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author｜congyi

senior media commentator

on september 28, the documentary "the sinking of the lisbon maru" was officially announced to represent mainland china in the competition for "best international film" at the 97th academy awards.

"the sinking of the lisbon maru" tells the story of an almost forgotten history during world war ii: in september 1942, the cargo ship "lisbon maru" carrying 1,816 british prisoners of war sailed from hong kong to japan. the japanese army did not hang any transporting prisoners of war on the ship. mark, causing the ship to be torpedoed by a us submarine in the waters off dongji island, zhoushan, china. chinese fishermen risked their lives to rescue 384 prisoners of war, but 828 prisoners of war still died.

director fang li and his team spent many years traveling to many countries to conduct interviews and collect information, including the only remaining survivors, historians and descendants of relevant people, to ensure the authenticity and comprehensiveness of the film. through oral history, photos, letters and other materials, "the sinking of the lisbon maru" not only restores the truth of this incident, but also explores the dark side of human nature in the context of war and the brilliance of human nature that transcends the hatred of country and family.

as the film's shooting consultant ryan fearn said, this period of history shows both the worst and the best sides of human nature. "the sinking of the lisbon maru" not only reflects on the harm caused by war and hatred to mankind, but also shows the great light of humanity in war. at the same time, this film also shows us how the victims and perpetrators face different aspects but experience the same historical memory.

humanism that transcends hatred between countries and families

when the japanese cargo ship passed through the waters of zhoushan islands, it was attacked by a us submarine. in order to prevent prisoners of war from escaping or causing riots, the japanese army nailed the hatches shut, and the prisoners faced the dual threat of suffocation or drowning. such behavior by the japanese army violated international laws of war and humanitarian principles, and reflected the japanese army's extreme disregard for the lives of prisoners of war and its cruelty.

some brave prisoners managed to use tools to open escape routes, and japanese soldiers armed with weapons mercilessly shot anyone who tried to escape. this kind of indiscriminate massacre is an extreme contempt for life and a great blasphemy against human civilization. the japanese army ignored international regulations and the spirit of humanity, treated prisoners of war as nothing, and arbitrarily deprived them of their lives. the dark side of human nature was infinitely magnified.

when the "lisbon maru" was hit, the fishermen drove simple small fishing boats and braved the dual threats of wind, waves and gunfire to rescue 384 british prisoners of war from the cold water. the rescued people were then safely transferred to nearby islands and received preliminary care and shelter. for those survivors, the shadow of war follows them throughout their lives. they not only have to face the pain of losing their comrades, but also suffer from psychological trauma. this trauma not only affects individuals, but also affects their families and future generations.

another identity of the british prisoners of war at that time was the colonists of hong kong, china; in the modern history of china, the british army carried out brutal wars of aggression and colonial rule against china. some people say from this that british prisoners of war were once colonists and did not need to be rescued. this view reflects a narrow understanding of historical events.

judging from the political situation at the time, although britain was still the colonizer of hong kong, china, during world war ii, china and britain were both anti-fascist allies and jointly fought against the japanese invaders. rescuing allies is not only out of international obligations, but also to enhance the strength of the joint resistance war. there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. the concepts of friend and foe can be converted under certain circumstances. this also provides us with historical lessons for cultivating the light of humanity that transcends ethnic and national boundaries.

considering the complex international relations during the war, chinese fishermen may not fully understand these deep political backgrounds, and their actions are more based on the direct life crisis they face and their sympathy for the victims.

from a humanitarian perspective, no matter which country they come from or what historical actions they have committed, these prisoners of war are innocent victims.in the face of life and death situations, saving lives is a common value of mankind, transcending nationality, race or political stance; in extreme situations such as war, there is still a deep and pure spirit of compassion and mutual help between people, and it is enough hatred across country and family.

we also need to realize that there may have been hurt, hostility and resentment between different countries in history, but treating current individual encounters in a tit-for-tat manner will not only not help solve the problem, but will deepen the cycle of hatred.

even though these prisoners of war were colonizers in the not-too-distant past, by showing tolerance and goodwill in the joint fight against evil and seeking peace, people can gradually resolve old hatreds and promote mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence. in the face of vivid individual lives and common evil behaviors of mankind, the brilliance of human nature is the good deeds that transcend racial groups:it is good deeds, not evil deeds, that can lead to friendship and understanding between different races.

forgiving others is also respecting yourself

because the japanese army did not hang any signs on the ship transporting prisoners of war, the us military mistakenly believed that the japanese cargo ship was carrying weapons. the person who directly pressed the torpedo launch button was the us military mechanic garfield. although the surviving british prisoners of war and their descendants have never forgotten this period of history, they do not have a hostile attitude towards the us military.the fundamental reason is the sincere repentance attitude of the us military.

garfield suffered from guilt and severe post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd). when garfield attended a gathering of surviving prisoners of war many years later, he cried and apologized to them, saying that he did not know there were prisoners of war on board at the time and could only see a japanese cargo ship with a gun on the front. not only did he take the initiative to assume historical responsibility, he was also full of repentance in his heart and for the rest of his life.this remorseful attitude reflects the individual's deep reflection and guilt over indiscriminate harm.

we must admit that only by facing up to history and facing evil can we win true understanding and peace and prevent hatred from continuing to spread. however, remembering history together is not to perpetuate hatred: the attitude of british prisoners of war and their descendants towards american soldiers provides us with a model for dealing with historical tragedies and war crimes:the perpetrator conducted deep self-reflection, and the victim's family chose forgiveness and forgiveness when faced with the perpetrator's sincere guilt. this attitude of forgiveness allows the descendants of the victim's family to reconcile with the person involved and with their current lives.

this brings to mind hannah arendt, the thinker who survived nazi germany, who wrote in the human condition,forgiveness is “to undo past actions.” however, this is not to cancel the memory of history, but the power of forgiveness can relieve the guilt of the wrong party, so that both the victim and the perpetrator can break free from the torture of the past and the consequences of their actions in the restoration of balance; otherwise, the ability of both parties to act will be limited to the evil deeds of hatred, and the rest of their lives and even future generations will become prisoners of the consequences.

forgiveness does not mean forgetting. in the face of good and evil, arendt believed that reflection and responsibility are the real antidote. if people stop thinking or reflecting, choosing between good and evil, participation and resistance, evil will grow. therefore, in her view, “genocide such as the holocaust is unforgivable, but it is possible to let go of the past. if forgiveness means absolving the perpetrator, then reconciliation means letting go. although he believes that some things that happened in the past were sinful, he also accepts the fact that it is a done deal.”

after experiencing the holocaust of the jews in nazi germany, the facts of history have long been settled. arendt advocated a "world-loving" attitude of understanding and reconciliation. this attitude is a direction of travel that focuses on forgiveness, acceptance and reconciliation - what has happened must be understood and accepted just as much as what is happening today must be understood. remembering history means acknowledging and remembering the past, including those painful and unfortunate experiences, so as to cherish the hard-won peace even more.

just like "the sinking of the lisbon maru", it is the director's active responsibility and responsibility to dig out this historical past where crime and human nature are intertwined. it prompts us to constantly reflect and be vigilant to avoid making the same mistakes again. but as hannah arendt said,although loving the world does not mean forgetting sin, it also means caring for specific lives. it means not being addicted to past emotions and living in the torture of memory with the hatred of history. we need to know how to coexist peacefully with memory. how to be at peace with ourselves. of course, there are also all kinds of people and things we can meet in real life.

of course, history cannot be easily forgotten, neither for the person involved nor for future generations; but the person responsible for the crime should have a deep reflection on self-repentance. without an attitude of repentance, there will be no bridge for reconciliation. in the movie, the american's repentance and the british's forgiveness, this peaceful mentality that transcends ethnic groups and national boundaries, solidifies the good foundation of current life. after all, remembering history is not to live in hatred, but to prevent evil from coming to the present again. only by not living in hatred, treating with a forgiving attitude, and reconciling with the current self and the current world can we embrace a better world. world.

hatred itself is one of the root causes of war. the various evils endured in modern history often become obstacles to our love of life due to various historical, geographical or practical problems. don’t perpetuate hatred because history is the settled past, and we live in the present and the future. in the face of past conflicts or injuries, try not to bring negative emotions into current and future relationships, which will help reduce all kinds of inexplicable conflicts. tension and conflict help each other focus on achieving the greater common good and the good life.

this is why the american philosopher margaret holmgren believes that if we truly respect ourselves, we must strive to find the most respectful gesture we can perform, and forgiveness is such a gesture .

this article is an original contribution specially commissioned by the comment department of ifeng.com and represents only the author’s position.

editor-in-chief｜xiao yi