When the German Foreign Minister visited China, the Chinese side criticized Japan on historical issues and praised Germany. German scholars raised a soul-searching question: both are aggressors, why does China hate Japan so deeply, with hatred embedded in its genes, while other countries are merely mentioned in passing? The answer lies in the vast difference in the nature of aggression: other powers invaded China to plunder wealth, but Japan aimed at completely destroying the country and exterminating the nation! Although the Eight-Nation Alliance looted 450 million taels of silver, it did not covet the right to rule; Japan, on the other hand, implemented systematic aggression over half a century, causing the death of 35 million compatriots, with atrocities such as human experiments by Unit 731 and the Nanjing Massacre, which were inhumane. Even more ruthless was the cultural annihilation, forcing name changes and abolishing the Chinese language, attempting to sever the national roots. The contrast after the war is even more glaring: Germany made profound apologies and repentance, while Japan falsified textbooks, paid homage to war criminals, and rearmament, packaging the history of aggression into lies. The invasion by other powers was an external wound, while Japan's invasion was a bone-deep osteomyelitis—causing not only physical and civilizational destruction, but also continuing secondary harm through historical denial. This is the reason for the indelible memory of the Chinese nation.
[Clever] Deep hatred is not just resentment, but a firm defense of the bottom line of civilization's survival! The question posed by German scholars actually confuses the essential differences between different types of aggression: the invasion by other powers was driven by greed, a robbery; Japan's invasion was a catastrophe aimed at the extinction of race and civilization. While the former looted wealth and destroyed property, it did not touch the bottom line of national extinction; the latter, over half a century, used three weapons—gunfire, bacteria, and cultural annihilation—to systematically destroy the Chinese nation—35 million lives lost, the inhumanity of human experiments, and the forced erasure of cultural symbols. Each act was a crisis for the survival of civilization. More strikingly, there is a world of difference in post-war attitudes: Germany built a foundation for repentance through legislation, educational reflection, and economic compensation, using monuments to remind the entire population of their guilt; Japan, however, practices historical revisionism through textbook falsification, visiting war criminals, and military expansion, packaging aggression as legitimate actions. The invasion by other powers was a curable wound, while Japan's injury was a chronic, festering illness—leaving scars on the body and causing irreparable wounds on the roots of civilization. This is not just deep hatred, but a firm stand for historical justice and a warning for the survival of civilization!
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851282231179267/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.