we are the same

There is a TV drama called大地の子, I couldn’t find the romaji of the Japanese title, so I just translated it as Son of the Earth. It was a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki and it was adapted into a TV drama in 1995. This drama is special because it was not a fiction, it was based on Toyoko’s interview of many people’s personal experience. It was a cooperation of both Chinese and Japanese broadcasting companies, and the most of the dialogues are Chinese. You can’t imagine how Takaya Kamikawa managed that, and his Chinese pronunciation was not bad at all. 

I can't remember since when the Chinese TV drama is fully filled with happy-go-lucky plots, I was surprised that 20 years ago there was a drama brought some critical thinking. Hegel said history movers upward in a spiral of negations, I suppose the year of 95 was on the upward? At least the authority censorship in 1995 was not tedious. It is true that China and Japan used to have an period of more than unpleasant history, but is it right to broadcast the anti Japanese film for propaganda uses day after day? The Chinese civilians were victims, we suffered extraordinary from the Japanese invasion, but I don’t think those hilarious anti Japanese drama will give any comfort, not even a least of respect. 

Son of the Earth critically reviewed the history through a Japanese kid’s eye, includes the colonization of Manchuria and the biggest social-political movement in China--the Cultural Revolution. I have been told of the Japanese invasion since the first day I came to school, in the contrary, there is never a clear explanation about Cultural Revolution, not mention a critical review. It is rather ambiguous. Of course I know the start date, end date and duration, they are written in the history book, but I had no idea how inhumanity it was, and there was no where to know. I remembered a friend of mine in primary school, her grandfather was suffering from mental illness, then I understand he was one of the many who was humiliated during the Cultural Revolution and couldn't overcome the humiliation; my grandparents also experienced the movement but never spoke out a word of it. 

In the video clip 'Japanese Kamizake', it shows countless people, civilians and soldiers took their own lives rather than end up in enemy hands, believe in that they would be slaved, raped and killed by the invaders, many chose to take poison or hold a gun against themselves rather than surrender. One soldier wrote in his diary: “I have come at last to the place where I will die, I am pleased to think that I would die calmly in the true samurai style”, shocked the American troops began to realize that the east attitudes toward suicide differently from theirs, they witnessed the unthinkable. There were also scholars and soldiers who died for their city-states, culture and beliefs in ancient China. I somehow in awe of them, and pay my respect. What if an authority plays conspiracies in order to stable their regime, director Junya Sato recalled that when he was at school, they were brainwashed that it was a honour to fight in the war and die for your country, he said he never thought he would live till twenty, he must be died in the war already, until the surrender of Imperial Japanese Army, America educational system was imported, he started to realize the purpose of living.  

I remembered the director of the Pianist commented the bad German and the good German. Also, there are bad Chinese and good Chinese; bad Japanese and good Japanese. In episode 4 of Son of the Earth, Takaya Kamikawa talked how a shepherd using a trick to save his life. It reminds me a story I read in Yang Jiang’s writing, it’s about ‘a sheep wears a wolf skin’. it was an interesting writing, you can feel even the political upheaval is terrible, conscience still remains in people’s heart. The shepherd in the labor camp talked to Takaya Kamikawa: I think it’s a shame of not knowing your native language and nationality, I’m a Japan born Chinese, but I’m not stopped speaking Chinese, in order to prevent myself from forgetting my native language, I believe if I keep speaking Chinese, no matter where I am, it can be proved that I’m a Chinese. If you want, I am willing to show you how to speak Japanese, but remember don’t write it down. In case you are caught by the guard, just tell them you are practicing Zhang Xu’s brush writing scripts.

In Yang Jiang’s story, a leader of a battle group gave them a different instruction before they had leave. They used to commit that they were ‘guilty of rejecting to be transformed’. He said: “you all should be honest, is there anyone of you reject transformation? Are reject transformation and not been fully transformed the same?” Yang Jiang was soothed and surprised that he was actually giving a hint to them.

Life is hard,but don’t give up. No matter how bad the situation is, be a good person, and you will meet someone also is good. Life is such a hard journey, how can you survive, where is the hope to push you walking forward? Open your eyes and feels, there will always be some little things warm your heart. That is what I have learned from this drama.