War against aggression commemorated

President Xi Jinping reviewed and paid tribute to the glorious history of the Communist Party of China leading troops and civilians to fight against foreign aggression, as he visited the memorial hall of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign on Monday when making a fact-finding trip to Yangquan, a city in North China's Shanxi province.

The tour came as Monday marked the 88th anniversary of the start of the entire nation's resistance against Japanese aggression.

At the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), Xi laid a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs.

Xi also learned about local efforts to carry out revolutionary history education and promote the great spirit of resisting aggression.

Joined by about 200,000 troops from 105 regiments, the Hundred-Regiment Campaign was the largest and longest strategic offensive launched by the Eighth Route Army in North China, led by the CPC, since the start of the war of resistance.

From Aug 20, 1940, to Jan 24, 1941, the campaign tied up large numbers of Japanese troops and delayed their southward march and consequently contributed to a turn for the better in the overall war of resistance.

Standing on the top of Shinao Mountain in Yangquan, the memorial hall offers deep insight into the events of the summer of 1940.

Through exhibits such as a cracked and weathered kerosene lamp or a stopped desk calendar, visitors can see how the soldiers, facing hunger and cold, defended every inch of land with their flesh and blood.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has stressed on various occasions the importance of promoting patriotism and the great spirit of resisting aggression.

The patriotic spirit that has taken shape through China's resistance against aggression is the driving force for China's rejuvenation, he said.

He also described the heroes in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression as the "backbone" of the Chinese nation, and their deeds and spirit are a great driving force for the country.

As the main theater in the East during the World Anti-Fascist War, China made a national sacrifice of over 35 million casualties in its fight against the main forces of Japanese militarism.

Also on Monday, an exhibition named For National Liberation and World Peace was launched in Beijing at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a speech at the opening of the exhibition, saying that "the exhibition provides a significant platform for promoting patriotic education".

Divided into eight sections, the exhibition, which features 1,525 photographs and 3,237 artifacts, traces the 14-year war of resistance, highlighting the Chinese people's fight for survival and national revival, and a broader struggle for human justice.

"This time, not only are there many exhibits, but also about one-third of them are new collections," said Li Zhidong, deputy curator of the museum.

In addition to the existing exhibits of the museum, Li and his colleagues gathered a large number of cultural relics from donations, international exchanges, descendants of revolutionaries, and collectors. They also collected artifacts from over 50 other museums and memorials nationwide and organized four teams to search for cultural relics across the country.

"We visited villages and mountains in Shanxi and Shandong provinces, some of which are not even accessible by car. We hiked there because these places have cultural relics and the stories behind them have been passed down," Li said.

"Curating the exhibition was not just about reading history books, but also about experiencing and understanding history through artifacts and archives," he added.

Contact the writers at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn