Government officials, industrial workers, students and soldiers gathered in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Saturday to mark the eve of the 82nd anniversary of the February 7 Great Strike.

They laid wreaths before the Monument to the Martyrs and paid tribute in the historic event's memorial hall.

On February 4, 1923, Jinghan (Beijing-Hankou) Railway workers started a general strike to demand workers' rights and freedom from the oppression of northern warlords.

Wu Peifu, one warlord backed by Japanese forces, suppressed the strikers, resulting in the February 7 Massacre.

Communist Party members Lin Xiangqian, president of the Jiang'an Branch of the Jinghan Railway Trade Union, and Shi Yang, a union legal adviser, were killed by Wu's gunmen, and scores of other worker martyrs laid down their lives.

More than 1,000 workers were also fired after the strike. To commemorate the tragic events of 1923, commemorative activities have been held on February 7 every year since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2005)