves…physically, emotionally, and mentally. These people did what they could to save, rescue, and repair the lives of many Chinese. None of those who helped in the Nanking Safety Zone left that experience free from scars that haunted them for life. They did not seek recognition for the work they did but rather wanted to serve and advocate for the innocent who suffered so much.
It is unlikely that anyone reading this will ever be called to lead in the extreme circumstances noted above. I would like to ask though…are we seeking to influence others to significance even when it is tough to do so? Are we striving for self-discipline to be an example for others? Are we encouraging and influencing those in our care to take that next step in progressing towards their own goals? Are we preparing and/or mentoring our replacement? These are simple things we can be doing…not easy, but simple.