Home of Nanking Massacre

In 1928, the Chinese Nationalist Government moved the capital of China from Peking (Beijing) to Nanking. The city normally held about 250,000 people, but by the mid-1930s its population had swollen to more than 1 million. Many of them were refugees, fleeing from the Japanese armies which had invaded China. On November 11, 1937, after securing control of Shanghai, the Japanese army advanced towards Nanking from different directions. In early December, the Japanese troops were already in the outskirts of Nanking.

Many women and girls were raped and killed.

On December 9, the Japanese troops launched a massive attack upon the city. On the 12th, the defending Chinese troops decided to retreat to the other side of the Yangtze River (Yangzi Jiang). On December 13, the 6th and 16th Divisions of the Japanese Army entered the city' s Zhongshan and Pacific Gates. In the afternoon, two Japanese Navy fleets arrived. In the following six weeks, the occupying forces engaged in an orgy of looting and mass execution which came to be known as the Nanking Massacre. Most experts agree that at least 300,000 Chinese died, and 20,000 women were raped. Some estimate the numbers to be much higher - 340,000 and 80,000 respectively.

Mass Killings in Nanjing

During the Nanking Massacre, the Japanese committed a litany of atrocities against innocent civilians, including mass execution, raping, looting, and burning. It is impossible to keep a detailed account of all of these crimes. However, from the scale and the nature of these crimes as documented by survivors and the diaries of the Japanese militarists, the chilling evidence of this historical tragedy is indisputable. 

        
 

Killing a soldier                Killing yound people 

These are real people's heads.  

THE SAVAGERY OF THE KILLING WAS AS APPALLING AS ITS SCALE.

Thousands of victims were beheaded, burned, bayoneted, buried alive, or disemboweled.

To this day the Japanese government has refused to apologize for these and other World War II atrocities, and a significant sector of Japanese society denies that they took place at all. 

Yuan Shikai

Yuan Shikai's short-lived reign as Chinese emperor ended on March 22nd, 1916.

Anti-imperialist: Yuan Shikai photographed in 1915China had been ruled for centuries by successive dynasties of emperors, but by the later 19th century their day seemed to be almost done. The country was run on Confucian principles, which did not value change and progress, but stressed stability and peaceful harmony under rulers who enjoyed the mandate of heaven. As the western powers and Japan increasingly interfered in China, however, the divine mandate seemed to have been forfeited. Even the formidable Empress Dowager Tz’u-hsi felt forced to make concessions to the foreigners before her death in 1908 and a rebellion against her successor in 1911 turned China into a republic.

An assembly of delegates declared Sun Yat-sen, leader of the Kuomintang Party, provisional president of the republic, but he soon found himself in conflict with a powerful figure called Yuan Shikai. Yuan had started his career in the army and shown himself exceptionally competent, self-confident and ambitious. He had then risen to high positions under the Empress Dowager. He was now in command of the country’s principal military force and early in 1912 Sun Yat-sen, fearing civil war, made a deal with him. Yuan ordered the six-year-old emperor to abdicate, which he did, Sun resigned as president and Yuan replaced him the following day. Yuan was acceptable to the conservatives in China, and crucially to the army.Now at the age of 53 it was his job to stop the country falling apart.

The government had run out of money, the Chinese provinces were largely under the control of local warlords and the republic’s national assembly spent its time arguing and quarrelling. The Kuomintang, which had a majority in the assembly, kept opposing Yuan’s plans until he allegedly organised the murder of the party’s chairman. Effectively silencing the assembly, he operated
increasingly as a dictator with military support and in 1913 a rebellion broke out against him in the southern provinces, which he put down by force. Sun Yat-sen prudently withdrew to Japan while Yuan’s regime continued in power in Beijing and in 1915 he proclaimed a new Chinese empire with himself as emperor. 

That was too much even for his conservative and military supporters and opinion turned against him. Armed rebellions broke out in the provinces and in March 1916 he abolished his new empire. He remained president of the republic, or so he maintained, until he died three months later in Beijing, at the age of 56. There would be more civil war until Sun Yat-sen formed an alliance with the Communist Party and made himself effectively the ruler of China until his death in 1925. 

- See more at: http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/end-imperial-china#sthash.DrcfG1Ry.dpuf

the last emperor

Pu Yi wearing Mǎnzhōuguó uniform (1932-1945).

The man known as Henry Pu Yi led one of the strangest lives of the 20th century. The last of the Manchu emperors, he succeeded to the throne as a boy of two in 1908. Three years later a revolution turned the country into a republic but, although his abdication was arranged, he was allowed to keep his title and live in mock-imperial state, attended by courtiers and eunuchs, served meals of 40 courses and given playmates who were punished if he misbehaved himself. The little boy, indeed, did not realise that anything had changed, but as his biographer Edward Behr remarked, his palace was the first of his many prisons.

China fell into the hands of rival warlords and for a few days in 1917 Pu Yi was reinstated as emperor and then removed again. At 16 he was given four photographs of girls he had never met to choose from and provided with an imperial wife and an imperial concubine. He apparently took the name Henry out of admiration for Henry VIII of England. Aged 19 in 1924, with China in turmoil, he escaped to the international settlement at Tientsin to take shelter in the welcoming arms of the Japanese. They found a use for him and, when they took control of Manchuria in 1931, they proclaimed Pu Yi as Emperor of Manchukuo.

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He remained titular emperor all through the Second World War, but he was never more than a Japanese puppet. In 1945, with the war turning against the Japanese, he considered fleeing to Japan, but when the Japanese surrendered he renounced his title and announced the area’s restoration to China. Pu Yi now tried to fly to Korea and on to Japan, but he was caught by Soviet troops at Mukden airport and flown to Siberia where he was kept captive, though in comfortable circumstances, until 1950 when the Russians handed him over to the Communist regime in China. Pu Yi was sure he would be executed but the Chinese put him in a management centre for war criminals along with some of his family and ex- Manchukuo officials and army officers. He was Prisoner No 981 and tended the prison vegetable garden.

After several years of ‘rehabilitation’ he was accepted as a genuine convert to Communism and a loyal Chinese citizen and was formally pardoned. He worked part-time as an assistant gardener at the Beijing botanical gardens and in 1962 married his fifth and last wife, a hospital nurse, who survived him. He was sometimes trotted out and shown to visiting foreign dignitaries as an interesting curiosity until his death of kidney cancer at the age of 61 in 1967.

- See more at: http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/pu-yi-last-emperor-china-pardoned#sthash.cSyRW3JT.dpuf

Chiang Mai

Introduction

Chiang Mai is both a city and a province and is second only to Bangkok in terms of size. It boasts a rich history which dates back over 700 years to the Lanna period and a culture unique to northern Thailand. It can be found 800 kms from Bangkok, following the Mae Ping River and lying close to the Burmese border. Almost 70 per cent of the province is covered by lush forests and mountains which accounts for its reputation as a treasure-trove of natural beauty.

The entire province boasts a population of over one million with an estimated 300,000 people living in the city itself. The imposing mountains which tower above the city are mainly inhabited by different hill tribes who all still lead traditional lives and follow ancient customs.

Many people arrive in the city to embark on treks in the mountains and rafting along the river. There are a number of other activities available such as elephant riding, cookery schools, temple tours, exploring national parks, shopping and of course sampling the finest in northern Thai cuisine. Café culture has reached Chiang Mai and on a hot afternoon, nothing beats enjoying an iced coffee while sitting and watching the world go by. Of an evening, enjoy the city’s bar offerings which are somewhat laid back to the frenetic centres of Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket

Introduction to Thailand

Thailand is one of the world’s most beautiful countries and known worldwide as the 'Land of Smiles’. The country's diverse natural landscapes; rich history and Buddhist culture; inspiring buildings, both ancient and modern; world famous cuisine; and warm, hospitable people make Thailand one of the world’s most popular destinations.

Basic Facts About Thailand

Area: 514,000 sq km Population: 64,631,595 Capital City: Bangkok (known locally as Krung Thep – the city of Angels) Currency: Thai Baht Government: Constitutional Monarchy Head of State: His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX of the Chakri Dynasty) Time Zone: Seven hours ahead of Greenwich Man Time Electricity: The electric current is 220 volt AC (50 cycles) throughout the country. A number of types of plug are in use in Thailand including two and three pin. Plug adapter kits are widely available. Water: Tap water is clean but drinking it is to be avoided in favour of bottled water. Weights and Measures: Thailand uses the metric system Business Hours and Banking: Thailand operates a five day business week from Monday to Friday. Most offices are open from 8am to 5pm. Government offices are open from 8.30am to 4.30pm with a one hour lunch break from noon. Banks open from 9.30am to 3.30pm although some are open longer and there are exchange booths with longer hours in major cities and tourist areas. ATM/cashpoint machines are widely available in urban areas and most accept cards from overseas accounts. Postal Services: Thailand has an efficient postal service. Post offices are usually open from 8.am to 4.40pm. More details Telephone Services: Thailand has an efficient nationwide landline telephone service with International Direct Dialing. Thailand’s country code is +66 Thailand has a number of effective mobile telephone networks. More details Internet Services: Broadband ADSL Internet services while not yet reaching speeds available elsewhere are widely available throughout the country. Most areas have internet cafés and WIFI connections are becoming available in bigger cities and tourist areas.

The pages in this section are intended to provide an introduction to some of the fundamentals of Thai life and society.

ราชอาณาจักรกัมพูชา เเละ สหภาพเมียนมาร์

ราชอาณาจักรกัมพูชา KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA

ดอกลำดวนดอกไม้ประจำชาติ

ชุดประจำชาติ

นโรดมสีหมุนี กษัตริย์กัมพูชา

ฮุนเซน นายกรัฐมนตรี

เมืองหลวง

พนมเปญ

ภาษาทางการ		ภาษาเขมร
การปกครอง		ราชาธิปไตยภายใต้รัฐธรรมนูญ
-	พระมหากษัตริย์	พระบาทสมเด็จพระบรมนาถนโรดม สีหมุนี
-	นายกรัฐมนตรี	สมเด็จอัครมหาเสนาบดีเดโช ฮุน เซน

พื้นที่
-	รวม	181,035 ตร.กม. 69,898 ตร.ไมล์

ประชากร
-	2555 (ประเมิน)	15,100,000

สกุลเงิน		เรียลกัมพูชา  1เรียล=0.01บาท

สหภาพเมียนมาร์ UNINON MAINMA

ดอกประดู่ ดอกไม้ประจำชาติ

ชุดประจำชาติ

นายเต็งเส่ง ประธานาธิบดี

เมืองหลวง

เนปยีดอ

ภาษาทางการ		ภาษาพม่า
การปกครอง		ระบบประธานาธิบดี
-	ประธานาธิบดี	เต็ง เส่ง
-	รองประธานาธิบดี	ติ่นเอ่า มิ้นทุน จายหมอกคำ

พื้นที่
-	รวม	676,578 ตร.กม. 261,227 ตร.ไมล์

ประชากร
-	2555 (ประเมิน)	56,400,000

สกุลเงิน		จ๊าด  1จ๊าด=0.03บาท