The Defense of Sihang Warehouse during the Battle of Shanghai, photo taken by Lyon. [Photo/ english.guardian.com]

Among Lyon’s pictures, a group of photos recorded as the “Defense of Sihang Warehouse” has rarely been seen by people.

During the Battle of Shanghai, 423 defenders of the Sihang warehouse, who were known as the Eight Hundred Heroes, held out against numerous waves of Japanese forces and covered Chinese forces retreating west under Chiang Kai-shek’s order. The Eight Hundred Heroes didn’t fall back until Japanese forces increased to 5,000. Finally they retreated to a hospital located in the foreign concessions, where the Japanese didn’t dare to enter.