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Yang Cuiying, a survivor of the Nanjing
Massacre, cries as she mourns for her relatives killed by Japanese
troops in the 1937 massacre. A memorial event was held yesterday at
the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, to
commemorate the 74th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, which
marked the start of the Japanese annexation of Northeast
China in 1931. (Newsphoto) |
More than 100 Chinese cities yesterday marked the
74th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of China's northeastern region.
People gathered around memorials to war victims and stood to attention as
bells tolled and sirens
wailed.
A 10-minute-long siren resounded in 12 major cities in Northeast
China's Heilongjiang Province at 9 am yesterday.
Zhao Tianming, a resident of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, said he
planned to take a three-year tour around the country to promote public
awareness of the September 18
Incident.
"I hope to tell all the Chinese people I come across to never forget
September 18, the day when our country was invaded by the Japanese," Zhao
said.
On September 18, 1931, the Japanese military blew up a section of railroad near Fengtian
(today's Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province) and accused the Chinese
side of the act, thus providing an excuse for the Japanese annexation of Northeast China.
"September 18 is not only for Shenyang, it is an anniversary for all
Chinese to remember," Zhao said.
Zhao is scheduled to start his tour from the September 18 History
Museum in Shenyang late this month. He will visit more than 200 major
cities, where he will hold picture exhibitions and collect people's
signatures.
"I will have at least 10,000 signatures when I return," he said.
Sun Shizhen, an 85-year-old in Shenyang, yesterday recalled the days of
horror, humiliation and death.
On the night of September 18, 1931, Sun was awakened by continuous
gunshots, and the following morning, he found the city was taken over by
Japanese soldiers.
Every day civilians were killed by the Japanese, and their heads were
hung on the top of the south city wall, said Sun.
Sun goes to the square of September 18 History Museum every year in
memory of his relatives and friends killed during the war.
Hundreds of citizens gathered at the square yesterday morning to hold
memorial activities.
Yesterday also happened to be China's traditional mid-Autumn Festival.
"My wife and I choose to spend the festival commemorating those victims of
Japanese invasion. This way we can better understand the meaning of peace
and happiness," said Xu Feng, a middle-aged high school teacher in
Shenyang.
A People's Daily commentary yesterday called on people to commemorate
the anniversary by looking ahead and not dwelling on the past. "We never
want to extend hatred by keeping history in mind. Instead we want to face
the future by making history a mirror," it said.
(China Daily) |