Veeva Yang and Christine Cai/Shanghai Daily news

A group of Canadian teachers visits Yuyuan Garden yesterday, which is part of their China trip to learn more about Asia’s involvement in World War II. They also talked with historians and a former sex slave. — Zhang Suoqing

A group of 23 teachers from British Columbia and Ontario in Canada talked with historians and a former sex slave yesterday, in a trip to learn more about Asia's involvement in World War II.
They arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday and will leave for Hangzhou and Yiwu in Zhejiang Province today. The group will also visit Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and Beijing.
During the two-week trip, they will meet sex slaves, plaintiffs for the lawsuit on Japanese biological warfare Unit 731, the Nanjing Massacre Museum and Marco Polo Bridge.
According to Thekla Lit, president of the Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia, the trip organizer, the trip will give Canadian teachers a chance to take a close look at this chapter of history and tell their students what they have learned.
"Canadian teachers are familiar with the European history of WWII, but few people know about the war in Asia," she said. "This trip can make up their missing knowledge."
Canadian teachers met one of two local living sex slaves yesterday.
The woman is 88 years old and still lives with the anguish of being a former sex slave. She refused interview requests from the local media.
According to Su Zhiliang, a professor from Shanghai Normal University and an expert on sex slave research, there are 35 former "comfort women" in China, including two - both Korean - in Shanghai.
"About 200,000 Chinese women were forced to be comfort women nationwide when the country fell victim to the Japanese invasion in the 1930s and 40s," Su said. "I have identified 149 comfort houses in the city during World War II."
Judy Brune, a high school teacher, appreciated the experience. "Though I have read books on sex slaves, it was not until we met this woman and listened to her stories that I was really moved," Brune said. "I felt her sorrow by seeing her eyes. Western people have many misunderstandings toward China. I will tell my students about my experiences in China and give them presentations to refresh their views."