raymor

NANKING

My grandfather, Robert Wilson, (my mother’s father) was born in Nanking, China to American missionaries from the Methodist Church.  He later went to the United States and attended Princeton and became a surgeon.  He then returned to Nanking in the 1930's with my grandmother and was one of only a few Westerners in that city. 

World War II begain in China in the mid-1930’s.  China was very weak at this time and the Japanese were basically grabbing as much of China as they could.  The Japanese had previously annexed Manchuria and installed a puppet government in that province.  The Japanese then took Shanghai in September 1937 and had their eyes on China’s capital Nanking. 

My mother was born in Nanking but returned with my Grandmother for the safety of the United States when it appeared that the Japanese were going to take the city.  My Grandfather stayed.  The Japanese took Nanking in December 1937 and in the aftermath were brutal and savage to the defenseless civilians--days and nights of random killings, rape, and unspeakable cruelty.  The Japanese activities were later called "The Rape of Nanking" and rank among the worst atrocities in modern times. 

My grandfather was the only surgeon in the city and worked day and night for weeks trying to treat the many victims.  He and a handful of other Westerners set up a "Safety Zone" within the city for civilians.  The Japanese government had agreed not to attack parts of the city that did not contain Chinese military, and the members of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone managed to persuade the Chinese government to move all their troops out of the area. The Japanese respected the Safety Zone to a great degree and many thousands of Chinese were able to avoid being killed.

Iris Chang wrote a book called "The Rape of Nanking" which was a bestseller.  My family provided her with archival materials (photographs, letters, and diary entries).

Ted Leonsis found the story of the Westerners in Nanking to be compelling and produced Nanking, a documentary movie which focuses on the Westerners (including my Grandfather) who remained in Nanking after the Japanese took the City.  The documentary recounts the selfless efforts of the Westerners to maintain some sort of order and deal with what was literally hell on earth.  The movie premiered Saturday January 20 at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.  My family was invited to attend the premiere and my Grandfather’s three children—my mother, my aunt, and my uncle—were present at the screening and were introduced to the audience when the movie ended. 

For more information about the film, check out:

The movie was incredible.  It is grim and shocking but ultimately uplifting.  To borrow a phrase from the movie—“Even in darkness there is light. 

It was a great honor to attend this movie with my family.  My Grandfather was a great man and I am very proud that his memory is preserved in this film.