A grand reception was held in Beijing Saturday to mark the
victory of the Chinese people's resistance
war against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist
war.
Addressing the reception, Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao highlighted the great historic significance of the War
of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-47) to China,
saying "this was a great war of national liberation, in which the
Chinese people won a complete victory for the first time in nearly
100 years."
"This was a just, progressive war, which marked a historic
defining moment of the Chinese nation from national peril to
national rejuvenation," Wen said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao
and other state leaders joined more than 2,100 war veterans,
patriots from home and abroad, and foreign guests at the reception
held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
China's resistance war against Japanese aggression was an
important part of the World Anti-fascist War. During the War, the
Chinese people suffered the most, made the biggest sacrifices and
fought for the longest time, said Wen, who is also a member of the
Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party
of China (CPC) Central Committee .
"The contributions made by the Chinese people to the complete
victory of the World Anti-Fascist War are indelible and of historic
significance," he stressed.
The premier called for drawing lessons from history, being
forward-looking, committing to the road of peaceful development,
and advancing the cause of world peace in the new century.
Wen urged Chinese people of all ethnic groups to invigorate
national spirit with patriotism at the core and strive to develop
China into a prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced
modern socialist country and achieve the great rejuvenation of the
Chinese nation.?
Wen also called people of all countries in the world to hold
high the banner of peace and strive for a fair, equitable and
secure new international order and for a new world of peace, amity
and harmony.
At the reception, Hu and other leaders had warm talks with
Chinese, Russian and US war veterans and other guests.
Hu shook hands with US war veterans, expressing his gratitude to
the US people for their selfless assistance to the Chinese people
during the war and his hope to carry on the friendship between the
Chinese and US peoples from generation to generation.
Also from north to south, from east to west, the 1.3 billion
people on the Chinese mainland are commemorating the WWII victory
achieved six decades ago and wishing for eternal peace in the
world.
In Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang
Province, the Municipal Library staged an exhibition for high
schools and communities to display the evidences that testify the
invasion of the Japanese militarists during the WWII. Altogether
more than 300 material objects, documents, and photos were on
display.
In Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu
Province, a peace rally was held, attended by veterans,
survivors of the notorious Nanjing Massacre, students and
citizens.
"It is a special day today, we specially set up a 'triumphal
arch' decorated with 'V' and 'PEACE' outside the memorial. That is
to show Chinese determination of carrying forward the spirit of
resisting war and adhering to the road of peaceful development,"
said Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in
the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
"We will never allow the tragedy in history to recur," he
said.
In Shanghai, thousands of citizens witnessed the inauguration of
a 1.5-ton "bell of peace" built for the commemoration of the war
victory.
Engraved on the bell?are the words "keep history firmly in
mind, never forget the past, cherish peace and create a better
future."
At 8:15 AM Saturday, the citizens tolled the huge bell for 60
strikes and meanwhile 1,500 doves of peace were released into the
sky.
On Saturday, many Chinese also listened to the speech via TV
delivered by President Hu Jintao at the grand gathering that
commemorated the war.
Hu, in the speech, reminded the Japanese government of its
commitment regarding historical issues and urged the Japanese
Government and its leaders to take a highly responsible attitude
toward history in order to "avoid the repetition of historical
tragedies."
"The speech is inspiring. What the President has said on the
China-Japan relations just represents what we Chinese people
actually think," said Yang Yanhui with the Hebei Normal University
in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province.
While Su Zhenhai, a citizen in Qingdao City, east China's
Shandong Province, was impressed mostly by Hu's words on peace.
"President Hu's speech is a clear demonstration of Chinese
people's attitude toward peace to the whole world: we love peace,
we pursue peace, but we are always ready to fight for peace," he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2005)