A new documentary delves into some of the gripping human stories from China in WWII and highlights the country's often overlooked role in the brutal conflict. Andrew Moody reports.

A terrified family cowering under a kitchen table depicted in black and white animation is one of the most haunting images in a new documentary on China's role in World War II, which will be broadcast next week. It tells the story of how Xia Shuqin, despite being stabbed three times, and her sister, managed to survive the incident in Nanjing in 1937. Their mother, other family members and a neighbor were either beaten or bayoneted to death at the scene.

Xia, now 85, met President Xi Jinping last December. She is one of a number of war survivors interviewed in World War II: China's Forgotten War, a co-production between China Intercontinental Communication Center and the US satellite TV channel, History.