本論文探討一九三八年一月一日南京自治委員會成立後半年間南京市的日常生活 ，以了解在日本占領南京及南京大屠殺後，一般百姓如何克服恐僱，重建社會秩序，適應新 政權，是一篇以微縮歷史 (micro-history) 處理方式寫成之作品。 本文參閱大批當時南京 國際安全區 (難民區 ) 內西方傳教士所留下的文件， 此類文件的價值在於它們是在淪陷初 期寫成，而非戰後的回憶，因此描述更為清楚正確。就當時眾多的生活敘述中，南京人對敵 偽的態度究竟是服從或反抗，是本文探討的主要問題。作者認為大多數百姓選擇服從日本人 ，因為求生存是他們終極關懷，在日人的軍事統治下，南京百姓任何的反抗動作都會招致控 訴，甚而有殺身之禍，作者結論，南京淪陷區的百姓在淪陷最初半年逐漸面對現實，建立初 步的社會秩序，以結束淪陷初期的怖恐生活。

　　　　　The following article examines life in Nanjing from January to June 1938 in order to understand how Nanjing and its citizens recovered from the Japanese invasion and the Nanjing Massacre. Taking a microhistory approach, the author discusses the daily lives of people duringthis period of urban disorder and shows that first men and then womengradually redeveloped social networks and overcame the fear instilledby Japanese occupation. By June, physical and emotional recovery hadbegun. This research is bsed on the wealth of documents from western missionaries who remained in Nanjing and set up an international safety zone to protect Chinese from the war. The value of these documents is that they were written at the time of initial occupation andgive a more accurate picture than later reminiscences. Within the many narratives of daily life are issues of collaboration and resistance. The author feels the majority of citizens in Nanjingchose to cooperate with the Japanese because survival was people'sprimay concern. Japanese military power dominated the city, and anyresistance brought persecution and death. Therefore, instead ofopposing Japanese occupation, people from coolie laborers togovernment advisors worked within the boundaries of occupation tocreate a semblance of public order and end the terror that had besieged the city.