Dagu Iron Bell exhibit draws visitors to Tianjin

"The bell finally returned to China on July 20, 2005, after over two years of negotiations, thanks to the help of local Chinese communities and both governments," Han said.

The bell has since become the centerpiece of the Dagukou Fort Ruins Museum, which opened in 2011. It has become a symbol of the broader movement to recover looted cultural relics.

Success stories of the repatriation of cultural relics have become increasingly frequent. More than 300 collections, totaling over 150,000 cultural artifacts, have been returned to China, thanks to combined efforts across society.

This year's exhibit coincides with the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), drawing families and students keen to explore wartime history. Among them was Li Qiutong, a high school student from Jilin province, who was particularly moved by Han's storytelling.

Hearing Han's detailed narratives, he felt as though history unfolded before him, especially the heroic deeds of Le Shan.