Obstacles remain in cementing China-Japan ties

BEIJING - Though hundreds of kilometers apart, Tanjiaqiao Township and Fangzheng County have both slipped into controversy after netizens shamed residents of both regions for kowtowing to money and forgetting the humiliation China suffered during Japan's invasion of China in the 1930s and 1940s.

At the Purentan Scenic Area, located in Tanjiaqiao Township in east China's Anhui Province, Chinese tourists were photographed wearing garb similar to that worn by Japanese soldiers that invaded China some 80 years ago. In a photo widely forwarded by micro-bloggers, a dozen tourists were depicted dressed as Japanese soldiers, complete with mimicked guns and a military motorcycle.

Lu Ye, a project designer with the Jiufu Tourism Development Company, said that a 20-minute interactive drama detailing a historic attack by the Chinese army against Japanese invaders was being organized at the scenic spot. The intention of the drama was to educate young Chinese about the country's history, Lu said.