We do know that some 20 Chinese owe their lives to Mitsuru Sato, a senior manager at a seafood company in Onagawa where they were working as trainees.

One of the trainees, Yi Yanan, recalled that after the earthquake, the Chinese ran out of their dormitory, but Sato came and took them to higher ground at a nearby shrine.

Only after seeing them all settled did Sato run back to fetch his wife and daughter.

Unfortunately, he was too late; the tsunami soon inundated his home. "I saw him standing on the rooftop when a wave engulfed him," Yi recalled.

When night fell, the trainees didn't know where to go, but their boss, Sato's older brother, Hitoshi Sato, spent several hours finding shelters for them.

"The next day, the first thing Sato's brother said to me was 'All the trainees are accounted for,'" recalled Du Hua, who was in charge of the Chinese trainees at Sato Suisan Co Ltd.

We now know that with the help of local people, all of the 100 or so Chinese trainees working in Onagawa survived the earthquake and the tsunami, even though many of the town's 10,000 people lost their lives.

A 15-member Chinese rescue team in Ofunato - one of the coastal cities hardest hit by the tsunami - was also well treated. A member of the team reported that a saleswoman at a local convenience store refused to take money for their purchases.

In any country, there are people who are selfish, but there are many more who are ready to help others in an emergency.

The author is assistant editor-in-chief of China Daily. E-mail: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn