BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- On the evening of Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops started a plotted bombardment of Chinese barracks near Shenyang on a false pretext, which marked the beginning of the bloody invasion of the northeast and then the rest of China by imperialist Japan that lasted 14 years.
Since the event, also known as the "Sept. 18 Incident," China was dragged into the bitter war with Japan's fascist regime, which has inflicted countless miseries and atrocities on this old, innocent nation.
However, the incident also marked the start of Chinese people's unrelenting resistance against Japan, which formed an important part of the world people's fight against fascists during the Second World War.
Eighty-eight years ago, a group of Chinese troops refused to obey the appeasement policy of nonresistance and bravely fought back. A day after the incident, the Communist Party of China proclaimed its resistance against Japan's invasion and soon sent out backbone army generals like Yang Jingyu to lead the fight in northeast China.
Later in 1937, the Lugou Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge) Incident broke out and Japan began a full-scale invasion of China, at the point of which Chinese people were confronted with the greatest perils of violence, slavery and annihilation.
Again, Chinese people showed no fear and fought back with unprecedented unity, courage and sacrifice. Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this ancient nation has pulled through one of the darkest periods of its history to win the great victory of the anti-Japanese war.
This year's October 1 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The past seven decades have witnessed how Chinese people, from the ruins and debris left by the Japanese invasion, stood up on its own, grew rich and continues to become stronger.
At this moment, refreshing the memory of the "Sept. 18 Incident" and commemorating the fallen heroes in history carry important meanings -- it reminds Chinese people to draw endless strength from their past in realizing their Chinese Dream, to remain vigilant to any perils in peaceful times and to carry forward such fighting spirit in achieving new heights.
