Storm Clouds Over the Pacific

Peter Harmsen

Hanjian is a Mandarin word used to refer to Chinese traitors who work with the enemies. Its literal meaning is Han traitor.

In Cantonese the term is hon kan.

Is Wang Jing Wei a hon kan?

WJW was a leading member of Chiang Kai Shek’s government fighting the Japanese invaders. He defected on 18 Dec 1938 to cooperate with the Japanese. (p 86 Harmsen).

On 30 March 1940 he set up The Reorganised National Government of the Republic of China in Nanjing. (p 108 Harmsen).

According to Harmsen, WJW was disillusioned with the leadership of CKS. He felt CKS has no realistic long-term vision to win the war against the Japanese and also the communists.

In particular, he was devastated by CKS’ s decision to burn Changsha (200 miles southwest of Wuhan) to prevent it from falling to the Japanese.

CKS was emulating the Russian’s scorched earth strategy to burn Moscow to prevent it from falling to Napoleon. Unfortunately, the Japanese had no intention to move into Changsha. The fires burned Changsha for 3 days. At least 20,000 died.

WJW believed the way forward was a negotiated peace with the Japanese.

Query- is Wang Jing Wei a hon kan? Or is he a Brutus?

Brutus justified his plot to murder Julius Caesar – Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.

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