City commemorates victory in World War II
At 93 years old and in a wheelchair, Sun Maoqing saluted, his hand trembling, when a torch was lit to commemorate comrades who died fighting the Japanese during World War II.
The veteran who joined the army when he was 15 years old took part in China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and War of Liberation (1946-49).
“I cannot say a word now and just want to cry,” Sun said after his son place a flower behind the torch for him. Sun Ningjun said his father always told him that “the happy life nowadays is hard-earned.”
Sun Maoqing was invited to the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in north Baoshan District on Thursday for a ceremony and a new exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II on August 15, 1945.
Veteran Sun Maoqing, 93, salutes to commemorate comrades lost in the fight against Japanese intruders during World War II.
Attendees included survivors, students, soldiers and curators of other local memorial museums.
They sang the national anthem, paid a silent tribute to the martyrs, struck a bronze bell and visited the exhibition, said to be the only one in the city to give an overall view about Shanghai’s 14-year fight against Japanese aggression.
Shen Tongbao, 84, a retired teacher from local Luojing Town in Baoshan, survived the notorious Luojing Massacre in 1937. Shen’s uncle hid him in a bamboo basket to escape the massive killing and burning after Japanese troops arrived in the town.
“Over 2,000 people were killed and over 100,000 houses were burnt within three days. Dead bodies were everywhere,” Shen recalled.
“This chapter of history shall never be forgotten,” he said after visiting the new exhibition. “I won’t stop telling the experience as long as I breathe.”
Local students place flowers to commemorate those who died in the fight against the Japanese in World War II.
The exhibition features 1,690 artifacts, 4D experiences and art installations. It highlights the spirit of the Shanghai people as well as the city’s great contributions and sacrifice during the war, said Tang Lei, curator of the hall.
The seven sections of the exhibition cover the national movement to salvage the country led by the Communist Party of China, the most severely hit region by the Japanese troops, local strategic spots, international support and the final victory.
Key exhibits include a painting about the war in Shanghai and some exhibits used as evidence by the Nanjing military court for the trial of Japanese war criminals. They include a sword used by a Japanese soldier to slaughter Chinese civilians and a stone tablet erected by Japanese troops to mourn their dead soldiers.
Over 30 items, including letters and telegrams among the leaders of the Chinese army during the war as well as memoirs from a local children’s troupe are on show to the public for the first time.
An immersive 4D exhibition allows visitors to experience what life was like for Shanghai residents during the war. Visitors will feel as if they are standing in a wooden house amid lightning, rainstorms, flying bullets and shock waves from artillery fire.
Soldiers pay silent tribute to those who died fighting the Japanese during World War II.
An art installation made from over 1,400 bullets, including five collected from local battlefields, makes up the Chinese character “war.”
At the end of the exhibition, a wall has the hand prints of over 100 veterans aged between 90 and 102 years old participated in the war. Six hand prints are from retired soldiers who took part in the Songhu Battle, said Li Sai, a guide.
“After visiting the exhibition, I’m determined to study hard and contribute to my homeland,” said Zhao Enzu, a fourth-grade student of Baoshan Experimental Primary School.
“Previously, I learned about the war only from TV series and movies like ‘Zhang Ga the Soldier Boy.’ Now I have better understanding,” he said.
Students from Baoshan Experimental Primary School become the first batch of visitors at the exhibition.
The first Battle of Songhu ran between January and March 1932. Over 14,000 Chinese soldiers and some 10,000 Japanese were killed.
The second Battle of Songhu began on August 13, 1937, and lasted for more than three months. Over 300,000 Chinese soldiers were killed while Japan reported 40,000 casualties.
It ended on November 12, 1937, when Chinese troops had to retreat after Japanese reinforcements landed.
Shanghai was not only a key strategic site in the war against the Japanese, but also the important center for the national movements and international support, said Zhang Yun, head of Shanghai Institute for the War Against Japanese Aggression.
“Shanghai people were the victims of the war and also witness to the fascist atrocities,” he said. “The resistance against war and the love for peace have involved the blood of Shanghai’s urban civilization,” Zhang said.
The memorial hall at 1 Youyi Road in Baoshan, once a key battlefield during the war, initially opened to the public in 2000. It has received over 8 million visitors from home and abroad.
A student studies reports on the war against Japanese aggression from the foreign press.
Students see the hand prints of veteran soldiers who took part in the war against Japanese aggression.
Students at a display know about how victory was reported in various languages.
