Invading Japanese military vehicles, displaced local children, and devastated streets of Guangzhou... In early July of this year, German youth Oscar Lebeck donated the precious historical photo album "Canton in Trümmern" ("Guangzhou in Ruins"), which had been long preserved by his father, Robert Lebeck (1929-2014), to the History Museum of Sun Yat-sen University.
The photographs from this album were publicly displayed for the first time at the exhibition "Canton in Trümmern: Sun Yat-sen University During the War of Resistance," which opened on Aug 26. 365 photographs bear witness to the heinous crimes of the Japanese military's bombing of Guangzhou, capturing ironclad evidence of the invaders trampling China's lands and harming its people.
In a video address, Oscar Lebeck stated that these photographs should be correctly interpreted within their true historical context, and he hopes they will serve as part of the historical and cultural memory, warning future generations to remember the heavy past.
The exhibition is divided into three units and features a special section, "Canton in Trümmern," which publicly displays for the first time a batch of photographic records of the Japanese military's bombing of Guangzhou.
All evidence points to Guangzhou in 1938
Robert Lebeck was a renowned German photojournalist, famous for his coverage of the Congolese independence movement. In his video address, Oscar Lebeck mentioned that while his father collected historical photographs throughout the 20th century, he paid particular attention to photographic works that emerged before the era of professional war reporting. The war photographs in this album were part of his collection. After his father's passing, Oscar Lebeck discovered this album in the basement of their home, speculating that his father had acquired it from elsewhere.
In early July this year, Oscar Lebeck traveled across the oceans to personally bring this album from Germany to Guangzhou and donate it to the History Museum of Sun Yat-sen University. He stated frankly that when he first discovered them in the basement, he was utterly shocked—the scenes of war were horrifying. The tragic imagery in the photographs strongly compelled Oscar Lebeck to uncover their origins and stories.
Later, with the assistance of Chinese classmates and mainland Chinese experts, Oscar Lebeck learned that all evidence pointed to Guangzhou in 1938. At that moment, he realized that it was not only necessary to preserve these photographs properly but also to interpret them correctly within their historical context. Ultimately, he decided to donate them to Sun Yat-sen University, hoping they would serve as part of the historical and cultural memory.
Old buildings, tragic past
Oscar Lebeck stated candidly, "In Europe, many Germans, including myself, previously knew very little about Japan's acts of aggression in Asia and China. These photographs and this journey of discovery have profoundly shocked and influenced me."
He expressed gratitude to all who contributed to the album's return to China and its display to the public, and he looks forward to visiting Guangzhou again this year to view the exhibition. He also hopes that through the exhibition and research of the album, the public can clearly perceive the historical truth while deeply appreciating the hard-won nature of peace.
Among those devastating old photographs are many landmark buildings familiar to Guangzhou residents. For example, the distinctive structures of the Nanfang Building and the Aiqun Hotel on the opposite bank help identify the location where the people of Guangzhou suffered calamities by the Pearl River at Binjiang West Road. The old site of Huangsha Railway Station reveals the location of the post-bombing ruins. Meanwhile, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Yide Road, the stone carvings and door pillars serve as coordinates for recognizing the tragic scenes of the past.
Representative of the curatorial team, Professor Xu Junzhong from the Department of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, said that this batch of photographs from "Canton in Trümmern" is ironclad evidence of the crimes against humanity committed by Japanese fascists in Guangzhou.
"Choosing to exhibit these historical photographs in their entirety and original form is not aimed at inciting hatred, nor at provoking confrontation. Rather, it is a necessary counter to the absurd actions of Japanese fascists deliberately whitewashing historical responsibilities and creating erroneous perceptions of World War II history."
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Huang Baoyi; English Editor: Darius)
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