Shanghai's 2025 Music in the Summer Air festival (MISA) concluded on Sunday with a concert marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
The outdoor concert was held at the Shanghai Urban Music Lawn square, presenting well-known World War II-era music from China, the United States, the Soviet Union and beyond, highlighting the theme of "peace".
The audience was moved during the concert, and even the musicians got fired up when playing the music.
"When we played this particular section during our rehearsal on the stage yesterday, it was as if something in our blood set every heart ablaze with passion. I can't help but wonder tonight what emotion will our audience have when this music erupts again," said Liu Ming, concertmaster of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
"March of the Volunteers," originally composed as a film soundtrack during Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and later adopted as the national anthem, ignited the climactic moment of the concert.
"I was so moved that tears welled up in my eyes. At our age, we’ve never watched such a performance," said an audience member.
"I think such activities should not only continue, but also be passed down, especially among young generations," said another.
The MISA also held two mini concerts which took place at the Songhu Memorial Hall and Sihang Warehouse, two key World War II memorial sites in Shanghai.
The festival was held from July 1 to 13, with 29 live concerts and more than 20 online streams, featuring four professional symphony orchestras, seven ensembles and several student groups.
Shanghai music festival ends with concert marking 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism
A major port in northern Venezuela came under U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of January 3, which caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, destroyed critical medical supplies in a warehouse, and severely impacted centuries-old cultural heritage sites, according to local residents.
The La Guaira Port, a vital hub for imports that support daily life in the region, was heavily damaged during the attack.
Large quantities of medical supplies stored at the port were destroyed. A historic cultural building dating back for some 300 years was also badly damaged by the bombardment.
Residents living near the port recalled the terrifying scenes as explosions shook nearby neighborhoods.
Humberto Bolivar, who lives in a community separated from the port by only a main road, said the blast waves shattered his home's windows, while stray shrapnel struck the water tank on his roof. According to reports, three missiles were fired at the port that night.
Bolivar said that beyond material losses, he is most concerned about the psychological impact on his children, who remain too frightened to leave their home days after the attack.
"The United States invaded our country. The children were frightened. This is not good for them, because it leaves some children with psychological trauma. They do not want to go to school or leave the house, because they are afraid that something worse might happen. We truly do not want this to happen to our country," he said.
Apart from civilian facilities, local cultural heritage site was also affected.
The La Guaira state government building, a structure with nearly 300 years of history and once served as the site of Venezuela's first national customs office, was struck by the force of the explosions.
Windows of the building were shattered, and furniture scattered across the floor.
"As people of La Guaira, we feel deep pain. Our cultural heritage has been bombed. We are living in constant anxiety and suffering, and life can no longer be the same as it was before," said a local named Henry Cumares.
The U.S. side has claimed the airstrikes targeted warehouses allegedly used to store narcotics. However, locals refuted such accusation.
"According to what Donald Trump said, they bombed this place using the excuse that the warehouses here were used to store drugs at the port. But based on the video released by our governor, these warehouses that were burned contained medicine for kidney patients and foods. Many people depend on these supplies to survive. I think the bombing is extremely despicable," said a local resident named Alejandro Capriles.
US strike hits Venezuelan port, wrecking medical supplies, heritage building
