China names more sites, heroes to commemorate WWII

World Today

China’s State Council releases a second list of 100 state facilities and sites commemorating the 70th anniversary of the country’s victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

The list of sites outlines places related to events involving Japanese war crimes, surrender and trials, and locations where Chinese forces led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Kuomintang (KMT) fought Japanese invaders.

The graves of Tong Linge and Zhao Dengyu, both commanders of the Nationalist Army who died during the war, are on the list.

Also on the list is the cemetery for the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Pingxingguan, which took place in north China’s Shanxi Province in September 1937. The Communist troops, who were familiar with the mountainous area, cut off the enemy’s logistics line and killed more than 1,000 Japanese troops in an ambush.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs also announced a list of 600 fallen soldiers and groups who sacrificed their lives during the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and 40s on Monday.

The list included names from the CPC-led Eighth Route Army, New Fourth Army, the South China Guerrillas, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and other anti-Japanese militia resistance forces as well as famous officers and soldiers from the KMT troops.

It also listed some renowned representatives of Chinese patriotic personages and foreigners who supported China and died in the war.

The State Council called for more protection and management of historical sites. It also called on local government departments to organize relevant memorial activities to remind the public, especially the youth, about the Japanese Fascists’ wartime crimes.

In September 2014, China released the first of two lists of facilities, sites, fallen soldiers, and heroic groups to commemorate the country’s victory in the war.