SHENYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Air-raid sirens wailed. Traffic halted. Pedestrians stood still. At 9:18 a.m. on Friday, the city of Shenyang paused in a three-minute silence to mourn those killed in the Japanese invasion of China and to cherish the hard-won peace.
Friday marks the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, the start of China's 14-year war of resistance against Japanese aggression. On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of railway near Shenyang under their control and accused Chinese troops of sabotage, using this as a pretext for their later attack that night on barracks near Shenyang, launching the premeditated invasion of China.
Since 1995, Shenyang, the capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, has sounded air-raid sirens annually on this day to commemorate the incident.
"Those few minutes when everything stopped for the sirens reminded me that our everyday life is built on hard-won peace," said Li Xuyang, an employee of Brilliance Auto based in Shenyang.
At a ceremony held Friday morning at the 9.18 Historical Museum, which was built near the site of the explosion, 14 representatives from all walks of life solemnly tolled the Bell of Warning. The 14 chimes echoed through the air, symbolizing the 14 arduous years of the Chinese people's fight against Japanese invaders.
Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.
The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression marked China's first complete victory against foreign aggression in modern times, Li said. He called for drawing lessons from history to light the way forward, stressing the importance of upholding the Party's overall leadership, advancing Chinese modernization, and contributing to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
"I learned about the September 18 Incident in textbooks. Hearing the bell today, I want to know even more about what children of my age went through back then," said Ma Zihao, a sixth grader in Shenyang.
"Seeing today's children able to go to school without a worry makes me feel that the sacrifices back then were not in vain," said Yang Huafeng, a 93-year-old veteran of the war who attended the event. "I hope they remember the martyrs who laid down their lives for this country and understand how precious peace is."
The commemorations in Shenyang anchored nationwide events marking the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945) broke out first and lasted the longest in the World Anti-Fascist War. Over 14 years, some 35 million Chinese were killed or wounded.
"The annual observances give the younger generation a chance to rethink the relationship between war and their own lives. Only by remembering the suffering war brought to ordinary people can we truly appreciate how precious peace is and what it takes to protect it," said Gao Jian, a researcher at the 9.18 Historical Museum. ■
