The Occupation of Nanking Summary and Analysis

By the spring of 1938, the worst of the massacre was over, but as Chang points out, the occupation was horrible in and of itself. Trash and human filth had piled up in the city, and total property damage, much of which had occurred as a result of the arson of Japanese soldiers, totaled over $900 million. Further destruction occurred as soldiers looted every building available to them. By January of 1938, there were only two stores operating in Nanking, those of the military store and the International Committee's rice shop. Electricity, telephone, and water services had been stopped. Slowly, the economy began to recover as vendors began selling their goods, services were reestablished, restaurants opened, and the Nanking Self-Government Committee was established with puppet Chinese government officials. City buses began to run, and the railway was reopened...