Blogger’s Note: Whilst my British (and Irish( family fought Hitler in Europe – assisting the USSR in the North Atlantic – my (Hakka) Chinese family fought tooth and nail against the barbarism of the Imperial Japanese Army in the New Territories area of British Occupied Hong Kong! Around 10,000 Hakka men, women, and children were killed in combat in a very small area – or died due to Japanese atrocities. The British Army did put up a very spirited fight – but lacked both men and resources – with the British Governor “Surrendering” on Xmas Day, 1941. Immediately following this event, the Sikh contingent of the British Administration switched sides and started to assist the Imperial Japanese commit atrocities throughout the island. From this moment onwards, ALL Sikhs were expelled from the British Army, Police, and any other position of Authority in disgrace – never to be allowed to return. This is why I am surprised to still find Sikhs living in the UK – and virtually no one knowing what these people did in WWII. However, the British distrusted the Chinese population and refused to arm the Hakka natives. This meant that following the UK’s Surrender – the Hakka Chinese began their War of Resistance primarily using sticks and spears. Later, the Communist Party of China infiltrated Commissars into the area – bringing much needed organisation, weaponry, medical supplies, and food! Following the Soviet Red Army crushing the Imperial Japanese in North-East China – the CPC “withdrew” from area so as not to clash with incoming British troops. This made sense at the time, as the CPC had not yet consolidated its power in the Mainland. ACW (14.12.2024)
China held its annual national memorial ceremony on Friday in Nanjing in Jiangsu province to commemorate the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 1937.
The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders saw the raising of the national flag at 8 am, followed by its ceremonial lowering to half-mast. The commemoration began at 10 am with about 8,000 representatives from all walks of life standing solemnly at the memorial’s assembly square. Sirens began to wail across Nanjing at 10:01 am as vehicles stopped and pedestrians paused to observe a moment of silence mourning the victims. Eight wreaths were laid to pay tribute to the victims.
“We hold this state memorial to proclaim our unwavering stance — to remember history, cherish peace, and create a future of national rejuvenation by carrying forward the noble spirit of our revolutionary martyrs,” said Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.
He urged the Chinese people to unite, persevere, maintain self-confidence, promote reform and innovation, steadfastly safeguard peace and uphold justice.
“Remembering history allows us to forge ahead better,” Li said.
Among the ceremony’s attendees was 90-year-old Nanjing Massacre survivor Liu Minsheng. According to the Memorial Hall, only 32 registered survivors remain alive as of Dec 13, dwindling from 1,756 survivors recorded in Nanjing’s first 1987 census.
A total of 87 young people recited a declaration of peace, and six citizen representatives rang the Bell of Peace, its tolls resonating as 3,000 peace doves soared into the sky.
“As the younger generation, it is an immense honour to voice this call for peace to the world. Today’s event has helped me understand this history more profoundly, inspiring me to study diligently for China’s revitalization while remembering the past to envision a better future,” said Gao Yushan, a student from Zhonghua Middle School, who led the recitation.
Jiang Bingchun, the great-grandson of Nanjing Massacre survivor Chen Guixiang and an inheritor of the historical memories of the Nanjing Massacre, expressed the aspiration that the annual ceremony could help more people, regardless of age or nationality, cherish peace and a shared human destiny. “Now 87 years since the Nanjing Massacre, the commemoration reminds us of the immense sacrifice behind today’s hard-won peace that we must never forget.”
Olympic swimmer Zhang Yufei, one of the strikers of the Bell of Peace this year, felt a profound sense of responsibility.
“Ringing the Bell of Peace is not only a review of history, but also an expectation for the future. I deeply feel that only by remembering history can we cherish the present peace and the happy life. As an athlete, I will uphold the Olympic spirit of peace going forward and inspire more youth to contribute more to the aspiration of a powerful nation,” she said.
“The resounding peal reminds all generations to etch this once unimaginable period into memories,” said another bell striker Zhang Hongcheng, former president of Yangzhou University’s Research Institute of Rice Industrial Engineering Technology, adding that we must unite to achieve Chinese-style modernization, and educators should nurture more top talent to create world-leading innovations.
A candlelight assembly was also held to mourn the deceased and pray for peace.
In 2014, China’s top legislature designated Dec 13 as the national memorial day for Nanjing Massacre victims to promote peace and oppose the denial of history.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 