The loneliest memorial day:
Is it really a lonely memorial day: China's Anti-Japanese War Victory Memorial Day unknown to all?
The 60th anniversary of the "Normandy Landing" is a day worth commemorating, but which day is it? Many people will tell you: June 6. Also known as D-Day, the longest day. Major websites and newspapers have set up special columns to commemorate this day, calling it the beginning of a great strategic counterattack. If you ask again, what is the day of European victory? Not a few people can also tell you: May 8 for Britain, America, and France, and May 9 for Russia. Countries like France and Russia hold grand ceremonies every year, and their 59th-anniversary commemoration activities were widely reported by the media. So, please ask, China, our motherland, which made outstanding contributions to the global anti-fascist struggle along with Britain, America, France, and Russia, and became a permanent member of the UN Security Council together with them, what is her day of victory against Japan? Not a few people can only guess: August 15. No? Then it must be September 2.
Turn over countless calendars, on which there are various Chinese festivals, many Western holidays, and numerous World Something Days, but you just can't find this memorial day. How is this possible? Many people have called for it to be established, even signing joint letters to demand its establishment. But the fact is that this memorial day does exist - in 1946, the National Government had already established it, and in 1949, the State Council of the new China also established it, revising it in 1951 and continuing to observe it to this day. So which day is this existing memorial day? As a history teacher at a key middle school, I asked my six high school classes and the teachers in my office - not one person knew the answer.
This memorial day is September 3! "September 3rd Anti-Japanese War Victory Memorial Day" - Open the revised and promulgated "National Holidays and Memorial Days Holiday Regulations" by the State Council in 1999 (established in 1949, amended in 1951), which clearly states that there are only six memorial days listed, including "Chinese People's Liberation Army Founding Memorial Day", but not including July 1st Party Building Memorial Day. However, three memorial days related to the Anti-Japanese War are listed: "July 7th Anti-War Memorial Day", "September 3rd Anti-War Victory Memorial Day" and "September 18th Memorial Day". It can be seen that the country attaches great importance to the commemoration of the Anti-Japanese War. The determination of the Anti-War Victory Memorial Day is particularly cautious.
In 1946, the National Government designated September 3 as the Anti-War Victory Memorial Day; in late 1949, the "National Holidays and Memorial Days Holiday Regulations" promulgated by the Political Council of the New China designated August 15 as the Anti-War Victory Memorial Day. In 1951, it was revised again to designate September 3 as the "Anti-War Victory Memorial Day". The revised regulations in 1999 continued this designation.
On August 14, 1945, the Emperor issued a ceasefire edict and accepted the Potsdam Declaration; on the 15th, the Emperor broadcast an edict; on September 2, the Japanese government formally signed the unconditional surrender. Xu Yongchang, representing the Chinese government, signed and confirmed the surrender document. From a procedural point of view, this was the formal surrender, with Japan officially surrendering to China, which it considered one of the world's four major powers.
At that time, the National Government ordered a three-day national celebration starting from the next day and designated September 3 as the Anti-War Victory Memorial Day from the following year. Therefore, successive Chinese governments have strictly observed September 3 as the Anti-War Victory Memorial Day.
But today, this memorial day is desolate. Using Baidu's Simplified Chinese search, "Normandy Landing 60th Anniversary" yields 14,900 web pages; "Victory Day of the Great Patriotic War", 1,110 web pages; and "Victory Day of the Anti-Japanese War", only 910 web pages, less than a thousand. China Youth Daily conducted an online survey and concluded that "90% of Chinese netizens know that the anti-Japanese war was the Eastern Front of World War II". The author infers: probably less than 10% know about "September 3rd Anti-Japanese War Victory Memorial Day". Even when commemorating the anti-Japanese war, people mention more often "September 18th Memorial Day", which is the anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident that led to Japan's full-scale invasion of China, and the Nanjing Massacre.
The "Victory of the War of Resistance" is the most worthy of commemoration. Compared with any other country's WWII memorial day, it has the same commemorative value and demonstrates the same great spirit: a nation and a people will not yield in defending their independence and dignity; no matter how strong and cruel the enemy is, as long as they are united and persistent, they will surely triumph; the people have the ability to drive out invaders, end all forms of oppression and slavery; as a member of the world's nations, while resisting invasion, they can make great sacrifices to help other nations in need; a nation that has suffered from invasion and knows the difficulty of achieving peace wants to be an important force in maintaining world peace. Moreover, compared with any Western country's WWII memorial day, China's "Victory of the War of Resistance" has special commemorative value: because of the war of resistance, we showed unprecedented national cohesion; because of the war of resistance, we abolished a series of unequal treaties and recovered Taiwan; because of the war of resistance, we grew from a weak country that was often bullied to a strong country recognized by the world; because of the war of resistance, we transitioned from national suffering to national rejuvenation.
Hu Jintao on May 4th at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre: In front of the white bones of 300,000 compatriots, I can only say these words. Our country has become strong and we have the ability to defend our national sovereignty and territory. Please believe in the country and government!
Do you still remember China after World War I? We, as a victorious country, happily participated in the Paris Peace Conference, but the powers transferred Germany's rights and interests in invading China to Japan. A strong protest movement, the May Fourth Movement, broke out at home, and the Chinese delegation refused to sign, but the powers were unmoved. Just over 20 years later, similarly in Europe, the Potsdam Declaration issued by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, which China did not participate in, emphasized that "the conditions of the Cairo Declaration (i.e., Japan's stolen territories in China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan, and the Penghu Islands, would be returned to the Republic of China) must be carried out". All this was because of the national resistance war, we changed our own destiny with our unity and perseverance.
Recently, the State Council's "Several Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving the Moral Construction of Minors" proposed that the main task of minors' moral construction is to start with enhancing patriotic feelings and promoting and cultivating the great national spirit centered on patriotism. Where to start in practice? Start from the "9·3 Victory Day of the War of Resistance Against Japan". This memorial day has many things that minors need: patriotic feelings, national spirit, unity concept, perseverance quality, self-improvement consciousness... When they have experienced several real "9·3 Victory Day of the War of Resistance Against Japan", they will only have the deepest feelings and emotions when singing the national anthem.
Next year is the 60th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance, from today on, tell everyone: September 3rd is the Victory Day of the War of Resistance, where our national soul lies.
This article has been moved to Tiě Xuè (Iron Blood).
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