First press conference on the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War

Beijing Youth Daily:

In preparing and holding this commemorative event, how has Beijing integrated the history of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression with the city's culture? And what measures have been taken to help citizens remember and pass on the history of the war? Thank you.

Xia Linmao:

Thank you for your questions. Beijing is the national cultural center and a famous historical and cultural city. It is very important to strengthen the combination of anti-aggression history and local culture so that the public can better understand history, remember the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and better carry forward the anti-aggression spirit. We have carried out work in several aspects.

First, we have successfully held themed exhibitions on the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression with high quality and efficiency. As I mentioned during the briefing, we completed the renovation and re-exhibition of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression with success in just eight months, increasing the exhibition area from the previous 6,700 square meters to 12,200 square meters. We successfully launched the "For National Liberation and World Peace - Exhibition of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War." The exhibition catalogs and presents precious historical photos, cultural relics and videos, all of which are being made open to the public for the first time. From Jul. 8th to today, a total of 580,000 people have visited the exhibition, with over 3,000 reports from central and municipal-level media and over 60,000 articles published online. Last week, I specifically visited this exhibition. The quality of the exhibition is very high, and it was very educational. Journalists are welcome to visit when you have time, and you will definitely gain something.

Second, we have optimized and improved the protection of three major types of red-themed cultural sites. We have coordinated the protection of the three types of sites, which relate to the founding of the Party, the War of Resistance, and the founding of the People's Republic of China, to form a comprehensive network. We have conducted on-site surveys of more than 160 memorial facilities and former sites of the War of Resistance. The Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Site Memorial Hall in Beijing, the December 9th Movement Memorial Site in the National Botanical Garden, and the "Without the CPC, There Would Be No New China" Revolutionary Song Memorial Hall have all completed exhibition upgrades and reopened. These locations have quickly become popular check-in spots. Based on these efforts, we have comprehensively carried out surveys of revolutionary cultural relics, and have announced 188 immovable revolutionary cultural relics and over 2,600 movable ones. We have promoted the upgrading of the renowned Shuangqing Villa to a national key cultural relic protection unit, and announced 16 revolutionary cultural relics, including the tomb of General Zhao Dengyu, as municipal cultural relic protection units, striving to create more moral education bases with immersive experiences.

Third, we have launched a number of excellent literary and artistic works. We have launched film and television works on the theme of the War of Resistance such as "Dongji Island" and "The Long Way Back," as well as the newly adapted modern Peking Opera "Struggles in An Ancient City" produced by the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre, the book series on the history of the resistance against Japanese aggression in Beijing published by the Beijing Publishing Group, and the six-episode large-scale documentary "Lugou Bridge: Our Memorial" produced by Beijing Radio and Television Station (BRTV). The special program "For National Liberation and World Peace - Chronicles of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broadcast by BRTV on Aug. 15 ranked first in the ratings among provincial-level satellite TV special programs that night.

Fourth, we have soundly carried out a series of public commemorative activities. We have issued a plan for themed publicity and education activities with the aim to strengthen the country and rejuvenate the nation, carried out commemorative activities such as laying flower baskets and visiting memorial facilities, and held activities for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance among university students in Beijing under the theme of remembering the war history while studying hard. More than 800,000 primary and secondary school students in the city have been encouraged to explore seven red culture routes. We produced and launched a special webpage and an online quiz activity for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance, to better publicize the heroic deeds of revolutionary martyrs and share positive and worthy public opinion throughout the whole society. Thank you.