The 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has recently been presented with a batch of precious cultural relics and historical materials donated by a private collector on Chinese people's struggle against Japanese aggression, as this year marks the 95th anniversary of the September 18, 1931 Incident.
On the night of Sept. 18, 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army bombed a section of the South Manchuria Railway near the Liutiao Lake on the northern outskirts of Shenyang, a city in northeast China.
The Japanese blamed Chinese troops for the act and used this as a pretext to attack Beidaying (the Great Northern Barracks), where the Chinese Northeast Army was garrisoned, and then bombarded Shenyang.
The September 18, 1931 Incident marked the start of China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression.
The collections donated to the museum include 14 pieces from Zhan Hongge, a collector of historical documents.
He donated domestic and foreign newspapers and periodicals published between 1931 and 1945, featuring historical materials about the September 18, 1931 Incident launched by Japanese militarists, Japan's military occupation of northeast China, the Northeastern Volunteer Righteous and Brave Fighters' and the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army's counterattack against the Japanese invaders, and Japan's announcement of unconditional surrender in 1945, as well as the bills issued in the period.
"This picture in the newspaper shows the Japanese Kwantung Army occupied Shenyang's Beiling. This is Zhang Xueliang's villa near Beiling. Besides Beidaying, they also invaded Jilin and occupied Changchun. These are the images recording the invasions," Zhan said.
The newspaper donated by Zhan also reflects how people in northeast China, under the influence of the Communist Party of China, established armed forces to fight Japanese invaders after the September 18, 1931 Incident.
"These two pieces of newspapers were part of the progressive publication 'Jiuwang Qingbao' (information on national salvation) at that time. The newspapers detailed some resistance of the volunteer army led by Zhao Shangzhi against the Japanese aggressor troops, covering some specific time points. It's helpful in future exhibitions for us to study these historical facts about the Northeast anti-Japanese United Army led by the Communist Party of China," said Tian Jing, a researcher at the museum.
Historical museum receives private collections about struggle against Japanese aggression
