Sirens mark anniversary of Japan invasion
By Li Fangchao in Harbin and Wu Yong in Shenyang (China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2005-09-19 05:48
More than 100 Chinese cities yesterday marked the 74th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of China's northeastern region. People gathered around memorials to war victims and stood to attention as bells tolled and sirens wailed.
Yang Cuiying, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, cries as she mourns for her relatives killed by Japanese troops in the 1937 massacre. [newsphoto] |
A 10-minute-long siren resounded in 12 major cities in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province at 9 am yesterday.
Zhao Tianming, a resident of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, said he planned to take a three-year tour around the country to promote public awareness of the September 18 Incident.
"I hope to tell all the Chinese people I come across to never forget September 18, the day when our country was invaded by the Japanese," Zhao said.
On September 18, 1931, the Japanese military blew up a section of railroad near Fengtian (today's Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province) and accused the Chinese side of the act, thus providing an excuse for the Japanese annexation of Northeast China.
"September 18 is not only for Shenyang, it is an anniversary for all Chinese to remember," Zhao said.
Zhao is scheduled to start his tour from the September 18 History Museum in Shenyang late this month. He will visit more than 200 major cities, where he will hold picture exhibitions and collect people's signatures.
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