On Wednesday morning, a large ceremony was held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Fifteen hundred people, including China’s top leadership, attended the memorial service to mark the 69th anniversary of the country’s victory over Japan. CCTV’s Ai Yang reports.

China marks anniversary of victory against Japan

On Wednesday morning, a large scale ceremony was held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

President Xi Jinping and other state leaders, veterans, military personnel and youth representatives were present at the memorial service. A 14-gun salute was fired to symbolize the 14 years of fighting against Japanese invaders. Thousands of balloons were released in memory of the 35 million Chinese, both soldiers and civilians, who were killed or wounded during the war.

The War of Resistance began in 1937, when Japan launched a full-scale invasion after the July 7th Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident. The victory day is celebrated across the world every year in late August and early September to mark Japan’s official surrender.

When China began the national war of resistance, it was up against two thirds of Japan’s land forces and much of its naval and air forces.

By some estimates, 1.5 million Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded. Chinese soldiers and civilians killed or wounded were estimated at more than 35 million. However, that resistance defeated the Japanese plan to take China in three months and further expand into the rest of Asia. It also gained time for the allies in the European battlefield to defeat Germany and Italy.

The Chinese victory in 1937 helped the Allies’ victory in World War II. CCTV’s Wu Guoxiu reports.