BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A new film depicting the atrocities of Japan's notorious Unit 731 during World War II opened in theaters across China on Thursday, coinciding with a significant anniversary in the nation's wartime history.
The release of "Evil Unbound" fell on Sept. 18, the 94th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in China's war of resistance and the World Anti-Fascist War.
In many Chinese cities, theaters scheduled the first screenings of the film for exactly 9:18 a.m. -- a symbolic nod to the date of the September 18 Incident. The movie also opened Thursday in Australia and New Zealand, and is set to reach North American theaters on Friday.
The film follows Wang Yongzhang, a local vendor, and others imprisoned in the "special prison" of Unit 731, where they were lured by false promises of freedom in return for cooperating with supposed health checks and disease prevention research, only to become victims of horrific medical experiments, including frostbite tests, gas exposure and vivisection.
Unit 731, a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base in Pingfang District of Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, became the nerve center for Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during World War II. ■
I haven't seen Dead to Rights yet, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to watch Unit 731 which will likely be more graphic.
I remember learning about this after reading Iris Chang's book over 15 years ago.