SPECIAL District:HARBIN
Harbin Mystery series
I strive to be as historically accurate as possible in my fiction books, and I like to share my love of history with others. So, for those who are interested, this space is reserved for reviewing some of the many reference materials I have employed in the research for my books.
I3/6/23 - A great source of interesting articles that illuminate the perspective of the Japanese on their experiment of Manchukuo is the journal "Contemporary Manchuria", published by the South Manchurian Railroad. It is a blatant propaganda mouthpiece for the Japanese authorities, but also details many of the cultural and administrative features of Manchuria. But it is also packed with a lot of dry statistical data of industrial and agricultural "progress" of the new state. It was published either bimonthly or quarterly from April 1937 until January 1941. They are primarily available only through online rare book outlets. I have been lucky enough to secure several of the English language editions. 1/15/23 - Another valuable resource is definitely for the die-hard history researcher -"Japanese Techniques of Occupation: Key Laws and Official Documents: Volume II, Manchukuo" published by the U.S. Board of Economic Warfare Reoccupation Division in June 1943. It is interesting to see how official regulations painted a veneer of legitimacy to Japan's puppet rule vs the hard reality faced by its subjects. It is divided into subject areas: Government, Legal, Finance, etc. The complete volume 2 is available as a reprint by Pranava Books of India.
2/18/22 -Another must-read book if you want to learn about Manchuria is, of course, Owen Lattimore's "Manchuria: Cradle of Conflict". Ignore the political controversy around this eminent historian and social anthropologist and enjoy the depth and detail to which he describes the various social and ethnic elements of Manchuria and their interplay that defined this fascinating region in the 20th century. Also great maps!
October 2022 -
If you would like to learn more about the state of Harbin China in 1929 then an incredible source is "The 1929 Sino-Soviet War, The War Nobody Knew" by Michael M. Walker. It is a stand-out academic study of the border war and Red terror that happened in and around Harbin. It also goes into great detail on the background and dynamics of the period and locale of Manchuria.
Book 1 was first place winner of the 2021 North Street Book Prize for Genre Fiction and in the Top 25 Best New Indie books of 2022 by Readfreely
