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Stories Set in Nanjing
On the lower Yangtze, Nanjing is a walled former capital of avenues, lakes and memorial halls. Repeated turns as imperial and republican capital plus the 1937 massacre under Japanese occupation made memory and mourning central to how its stories are told. The Flowers of War and City of Life and Death confront that wartime wound directly. Open Nanjing on the StoryTerra map and filter its stories by any era.
Open Nanjing on the StoryTerra map10 famous stories set in Nanjing
Live snapshot of the top 10 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 3 books, 7 movies and 1 game set in Nanjing.
The Flowers of War
A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest he attempts to lead the women to safety.
City of Life and Death
City of Life and Death takes place in 1937 during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Imperial Japanese Army has just captured the then-capital of the Republic of China Nanjing. What followed was known as…
The Message
1942 Nanjing (Nanking). Following a series of assassination attempts on officials of the Japanese-controlled puppet government the Japanese spy chief gathers a group of suspects in a mansion house for questioning. A…
John Rabe
A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.
Nanking
The story of the rape of Nanking one of the most tragic events in history. In 1937 the invading Japanese army murdered over 200000 and raped tens of thousands of Chinese. In the midst of this horror a small group of…
Blind Massage
A drama centered on the employees of a Nanjing massage parlor who share a common trait: they are all blind.
The Rape of Nanking
In December 1937, the Japanese army invaded the ancient city of Nanking, systematically raping, torturing, and murdering more than 300,000 Chinese civilians. This book tells the story from three perspectives: of the…
Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre
Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre depicts the brutal events behind the Nanking Massacre committed by the Imperial Japanese army against the Chinese people during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Khan: Empire of Silver
The Great Khan is dead. His vast empire hangs in the balance, an empire he forged with raw courage, guile, tactical brilliance, unswerving dedication to his people, and the force of his own indomitable will. Now the…
The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices
When Deng Xiaoping’s efforts to “open up” China took root in the late 1980s, Xinran recognized an invaluable opportunity. As an employee for the state radio system, she had long wanted to help improve the lives of…
The 10 stories above are just a sample of the 11 in the catalogue for this entry. For the full live catalogue, open Nanjing in the StoryTerra app. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.
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