Weekend Long Read: The Valiant, Tragic Tale of an American Missionary in Nanjing

The curious case of Buddhist Wu Aping, who paid to have memorial tablets for five Japanese war criminals enshrined in a Nanjing temple, hit Chinese social media last month, raising more questions than it answered.

A notice issued by the Nanjing government said that Wu suffered psychological trauma after learning what the five men had done during the war. Her Buddhism led her to attempt to “resolving grievances” and “remove suffering” by commemorating the invaders. She also learned that American missionary Minnie Vautrin played a role protecting women during the Nanjing Massacre.