I live in Daqing and here still people have some resentment. Some of them would not even go to japanese restaurants just because find them offensive. 

There is kind of an unproclaimed admiration for all things Japanese.

But for 'Japan' as an entity, the grudge has never been unclenched.

A few of my male students have told me they hate Japanese (the irony is that one of them told me this while wearing a "One Piece." T-shirt). When I asked "why?" I got the standard "no why" responese, which I've taken to become synonymous with "I haven't been taught to think."

So, while they love the culture, they don't like the people because of something that happen a long time ago, not realizing that the people who committed those atrocities are, quite likely dead themselves, or will be soon.

None of the Chinese that I know like Japan   

Has anyone ever heard that those invading Japanese armies actually had a lot of Chinese soldiers on their side ??  Something like that. I'd like to know more about that. It certainly sounds like the Taboo subject of the millenia if it is so...

for all the thumbs-down people out there.... yes, I know it is hard to think for oneself and not just suck down the national diatribe..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborationist_Chinese_Army

It seems like quite a few young people like the pop culture, such as anime, and apparently Japanese porn is really popular in China. However, a friend of mine, despite understanding that the young generations have nothing to do with it, says he doesn't like Japan because of what Japan did in the past. I think that as long as people are still alive who went through that time, people will still hate Japan.

  On principal I think the majority of Chinese still have something of a disliking for the Japanese, but as much as people are quick to make generalizations about other nations, they seem equally capable of suspending those same judgements when meeting a person of that same race, as in the case of your friend. I had a good Japanese friend who was treated decently during his considerably long stay here, but i'm certain that many of those who treated him kindly would have been just as quick to express anti-Japanese sentiment under different circumstances. I believe most people are willing to have their generalizations proven wrong, and to consider individuals from countries they are quick to chastise as 'exceptions to the rule', but it is an unfortunate trait of human nature to assume we understand the world around us, which in the case of viewing entire cultures often leads of course to making sweeping statements and narrow-minded generalizations.

  I do find it odd though how a country whose citizens quite openly claim a disliking for the Japanese, has taken such an enormous liking to sushi bars.

  On a side note, and I cannot stand by this, it's just something I vaguely recollect reading, the Japanese army were apparently sold the same line that has remained so very popular throughout more recent wars; that they were 'bringing democracy' to China in their invasion of it's lands. And how ungrateful their reception. Coh!

The government needs them to hate Japan, so they do

So far non of my Chinese friends praise Japan

neutral not friends or foes.

Didn't the Chinese burn Japanese businesses a few months ago? Doesn't sound friendly to me. 

All they need is a prompt from Beijing.

we get more friendships than we aware of and  more hostiles than we try to forgiving.

Last summer, one of my students was discriminated against just because her mother is Japanese. Her classmates wanted her to say that she hated all Japanese and wanted them all to die.

She considers herself Chinese, her citizenship is Chinese, it is only her mother who is Japanese, yet she too felt hostility. And  this was not in some remote village, this was in Beijing.

That to me, speaks volumes.

Interests determine attitude.So there is not the explicit attitude between China and Japan.