Three Japanese ride bicycles along the route the Japanese troops took when pulling out of China. (Photo/New Culture Newspaper)
(ECNS) – An 80-year-old Japanese man has come to China in search of a neighbor who helped him before he returned to his homeland after World War II, according to Enews.xwh.cn on Tuesday.
The Japanese senior was born in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, in 1935.
He recalled that Japanese people lived hard lives caused by Japanese troops in Harbin as they waited to return home following Japan's surrender.
A neighbor named Liu Chengjiang often helped him financially during that time, he said.
"Chinese people return good for evil. They are so kind-hearted," he added.
On July 12, the Japanese man arrived in Harbin and immediately began looking for Liu. Though he failed to find Liu, he met another neighbor surnamed Zhu, who is also in his 80s.
To inspire reflection on war and calls for peace, the Japanese man and two of his friends plan to ride bicycles about 970 kilometers along the route the Japanese troops took when pulling out of China.
They set off on July 16 from Harbin, and will travel across 13 Chinese cities and counties before arriving in Huludao, a city in Liaoning province.
