The 618 historical photos taken during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, donated by French citizen Marcus Detrez, are on display at an exhibition in Shanghai.
The Chinese Embassy in France on Aug. 4 held a ceremony for the handover of the historical photographs collected by Detrez's grandfather Roger-Pierre Laurens.
During the event, Chen Dong, minister at the Chinese Embassy in France, presented a donation certificate and a letter of thanks from the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to Detrez.
Many of the photos, taken between the 1930s and 1950s, document the Battle of Songhu in 1937.
The Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression has incorporated these historical photos into its permanent collection. These photos document the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders against Chinese civilians, and are of great historical value in the research of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
Detrez said at the handover ceremony that these photos captured history, and he wished that more Westerners, especially young people, would learn about that part of history through these donated photos.
The exhibition opened at the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on Wednesday.
The exhibits include many photographs and judicial documents on the trials of Japanese war criminals in 1956.
Provided by the Supreme People's Court, the photographs and documents recorded the entire process of the trials which took place seven years after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Through nearly 400 historical photos and large amounts of relics and historical materials, the exhibition highlights both the historical and contemporary significance of the post-war trials.
WWII photos from French donor displayed in Shanghai
