Synopsis for
City of Life and Death (2009) More at IMDbPro »Nanjing! Nanjing! (original title)

City of Life and Death is the third feature film directed by Lu Chuan. The film is also known as it's Chinese release title: Nanking! Nanking! (or Nanjing! Nanjing!).

The film deals with the Battle of Nanjing and its aftermath during the Second Sino-Japanese War. City of Life and Death takes place in 1937 during the Imperial Japanese Army's capture of the then-capital of China, Nanjing. the capture of the capital and the ensuing bloodshed is known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking; a period of several weeks when tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed. The film tells the story of several figures, both historical and fictional, including a Chinese soldier, a school teacher, a Japanese soldier, a foreign missionary, and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save thousands of Chinese civilians.