In the preface of the book, the translator points out that "this important autobiography written by Inge Deutschkron reminds us again that those tragic historic events are of bigger importance.
"They deserve more consideration than a brief appearance in school textbooks and being reflected upon in professional fields such as education, law, history and international politics."
The publication of this autobiography could help the readers rethink the fallacy and tragedy made by populism and the simplified patriotism of Nazi ideology.
Also, we expect that reading this autobiography would stimulate our thoughts to continuous exploration for understanding and healing.
German people use the phrase "fighting with memories" to describe how to face historical crime and pains.
Historical memories must be preserved not only by the archives and articles, but must also be kept alive and not lost in the daily grind.
Only "fighting with memories" will let us remember the history, learn the lessons and not allow the tragedy to repeat.
The expression of "fighting with memories" makes people think of today's "collective amnesia".
There are some significant historical events in modern history, some of which have just happened within the last 30 to 50 years.
Many people who have experienced those events are still alive.
They are not allowed to breathe a word about the dark memories.
It is as if they could successfully reduce and even wipe away those ignominious and bloody events.
Hu Shi said "the evildoing still exists even after the person who did it has died".
No evil and crime can be reduced or wiped away.
Nowadays, many people are ignorant of historical events or misbelieve the tampered with and counterfeited "history" as truth.
They can "look forward" and no longer tangle with history just because the living conditions have improved and material enjoyment has increased.
Our memories of history are deprived.
Just a simple statement 'not interested in politics" can help them escape from the moral obligation they should feel.
Even if a country commits a crime resulting in thousands of people dying tragically for no reason, they would still turn a blind eye to it and be apathetic.
Many people do not realise that a lot of evildoing in history are "national crimes" which were committed by those in power.
"National crimes" occur when country leaders harm their citizens with state controlled forces.
The country leaders and their successors should be responsible for those "national crimes" committed by previous leaders and governments.
They should not be allowed to simply shift the blame to someone else.
In 2002, the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, on behalf of the government, formally apologised to Chinese people for a previous government's policy of collecting poll tax.
This is a political apology made by the country to its citizens.
There are a lot of countries in the world that have made a similar political apology to their citizens.
The decree on "poll tax" was issued and carried out by the government in 1896 when Richard Seddon was prime minister.
Was Helen Clark's government responsible for the wrong policy made by the government of 106 years ago?
The answer is yes.
As a legal successive national governor, of course she should be responsible for the mistake made by previous governments and should also correct it.
The descendants of those Chinese people who paid "poll tax" in those days and the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Association have gone to great efforts to seek justice for the past.
Chinese people were deeply touched by the Prime Minister's apology. They felt that their social status had been accepted and enhanced.
Having found justice in a foreign land gave us a great confidence boost and encouragement.
However, nobody dared to say anything about the many national crimes that happened in our motherland.
Not only had the victims no courage to seek justice, but they even went as far as protecting the government out of a feeling of loyalty.
There are also people with no firsthand knowledge of events who choose to follow the "pseudo history" version.
They try to discredit those who persevere in searching for the true version of events.
They claim that the search is not in the "overall national interest" and that it is more about personal gain.
It is natural that we cherish our own lives and that we put a high value on our families.
However we must understand that other people's lives are also precious, other families are also important.
Just imagine how you would feel if your children shed blood on the street for democracy and freedom and your relatives and friends were convicted for expressing their opinions and then "disappeared".
How can we "look forward" if there is no human rights and freedom, and we cannot see truth and justice in our lives?
Twenty-eight years ago there was a student who cared for the fate of his country and his people.
He was on a hunger strike in Beijing because the government would not engage in any discussion.
He wrote a suicide note with his blood which said: "please put your hand on your heart and ask your conscience. 'Why are we on a hunger strike?' Are young lives the price to pay for democracy and freedom? Was this then the day of our Chinese nation's glory?"
Could those young lives survive tanks and bullets?
History has left us too many bitter memories.
We have to "fight with those memories" for the forgotten.
It is our responsibility to fight with open-mindedness and courage.
* This article was translated by Celine Sun and edited by Roy Graves.
* Sun Jiarui, 71, is a columnist for Mandarin Pages. A former basketball player for Wuhan City Army, he lived in Fiji for 24 years before emigrating to Auckland in 2005.
