Learning lessons of the past

Although he has retired, Dai Yuanzhi is never idle. The 64-year-old former China Youth Daily journalist has devoted more than 10 years to researching the history of Nanjing's biggest refugee camp,which housed more than 20,000 Chinese civilians during the 1937massacre in the city.

In his book 1937-1938 and the Atrocities of Humanity, Dai described the camp's foundation and activities, and introduced the name of Bernhard Arp Sindberg to the world.

Jing Shenghong, a Nanjing Normal University historian who specializes in studies of the Nanjing Massacre, described Dai as the "leading expert" about refugee camps during the atrocities. "He has uncovered lots of evidence about the Nanjing Massacre and filled in many blanks in historical research," he said.