BEIJING/TAIPEI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday marked the 81st anniversary of its recovery of Taiwan and observed Taiwan Recovery Day, with commemorative events held across the Taiwan Strait to honor the shared history of resistance against Japanese aggression and reaffirm calls for national reunification.
A symposium in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province, brought together about 200 participants, including descendants of Taiwan's anti-Japanese resistance fighters and revolutionary martyrs, young people from both sides of the Strait, representatives from Hong Kong, Macao and overseas communities, and experts and scholars.
Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at the symposium that the establishment of Taiwan Recovery Day underscored China's firm resolve to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and helped consolidate the international consensus on upholding the one-China principle.
Song urged people on both sides of the Strait to carry forward the spirit of the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression and resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" secessionism and foreign interference. He pledged firm support for patriots in Taiwan who support reunification and reaffirmed the mainland's commitment to advancing national reunification.
Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang party and chairwoman of the Taiwan-based Chinese Cyan Geese Peace Education Foundation, said people on both sides of the Strait should carry forward the spirit of those who defended the country's territory and work toward peaceful reunification.
Following its war against China in 1894, Japan seized Taiwan and the Penghu Islands in 1895, subjecting Taiwan to five decades of colonial rule. Taiwan's recovery in 1945 marked a hard-won victory in the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression during World War II and a defining moment in the nation's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In October 2025, China's national legislature designated Oct. 25 as Taiwan Recovery Day.
In Beijing, the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League held a commemorative event on Saturday at a memorial square in the city's western suburbs. Participants observed a moment of silence, sang songs and laid flowers before a monument measuring 14 meters long and 4 meters high, paying tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for national reunification.
Xu Yunchu, granddaughter of revolutionary martyr Zhu Feng, said the history of Taiwan's recovery demonstrated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
"Our territory must remain undivided, and our nation must remain united. Chinese on both sides of the Strait should work together to safeguard the common homeland of the Chinese nation," she said.
Chen Wen-cheng, a young participant from Taiwan, said establishing Taiwan Recovery Day was significant in strengthening historical awareness among people in Taiwan and deepening emotional ties across the Strait. He called on younger generations to preserve their shared historical memory and carry forward the aspirations of their predecessors.
Other commemorative activities included the release in Beijing of a music video about Taiwan's recovery, an exhibition in Shanghai featuring historical materials on Taiwan people's resistance against Japanese aggression, and a seminar in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, on the history and legacy of the Taiwan volunteer corps, a force formed by patriotic Taiwan residents to resist Japanese aggression during WWII.
China Post also issued a commemorative stamp marking Taiwan Recovery Day on Sunday. Featuring the Great Wall, Alishan and Sun Moon Lake, the stamp attracted strong interest from collectors at postal outlets and online platforms across the mainland.
In Taiwan, representatives from more than 20 groups gathered on Sunday at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall, where a ceremony to accept Japan's surrender in Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held in 1945, marking the end of five decades of Japanese colonial rule.
Participants sang a song commemorating Taiwan's recovery and paid tribute to those who fought against Japanese aggression before a stone monument in the square outside the hall.
The commemorative event took place as the secessionist-minded Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan have conspicuously avoided mentioning China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and China's recovery of Taiwan, and repeatedly downplayed or whitewashed Japan's colonial rule over the island.
Hsiung Yi, deputy secretary-general of the Reunification Alliance Party in Taiwan, said Taiwan's recovery is a shared historical memory of all Chinese people.
"History must not be forgotten. We must never erase the crimes committed by the aggressors. I hope more people in Taiwan will remember this day and the profound significance it carries," Hsiung said.
A Taipei resident surnamed Yu, whose family originated in east China's Shandong Province, said her father had often reminded the family that "we are Chinese." She attended the ceremony because she was concerned about insufficient media coverage of the anniversary and wanted to support efforts to preserve historical truth.
Chi Hsing, who works with Taiwan-based magazine The Observer, said the joint commemorations on both sides of the Strait underscored that both sides of the Strait belong to an inseparable community with a shared future.
The ceremony concluded with representatives reading a joint statement calling for remembrance of history, opposition to Japanese militarism, the preservation of peace and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. ■
