Describing the recent racial upset in Xian as a chance event, several Japanese and Chinese students in Beijing say they try to get along despite major gaps in their understanding of World War II, which textbooks and media portray differently on the two sides of the East China Sea.
Japanese students, about 14,500 of whom are studying language and culture at Chinese colleges, grow up learning that 1937-1945 as a "war in" or an "entry into" China that is covered in three pages of a textbook, although some texts suggest Japan made a mistake.
Chinese students, on the other hand, learn from elementary school on that Japan "invaded" China, "massacred" its citizens and that people back in Japan were unaware of what was going on. Media remind the Chinese almost daily of events from the past.
But because Japan and China share aspects of culture, language and a sense of beauty, people in their late teens and early 20s say they are ready to move on, despite a persistent shadow of mistrust.