Professor Yuan gives us a carefully researched account of the impact of the Pacific War on the particular province of Zhe-jiang.From his research we learn that 69out of76counties in Zhe-jiang came under Japanese control for much of the occupation.Yuan shows how Zhejiang's agricultural and industrial base deteriorated in the course of the war，and he explores the war's devastation impact on education and public health throughout the province.The human casualties in Zhejiang alone stagger the imagination.Deaths and injuries were over 340，000，while civilian deaths from starvation and attrition caused by the war were over one million.
It is true that time can heal the wounds of war.But the passing of time also uncovers new stories and recasts some of the old ones shaped by political and diplomatic priorities that may have little to do with the experience and memories of the mon people.Yuan's last chapter may be seen by an American reader as a celebration of the growing openness in China today，as he describes how civilian groups are telling their own stories and even using the legal process to bring claims for pensation to the Japanese government.