The family of the late missionary John Magee, who secretly recorded the Nanking Massacre in 1937, has received a peace medal on his behalf given to them by the Chinese city.
Long Xiang, deputy Party chief of the city, presented the medal to Magee's grandson Chris Magee, according to the web site China.org.
Magee, who was an American Episcopal priest and missionary in Nanking from 1912 to 1940, filmed the slaughter of Chinese soldiers and civilians by Japanese troops 80 years ago.
The 105 minutes of footage is considered the only film found so far recording the massacre, in which some 300,000 people were murdered.
Magee was also one of the founders of the safe zone international committee and refugee hospital, and is credited with rescuing a huge number of Chinese people who would have otherwise died during the Japanese invasion.
In 2002, Magee's son donated the camera his father used to record the events to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall.
'We are here to commemorate the humanity of foreign friends represented by Mr John Magee, and this medal, representing peace and hope, will help express our gratitude and respect for the salvation of the Nanjing people,' Long said.
Magee was born in 1884 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died in 1953.
