Historian Li Hua presents his discovery of rare photos of the wartime in a new book, Memories of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The Japanese army first wanted to occupy Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in East China as well as Shanghai because the area with 125 factories was a commercial hub.

As a result, in 1937, the KMT government ordered all factories to move inland.

Photos show that Minsheng Shipping, founded by Lu Zuofu in 1925, thus became the only operator of transportation along the Yangtze River, helping factories transfer their materials and people elsewhere.

Another series of photos that is rarely seen on the mainland is focused on Mao Zedong during the 43-day Chongqing negotiations.

The images show his meetings with KMT leaders during that period.

Some of the other photos show Mao meeting with supporters of the KMT to dispel their misunderstandings about the CPC.

The new book, Li says, will help people understand why the 20th century matters so much to the Chinese people.

"We will be more confident as a nation."