'Two years on, I'm still being cyberbullied,' says Evan Kail, who donates evidence of Japanese invasion of China

Two years ago, Evan Kail, the owner of a pawnshop in the United States, donated a World War II photo album containing evidence of the Japanese invasion of China to China for free.

In November this year, Evan Kail opened his first trip to China. In an exclusive interview with the reporter, he said that part of the western media's description of China is biased, when he really arrived here, only to find that China's development has long exceeded his imagination: in the hotel, intelligent robots can be automatically sent meals to the room door.

"Beijing is like a city in the year 3000."

In Kail's opinion, "You have to come there yourself and experience yourself to really appreciate a place. The history does too, and anybody who cares about history, architecture, and one of the oldest cultures on earth, China, should come to see these yourself."

Previously, Kail suffered a protracted campaign of cyberbullying and even death threats in the United States because of his move to donate a World War II photo album. He said, "I am convinced I am doing the right thing, and this trip to China has warmed me."

Two years ago, he received the photo album from one of his followers on social media.

"They had vaguely mentioned a photo album of World War II from Asia, but they didn't provide many details and only noted that the contents were disturbing."

"One of my rules when handling artifacts related to WWII is that if an item has any direct connection to a war crime or holds potential historical significance, it doesn't belong to private hands. Instead, it belongs to a museum or a place where it can be studied and preserved for the public," Kail said. "I also wondered if the photos, if previously unknown, could have historical value beyond my means to assess."

Eventually, he buys the album and posts a video online asking for help, hoping to harvest more clues and advice. But he didn't expect the huge storm that ensued.

Kail recalls that the contents of the photo album gained a great deal of attention, but the surge of flow quickly became out of control. Some said the album was a forgery, others accused Kail of "using war crimes to gain notoriety." ...

To add to the horror, Kail received a number of threatening messages and a suspicious car that appeared across the street from his store every day for a week, "The Internet is eating me alive". He had to wear body armor, suspend business, and suffer serious psychological problems as a result.

As he examined the album, Kail realized that the "Nanjing Road" in the photo was not actually in Nanjing, but in Shanghai. Although not directly related to the Nanjing Massacre, in his view, this is still a reflection of the crimes of the Japanese invasion of China, they must be seen by the world.

Kail contacted the Consulate General of China in Chicago. He solemnly handed the album to the Chinese representative. "I am very honored to donate this album in the name of peace, harmony and friendship."

At the same time, Kail received in return a letter from the consulate and Chinese porcelain, a symbol of precious friendship. These two gifts have stayed with Evan, "It represents that I have done the right thing."

Today, the abusive attacks against him by some American bloggers have not stopped. Kail says that if he had to do it all over again, he would still stand by his principles.

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