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Witness History: Wang Jingwei: China’s traitor or protector?

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Wang Jingwei: China’s traitor or protector?

24/01/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, Wang Jingwei: China’s traitor or protector?

The national hero was branded a traitor for collaborating with Japan during World War Two

The national hero was branded a traitor for collaborating with Japan during World War Two. But Pan Chia-sheng’s memories of him tell a very different story.

In 1937, Japan invaded China committing atrocities including the Nanjing Massacre. Wang Jingwei was a Chinese national hero and second-in-command of China’s ruling Nationalist Party. He wanted to negotiate with Japan but his colleagues wouldn’t listen. So he defected, and in 1940 he agreed to lead a Japanese-controlled puppet government in Nanjing. 

Many Chinese have hated him ever since – his name is synonymous with the word ‘Hanjian’, a traitor to China. 

But Pan Chia-sheng’s memories of living under Wang Jingwei’s government tell a very different story. He speaks to Ben Henderson.

(Photo: Wang Jingwei. Credit: Wang Wenxing via Wang Jingwei Irrevocable Trust)

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