Nanjing exhibition in memory of the past

Photo of Nezhdanov [Photo/Xinhua Daily]

Nanjing holds an exhibition to commemorate the anniversary of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression on July 7.

Activities were held nationwide to mark the "July 7 Incident of 1937", Japan's full-scale invasion of China and the beginning of China's eight-year war of resistance. The year 2015 also marks the 70th anniversary of victory in both World War II and China’s arduous eight-year war.

The exhibition in Nanjing, themed "Unyielding Resistance, Great Victory" runs at Nanjing Construction Planning Exhibition Hall from July 7 to August 15, displaying more than 700 pictures and historic relics illustrating the arduous eight-year war, some of which are on display for public for the first time.

Some precious materials related to the Soviet Union air squadron that volunteered to help China are noteworthy. Although less known than the "Flying Tigers", its US equivalent, the Soviet Union air squadron was the first international force to join China's Anti-Fascist War, in 1937.

Files and pictures of Nezhdanov, the first pilot from the Soviet Union air squadron who sacrificed his life in China, were revealed for the first time. Died at the age of 24 in the battle against the Japanese army in Nanjing on Nov. 22, 1937, he was a hero who shot down Japanese invaders' aircraft and fought on this land.

A wall with handprints of veterans of the New Fourth Army was eye-catching at the exhibition hall, with their duty destination and signatures on them. Li Jianfeng, one such veteran, was also there. "Such exhibition means a lot in terms of the keeping the memories of authentic history alive and educating the future generations, with so many first-hand pictures and artifacts", said Li.

Jiangsu, as a command center for central-China resistance movement against Japanese invaders, lived through the whole battle, with several historic sites of the New Fourth Army headquarters in Huaiyin and Yancheng. Before the July 7 ceremony, a total of 33 veterans from different parts of the country also met in Nanjing on July 5 to mark the beginning of the war 78 years ago.

The exhibition is part of a series of events in China in the run up to the 70th anniversary of the victory of the anti-Japanese aggression war and the victory of WWII.