In a heart‑warming gesture that bridges continents, a young Frenchman has handed over a treasure trove of historical documents to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. 🎉
Bastien Ratat, a French researcher, discovered the collection—1,993 pages of diplomatic records spanning 1920–1943—at the Centre of Diplomatic Archives in Nantes, the main repository of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. With the help of his friend Zhong Haosong from the Chinese mainland, Ratat scanned the files and donated them to support ongoing research into the region’s turbulent past.
The archive includes 42 documents mainly in French, with some English, Chinese, and Japanese materials. Their contents shed light on multiple chapters of history: dossiers on the Nanjing Massacre, Japan’s military aggression against the Chinese mainland, the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (especially the post‑1937 full‑scale resistance), military records, and Japan’s expansion in northeast China and surrounding regions.
Historians say the donated papers provide fresh evidence of how Western diplomatic circles engaged with the conflict, offering a more nuanced view of the era’s geopolitics. The Memorial Hall plans to digitize the entire set, making it accessible to scholars worldwide.
“These records are a bridge between past and present,” said a museum spokesperson. “They help us remember the resilience of those who stood against aggression and ensure their stories live on for future generations.” 🌍📜
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Frenchman donates archives documenting Japan's invasion of China
cgtn.com
