The commoner people get their voice in print

Much material is available on the horrors the common people of Shanghai faced since the Japanese military occupied the entire city on Dec 8, 1941, following the outbreak of the Pacific War. Many Chinese have learned of the pain the occupation inflected on their previous generations through literature, movies, TV series, memoirs and textbooks.

But a series of diaries by Shanghai resident Yan Bin, published recently, reveals some different sides of life during the conflict. My Life in Occupied Shanghai (1942-1945), presents his stories of work, study and romance, among other aspects of daily living, while even in the thick of fear and danger.

"I think life is multifaceted, which cannot be simply summarized by conceptions. But how to fully represent common people's life at such extraordinary times? The best way, I think, is to read material left by people going through those years, among which, diaries are the most precious," the dairies' editor, Wang Jincai, 54, says.