Once the agricultural command center for Japan’s puppet state, a Changchun building now educates 3000 students, transforming a site of exploitation into a place of educating and reflection.
By Jennifer Liu Wenqi
A building which Japanese once used to control Northeast China has now become a garden of knowledge for students.
This 37,000-square-meter building in central Changchun used to be the Agriculture Ministry of Manchukuo. It is now the campus of the High School attached to Northeast Normal University for 3,000 students.
The Japanese had successfully detached Manchuria from the rest of China, creating the puppet state of Manchukuo under the deposed Qing emperor Pu Yi from 1932 to 1945.
Assistant principal of the school, Pan Zhen, finds it meaningful to work in a place with such a history.
“Once a site of a Japanese puppet state where decisions were made to exploit the people in Northeast China. Now it is a campus for grooming young minds,” Zhen says.
The Japanese Kwantung Army built this building in 1936. In 1948, it was taken over by Northeastern University and later became the High School Attached to Northeast Normal University in 1958.
“The Japanese left behind a very sturdy building with a strong foundation,” Pan says, adding that the original two-storey structure was expanded into a five-storey teaching building in 1994 due to an increase in student number.
in the Manchukuo era.
“The first and second floors were preserved in their own original shape featuring Japanese architectural style,” he says.
A native of Northeast China, Pan finds it painful to revisit this period of Chinese history.
“It hurts me to remember how my hometown was invaded. As a teacher, I hope students learn from history,work hard to find a good job and serve the country when they grow up,” he says.
Pan thinks the heritage building is a silent history teacher for all teaching staff and students.
Pan says the older generation finds it painful to recall terrible experiences during the Japanese occupation, but it is important to teach the young generation to learn from history.
“History teachers at the school tell students what happened at the school building at different times such as the Japanese occupation and World War II,” Pan says, adding that many students have a different feeling for the school after learning more about what happened in the past.
Li Zirui, a student of the school, says he finds it disturbing after learning the history of the school building.
“Learning that the Japanese authorities made decisions that caused massive deathsand the exploitation of people in Northeast China in history class, I feel quite disturbed. It’s strange to think the place where we study was once used to control and exploit people here,” he says.
Another student Zhang Shijia shares, he feels different when walking around the campus after learning the history of the building.
“Now when I walk through the hallways, I feel grateful that I can study in this school. I am lucky that I was born after the war. Thanks to efforts made by generations after the war, we can now live in peace. I am very grateful for this,” he says.
Li Minghao, a researcher at the Jilin Academy of Social Sciences, points out the building was the office of the Ministry of Agriculture which sourced crops grown in China and shipped them to Japan.
“This building was where the Japanese authorities announced policies that exploited the people in Northeast China. It was a symbol of oppression,” he says.
Tom Li, a graduate now studying in Singapore, recalls a myth about hearing the walking sound of Japanese army boots in the school corridor on the first floor at night.
“When I was a student of the school, I felt scared when I left school late, though I knew it was a myth and I actually did not hear anything,” he says.
The 21-year-old student thinks the heritage building is a solid proof of a painful chapter in history, and it is meaningful to turn it into a site of education.
“Remembering history doesn’t mean we should hate Japanese people today. We should learn from the tragedy of war – ordinary people always suffer the most in conflict zones,” he says.ing cards with other elderly.
Edited by Yilie Lo
Sub-edited by Alexia Leung
