Comprehensive series

Based on the painstaking survey, researchers compiled a series of books, titled Survey Books on China's Population and Property Loss During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Li says the result is a comprehensive record of Japanese wartime crimes.

"The invaders slaughtered Chinese civilians and subjected them to chemical and bacterial warfare," he says.

"They committed arson and rape, and looted the Chinese people's property and cultural treasures. What they did was against humanity and international law, and they were a threat to human civilization."

The books－300 in all－include survey reports, special thematic reports, documents and literature, oral testimonies, photos and memorabilia.

A total of 46 books have been published as of late September. They are divided into different categories, including 12 books on 173 major massacres during the war, 14 books documenting 160,000 individuals who were killed, and 12 books on population and property loss across 12 provinces and municipalities.

According to Li, the survey and the books are more than merely a record of what had happened during the war.

"We made great efforts to investigate and document the catastrophe of the war. In doing that, we wanted to avoid similar tragedies in the future, and not to promote or perpetuate hatred," Li says.