Shenyang remembers horrors of 1931

A bell-ringing memorial ceremony to commemorate the start of the Japanese military occupation of Northeast China will take place in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, on Tuesday.

A siren will wail at 9:18 am for three minutes in the Sept 18 Incident Museum that documents the events of 1931 when Japanese forces attacked Chinese troops in Shenyang.

The attack marked the beginning of the Japanese invasion and occupation that lasted 14 years.

In an effort to maintain the public memory of the attack, in 1995 Shenyang authorities started to encourage residents to ring ceremonial bells and honk their horns every Sept 18.

Now, on the city's main roads, cars draw to a halt and honk their horns to remember the dark day in China's history.

Last year the government changed the memorial time from 9:18 pm to 9:18 am to make it easier for citizens to take part in the ceremony.

To maintain order, Shenyang public security bureau announced on Sunday that the streets around the museum will be blocked to traffic from 9:00 am to 9:30 am on Tuesday.

Police have also been stationed near the Consulate General of Japan in Shenyang since Monday.

"Because of the intensifying tensions between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, we have stepped up patrols to prevent extremist behavior, especially near the consulate," said a police officer who insisted on anonymity.