MCLC: Beijing's dangerous game (7)

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Wang, Zhuoyi <zwang at hamilton.edu>
Subject: Beijing's dangerous game (7)
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Timothy Pi wrote:

"Chairman Mao actually greeted them with gratitude and said something like
'if not for Japanese, communists cannot come to power. we should thank
Japan."

I am also critical of the anti-Japanese sentiment. But the quote above
has been frequently used out of its original context. And Timothy Pi's
post clearly alters its meaning by linking it to a "peace deal"
between Mao and the Japanese. It may be necessary to post a more
complete quote here:

"In the past Japanese warlords had occupied a large part of China,
because of that Chinese people had learned a lesson. Without Japan's
invasion, Chinese people would not be awaken, neither colud they be
united, in that case we(communists) would still stay in the mountains,
let alone coming to Beijing to watch the opera. Precisely because of
the Japanese Imperial Army, which had occupied a large part of China,
making Chinese people no where to go, once they understood, they began
taking up arm-struggle, resulting in the establish of many
counter-Japanese military bases, thus creating favourable conditions
for the coming war of liberation. Japanese capitalist and warlords
have done a good deed for us(communist), if ever we need to say thank
you, I would like to say Thank you to Japanese war lords."

In the same logic, Mao also said that the US imperialists and the
Japanese monopoly capitalists have "educated" the Japanese people.

Wang, Zhuoyi