A Comparative Analysis of the Sino-Japanese War
The Sino-Japanese War stills stand as one of the wars that took place over a long time. It involves a conflict that broke out between China and Japan after the Chinese resisted the Japanese continued expansion into their territory that dates back to 1931. The Japanese come into the war well equipped and with superior military prowess, thus conquering China before their eventual defeat. The paper expounds on the sources and the comparative analysis of the war.
“Ip Man 2008” film and the article “Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945” show how the Chinese suffered at the hands of the Japanese invaders. Also, the sources analyze how the war comes to an end. The Ip Man 2008 is the first of the film series Ip Man premiered on December 10 in 2008. The setting of the movie is in the 20th Century during the Sino-Japanese war, where Japan invades China in its exploit to expand their territory. Donnie Yen, a well-known actor, stars the movie as the Ip man. The Ip man is a recognized Wing Chun grandmaster, and the first scene begins with him doing his usual business, which includes; training, meeting up with friends, hanging out with his family, and even schools fellow Wing Chun masters. He then fights a Chinese martial arts master from the north who aimed to establish a martial arts school in Foshan. However, after Japan invades China, the Ip Man’s family loses their house, which forces him to work at the coal mines. From there, the film plot changes from being about the most prominent Wing Chun master to the oppressions that the people face under the Japanese. During the last fight scene, Ip man defeats the Japanese fighter, which excites the Chinese people, thus overthrowing the Japanese soldiers. The scenes in the film show the oppression and cruelty the people of China receive from the Japanese military troops.
The article “Second Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945,” talks about the course of the Sino-Japanese war. The Japanese continued invasion of china which forces the Chinese to resist is the leading cause of the war which happens in three phases: a period of rapid Japanese dominance up to 1938, a period of war standstill until 1944, and the final period where Japan surrendered after attacks from the allied power ( The Sino-Japanese war, 1937–1945,” 2019). Japan was more military organized, thus achieving the initial conquest of China. They took possession of most of the ports, famous cities, the essential part of the railway line, and destroying the Chinese air force, thus leaving the Chinese helpless. The Japanese soldiers were also involved in extrajudicial killings of surrendered troops, civilians, and women’s rape, thus highlighting the injustices the people were suffering.
Both sources highlight the cruelty and crimes the people are going through during the period of the war. According to Phillips (2013), “As many as 300,000 Chinese civilians and surrendered troops were killed.” When the Japanese take the Ip man’s house and makes it the military headquarter, he begins to work in the coal mines. The scene represents the cruelty and injustices the people are suffering. The end of the war is a contrasting interpretation of the two sources. The film argues that the Chinese people united and rallied against the Japanese military, where they defeated them. The fight between Ip man and the Japanese fighter Miura is a scene-stealing moment. The Ip man proves to be too good for him. The win acts as a great inspiration for the Chinese to launch a revolt against the Japanese soldiers where they overrun them. Eventually, Li uses Sato’s gun to kill their leader, bringing an end to the Japanese rule in China. In contrast, in the article, China needs help from the allied powers who bomb Japanese islands and attack them from the pacific, bringing an end to the war (Phillips, 2013).
In conclusion, The Sino-Japanese wars bring more problems than benefits to the people of China, as seen in the film “Ip Man 2008” and the article “Second Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945.” The Japanese soldiers’ raped Chinese women, grabbed people’s land and houses and forced them to be prisoners, depriving them of their rights and freedom
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References
The Sino-Japanese war, 1937–1945. (2019). China and Japan, 248-285. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674240759-009
Phillips, S. (2013). The second Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945). Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199743292-0141
Wong, R. (Producer), & Yin, W. (Director). (2008). Ip Man 2008 [Film]. Mandarin films