Rare 1938 Guangzhou bombing photos to debut in August

A newly-discovered series of photos recording the tragic Japanese bombing of Guangzhou in 1938 will become the centerpiece of an exhibit opening in the end of August commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The 365 rare photos, collected by German photojournalist Robert Lebeck (1929-2014), have never been made public before. They had been hidden in a basement until being accidentally discovered 87 years later by young German artist Oscar Lebeck, a descendant of the photojournalist.

Earlier in July, at the invitation of Sun Yat-sen University, Lebeck traveled to Guangzhou and solemnly donated the rare photos to the university's museum. Included are images of invading Japanese military vehicles, displaced local children, and the devastated streets of Guangzhou.

"Ten years after my father passed away, I discovered the album while sorting his belongings," Lebeck said. "My father had never mentioned them before, and my mother was also unaware of them."

There was a pink note on the cover of the album, which reads in German: "Japan's bombing of Guangzhou".

"I think my father had collected the photos from somewhere else," said Lebeck.

Zhang Wei, director of the humanities and social sciences department at Sun Yat-sen University, described the photos as precious reminders of history and the desire for peace.

According to Zhang, the photo album was collected thanks to efforts from multiple parties.

Wu Jiahao, a post-doctoral scholar at Sun Yat-sen University, said after nearly a year of cross-time zone communication and collaboration, the historical background of the photos has become clear. To confirm the age of the photos, Lebeck commissioned the German auction house Bassenge to issue an appraisal certificate, proving that the photos were taken in the 1930s.