City of sanctuary

She says the Jewish people expressed their love for the city and their sincere gratitude to the love they received from their Tianjin neighbors and business partners.

"Based on their oral history, I have published several books on their lives in the city, including The Jews in Tianjin, and I also have plans to shoot films on this part of history," Song says.

Song published a novel about a Jewish boy's love for his Tianjin nanny which, she says, was derived from the story she once heard from a Jewish man.

"His Tianjin nanny was killed by Japanese invaders, and he said her love for him was even beyond his mother's care".

The photo show was held in Jerusalem in 2010.

The current Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who was a senior minister-level official at the time, cut the ribbon for the show.

The show then toured Tel Aviv in 2011.The photos on show have since been collected by the Museum of the Jewish People at Tel Aviv University.

Luan Jianzhang, director general of Tianjin's foreign affairs office, says: "The photos reflect both the friendship between people of Tianjin and Jewish people and the positive outlook for a community with a shared future for humanity."