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

"I will have at least 10,000 signatures when I return," he said.

Sun Shizhen, an 85-year-old in Shenyang, yesterday recalled the days of horror, humiliation and death.

On the night of September 18, 1931, Sun was awakened by continuous gunshots, and the following morning, he found the city was taken over by Japanese soldiers.

Every day civilians were killed by the Japanese, and their heads were hung on the top of the south city wall, said Sun.

Sun goes to the square of September 18 History Museum every year in memory of his relatives and friends killed during the war.

Hundreds of citizens gathered at the square yesterday morning to hold memorial activities.

Yesterday also happened to be China's traditional mid-Autumn Festival. "My wife and I choose to spend the festival commemorating those victims of Japanese invasion. This way we can better understand the meaning of peace and happiness," said Xu Feng, a middle-aged high school teacher in Shenyang.

A People's Daily commentary yesterday called on people to commemorate the anniversary by looking ahead and not dwelling on the past. "We never want to extend hatred by keeping history in mind. Instead we want to face the future by making history a mirror," it said.