People visit the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Su Yang/Xinhua)
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. ■
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, attends a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident and delivers a speech at the square of the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
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, and representatives from all walks of life toll the Bell of Warning during a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at the square of the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 18, 2026. Li attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
Primary school students mourn during an event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at a martyrs' cemetery in Ganyu District of Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Si Wei/Xinhua)
Kids attend an event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at the Northeast China Revolutionary Martyrs' Memorial Hall in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
Students and teachers watch a documentary about the September 18 Incident at a primary school in Zhenyuan County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Wu Xianhe/Xinhua)
People lay flowers during an event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
College students and teachers visit a themed exhibition at a memorial hall for the western Yunnan campaign during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in Tengchong, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Gong Zujin/Xinhua)
People stand in silence as a siren sounds to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Su Yang/Xinhua)
People attend an event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Tourists visit an exhibition, which showcases the history of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in Heping Village of Zhenyuan County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Wu Xianhe/Xinhua)
College students and teachers visit a themed exhibition at a memorial hall for the western Yunnan campaign during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in Tengchong, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Gong Zujin/Xinhua)
Primary school students attend an event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at a martyrs' cemetery in Ganyu District of Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Photo by Si Wei/Xinhua)
People attend an event commemorating the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident at the Northeast China Revolutionary Martyrs' Memorial Hall in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 18, 2026. People across China on Friday commemorated the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
