Iris Chang 張純如 papers, 1877-2007

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Summary

Creators:
Chang, Iris
Abstract:
The Iris Chang 張純如 papers (1877-2007) contain correspondence, writings, recordings and transcripts of interviews, photocopies of government records and other documents, printed matter, audiovisual material, and memorabilia relating to the history of Chinese in the United States, and to aspects of World War II. Includes research material for the books by Iris Chang, Thread of the Silkworm (New York, 1995), The Rape of Nanking (New York, 1997), and The Chinese in America (New York, 2003), and for an uncompleted work on conditions of American soldiers captured by Japanese forces and Japanese atrocities against American prisoners of war.
Extent:
403 manuscript boxes, 2 cubic foot boxes, 5 card file boxes, 6 oversize boxes, 3 oversize folders, 10 sound cassettes, 4 videocassettes, digital media, transmissive media, memorabilia (17787 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Iris Chang 張純如 papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Iris Chang 張純如 (Chang Shun-Ru 張純如, Zhang Chunru 张纯如) papers span the career of a prominent American writer whose work centered on topics of Chinese and Chinese American history. In addition to speeches and writings, including drafts of her three books, the papers contain a large amount of research materials related to Chang's work as a historian. These include notes, interview transcripts, documents, sound recordings, and videorecordings. The collection also contains articles from Chang's career as a journalist, as well as significant biographical materials. There is a considerable amount of correspondence in the papers, including many letters of appreciation from readers of her books.

Chang's 1997 book The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II was an enormous popular success, focusing renewed attention on the actions of the Imperial Japanese army in China in the late 1930s and transforming Chang herself into a public figure who gave numerous speeches on the subject of her book. In the process, she became identified as an advocate who sought both to preserve the memory of the Nanking Massacre and to force a greater recognition on the part of Japan of its role in this tragedy.

Chang's other books include The Thread of the Silkworm, a biography of the Chinese rocket scientist Qian Xuesen (or Tsien Hsue-Shen), and The Chinese in America: A Narrative History, a major work on the Chinese American experience based on extensive research and interviews.

The collection contains numerous sound and video recordings of speeches made by Iris Chang, as well as of radio and television interviews conducted with her. Additionally, there are extensive materials in the papers relating to various public appearances made by Chang to promote her books. These include press releases, photographs, and correspondence.

The papers also contain materials pertaining to Iris Chang's death in 2004, including obituaries, memorial tributes, and letters of condolence received by her family.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1968
Born, Princeton, New Jersey
1989
Bachelor's degree, journalism major, University of Illinois
1991
Master's degree in writing, Johns Hopkins University
1992
Peace and International Cooperation award, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
1995
Author, Thread of the Silkworm
1997
Author, The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II
2003
Author, The Chinese in America: A Narrative History
2004
Died, California
Acquisition information:
The material was acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2004, with a substantial increment received in 2005. An additional increment was added in 2011.
Processing information:

Similiar series were consolidated in 2023 in order to provide easier researcher access to like materials

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Boxes 377-379, 382-383, 386-394, and 397-412 closed until 2072 January 1. Box OCM18 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Iris Chang 張純如 papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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