Marcus Detrez (center) holds the seal gifted by the Hangzhou History Museum in hand. [Photo/WeChat account: hzdsg2015]

Frenchman Marcus Detrez, who recently donated 618 of his late grandfather's wartime photos to China, arrived on Aug 12 in Hangzhou — capital of East China's Zhejiang province — to trace his family's history.

Earlier that day in Nanjing, capital of the neighboring East China's Jiangsu province, Detrez and two companions paid tribute to victims at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

He laid flowers, tolled the Peace Bell and expressed admiration for Iris Chang — an American journalist, historian and political activist best known for her best-selling 1997 account of the Nanjing Massacre, The Rape of Nanking.

That evening in Hangzhou, they watched the film Dongji Island. Detrez said many in the West remained unaware of Japan's wartime atrocities and he vowed to "tell the truth across the world". His friend Bastien Rata, also  French, added: "No matter how rough the sea, we will sail on."

The next day, the group visited the Monument to the Fallen Soldiers of the Battle of Shanghai by West Lake — honoring 1,421 fallen soldiers — and toured the Hangzhou History Museum. Before leaving, they received a seal engraved with the word "初心" (meaning original aspiration) as a token of gratitude.

Detrez's grandfather, French expat Roger Pierre Laurence, lived in Shanghai in the 1930s and documented the Battle of Shanghai and other events during the 1930s–50s.

His photo collection has been permanently preserved at the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall, providing valuable evidence of Japanese war crimes and contributing to global historical research.

The young Frenchman examines historical documents during his visit to the Hangzhou History Museum. [Photo/WeChat account: hzdsg2015]