Preface
Scholars could wish that American students and the public at large were more familiar with Chinese perspectives on the Pacific War.Fulfilling that wish would greatly strengthen cross-cultural understanding，not only between our two countries but among all countries on the Pacific Rim.Professor Yuan's study of the Pacific War leads us in that direction.
The differences between Chinese and American experiences and memories of the Pacific War are huge.Dominant American narratives focus on the war as an American experience，even though the war，with the exception of Pearl Harbor and the Aleutian Islands，did not take place on American soil.Our narratives，furthermore，concentrate only on four years of the war，beginning with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor，where we are the victim，and ending with Hiroshima and Nagasaki，where we are triumphant and soon victorious.The Japanese surrender marks the beginning of the Pax Americana in the Pacific region，which continues to this day.By contrast the Chinese narrative tells a much more plex and devastating story，not only in terms of the human costs of war but the historical ones as well.Chinese narratives begin fully four years before Pearl Harbor-some as early as1931.China celebrates the defeat of Japan，but the feelings of triumph bee dissipated，as civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists resumed.
China and the United States were allies in the struggle against Japan，but the human dimensions of war are hard to pare.American casualties in the Pacific War number in the hundreds of thousands-very few civilians.Chinese casualties，both deaths and injuries，may be more than ten million，and most of them are civilian.American territory was left largely untouched，but Manchuria，most of Northern China，and much of the East and South coasts were occupied for years by Japanese troops.The Pacific War pulled the American economy out of the depression.By contrast vast portions of the Chinese farmland were taken out of production，millions of Chinese civilians were forced to flee their homes，industry was shattered，and the quest for security and political stability，for“national salvation”，remained unfulfilled.