China has actively protected commemorative facilities and cultural relics of Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, which are of great educational significance, said officials at a press conference on Sunday.
The Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression from 1931 to 1945 was the first to break out in the World Anti-Fascist War, and it lasted the longest. The war caused over 35 million Chinese military and civilian casualties, including more than 300,000 people killed by Japanese troops in the Nanjing Massacre.
At the press conference on China's V-Day commemorations in Beijing, officials detailed China's efforts to restore war sites, protect war memorial facilities, and educate the public about the sacrifices the Chinese made during 14-year struggles. To date, China has designated 294 national-level facilities and sites related to the war of resistance, and recognized 1,128 prominent heroes and heroic groups, said Ma Feixiong, vice minister of veterans affairs.
Ma further outlined the government's approach to preserving the historical legacy.
"We have constantly improved laws and policies, organized extensive memorial services, strengthened the protection and management of facilities, conducted information collection and verification of martyrs' memorial facilities, identified the number of such facilities, and implemented information-based, digital, and refined management. We have implemented 43 memorial construction projects for martyrs in the war of resistance," Ma said.
Efforts on protection and utilization of the war relics have also been made, said Sun Deli, deputy head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
"China possesses over 10,000 immovable and over 500,000 movable pieces or sets of cultural relics related to the war of resistance. The ongoing fourth national cultural relic survey has uncovered new sites and is focusing on memorial facilities built since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Twenty preservation zones of revolutionary cultural relics from the war of resistance are under development. The Yan'an demonstration zone for the protection and utilization of revolutionary cultural relics was successfully established. Over 500 exhibitions related to the war of resistance are held annually across the country, attracting over 60 million visitors to the sites and museums each year," said Sun.
China protects war of resistance legacy, underscores educational value
