65th anniversary of victory against Japanese invasion marked
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Top Chinese leaders paid homage to the Chinese soldiers who died fighting Japanese aggression during the Second World War Friday, the 65th anniversary of the Japanese surrender to China.
At the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee - Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang - presented bouquets to honor the war martyrs.
Veterans, foreigners who helped China fight the Japanese invaders and other citizens also mourned the martyrs with silent tribute.
"The victory was a major event in the 20th century. It was significant for the Chinese nation and the overall progress of human civilization," senior leader Li Changchun said Friday at a seminar in Beijing to mark the victory.
Li hailed the spirit of the Chinese people during the 14-year-long war and praised the CPC members who played a key role in uniting the nation and fighting at the frontlines.
Li urged the promotion of a patriotic spirit and the strengthening of the Party and international cooperation in order to ensure world peace and justice.
Across China Friday, people from all walks of lives mourned the martyrs at various ceremonies.
In Nanjing, citizens bowed and presented flowers to air force martyrs in front of the monument for aviators who fought the Japanese invaders.
Qin Penghong, 77, came with his sister and daughter to mourn their father, who died serving as the mechanical director of the Kuomingtang's air force.
"Our family is proud of him and I always tell his story to my children and grandchildren," he said.
The Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Museum and Nanjing Aviator Association are compiling a catalogue of 4,294 aviator martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the joint fight against the Japanese invasion of China.
The catalogue lists 1,466 Chinese aviators, 2,590 U.S. aviators, 236 from the former Soviet Union, and two from South Korea.
The catalogue includes the aviators' names, military ranks, birthplaces, birthdays, causes of sacrifice, and victories achieved during their lifetimes, said Ni Hong, deputy director of the Nanjing Aviator Association.
The catalogue is expected to be published by the end of the year.
An exhibition on forced Chinese labor in Japan had attracted nearly 200,000 visitors as of Friday since its opening on Aug. 15 this year.
One visitor wrote in the visitors' book that it is the ordinary people in both the victimized and aggressor nations that bear the brunt of war.
Zhu Chengshan, the curator, said the exhibition not only informs later generations of the crimes committed by the Japanese invaders, but also spurs them to cherish peace.
In Hunan province, veterans gathered in front of the monument for the martyrs of the Battle for Changde that was fought in 1943 and claimed the lives of 60,000 Chinese soldiers.
Before the battle, the Japanese invaders killed hundreds by spreading plague-contaminated crops in Changde.
Wu Song, 88, a veteran, recalled, "We were fighting day and night till the town was soaked in blood. I am here to mourn my war-time buddies. I feel sorry that Japan is still refusing to compensate for the bacteria war they waged in Changde."
In the city of Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning Province, an exhibition opened to the public.
The exhibition highlights the contributions of the Red Army of the former Soviet Union to the anti-Japan war.
In southwest China's Guizhou Province, veterans, armed police, students and other citizens gathered in an old battle field in Dushan County, Qiannan Prefecture, to mourn the war dead.
In 1945, Japanese invaders waged a 7-day war in Dushan County, killing nearly 20,000 civilians and soldiers before they were defeated by Chinese and U.S. troops.
Zhang Youru, 87, a veteran, said, "I want to visit my war-time buddies who I fought with shoulder to shoulder."
He traveled for half a day by bus to reach the battleground.
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