One man's fight to preserve evidence of Japanese wartime aggression(2)

"Most of them came with a suspicious attitude," he said. "But after they found bones and listened to my explanations, they came to believe the crimes Japanese committed here and mourned for the victims at the site."

Peng had Japanese history textbooks brought by his Japanese friends translated at his own expense and wrote articles refuting what was said in the textbooks. Even today, Peng collects materials from newspapers and other publications about Japan's hostility to China.

"I don't care about other stuff, just news about Japan," he said. "Chinese people were tortured so much, and yet Japan denied the invasion. We have to refute them with firm facts."

Spreading the word

Concerned about children's lack of awareness of the mass grave and the anti-Japanese war, Peng began writing a book in 2004 about massacres nationwide, with each entry being briefly outlined.

Peng said that many history books are too big, and not suitable for adolescents who don't have much time to learn history.

After spending almost three years writing the book despite suffering disabilities in his fingers, Peng was still unable to get it published as the publisher in Beijing told him the content of the book may cause potential harm to the current Sino-Japanese relations, and market prospects for the book looked bleak.

While writing the book, which describes 1,062 massacres based on searches through a wide range of historical materials, Peng was surprised to find that as a single burial site, the mass grave in Chengde had the biggest number of victims killed by the Japanese in China.

This made him feel more obligated to protect the mass grave. He has petitioned the local government several times about setting up a cemetery on the site in recent years, but has not been met with a satisfactory reply.

Apart from the unmarked monument erected in 1963, two other monuments were set up by local and provincial authorities in 2010 and 2011. The first marks the location where the most bones were buried but stands at the wrong spot, and the second is barely noticeable on the side of the path.

"Just setting up monuments is not enough," Peng said. "Specific protection measures should be taken. Now, the site is just like an ordinary wilderness. People can't even find it if they are not familiar with the site."

However, Peng's efforts did have some positive responses.  One woman from Tangshan, about 190 kilometers from Chengde, visited Peng in 2011 in a bid to find her deceased grandfather.

Fortunately, the martyr was among some 200 buried in the mass grave whose names were recorded in historical materials. 

Lifelong responsibility

The local authorities' reluctance to give importance to protecting the mass grave, along with his unpublished book, hasn't discouraged Peng, even though he feels a little anxious.

"I don't feel disappointed," Peng chuckled. "I do my best and the decision is up to the government."

Cui Fengxiu, Peng's 80-year-old wife, feels empathy for her husband, but she discouraged Peng from going out to give speeches as he's getting older and suffering from severe hearing loss.

"He would definitely like to attend these activities," Cui said. "He's that kind of person: warm-hearted, takes things seriously and conscientious about everything he does."

But Peng feels so deeply obligated because he's the one who is most familiar with the issue, and along with his coworkers, is the only one sticking with the investigation.

"So many people died fighting the Japanese in the war and they left us better off," Peng said. "We should not forget them. For me, apart from reinforcing the message of the mass grave, my hands are tied. I just fulfill my responsibility."