The Narrative Dilemma of Nanjing Massacre in Chinese Screens from the Perspective of Cultural Memory

Drawing upon Maurice Halbwachs’ concept of collective memory, Jan Assmann formulated the notion of cultural memory, thus establishing the study of memory in its cultural context. As a selectively constructed, reorganized, and articulated phenomenon, cultural memory, through diverse reconstructive processes and expressive modalities, generates varied recollections, eliciting a range of public perspectives and emotional responses. This dissertation explores the contemporary understanding of the Nanjing Massacre narrative, reflected by its simultaneous embrace of international perspectives and adherence to national values. This understanding is according to public’s interpretations of wartime history and acknowledges the dual burden between China’s national identity formation and its engagement with globalization. From this perspective, this paper seeks out China’s narrative dilemma of the Nanjing Massacre.