China publishes video series on anti-Japanese war

The Chinese army engages the Japanese at Lugou Bridge, or Marco Polo Bridge, near Beijing in 1937. The photo was released by the Second Historical Archives of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - The State Archives Administration has published a video series on the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to depict historical events and honor the Chinese fighting spirit.

The first part of the series on the July 7 Incident in 1937 was released on Monday by the administration's official website.

Unspeakable cruelty of wartime Japan

The July 7 Incident marked the beginning of China's eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression when Lugou Bridge, known as Marco Polo Bridge to Western people and a crucial access point to Beijing, was attacked by Japanese troops.

The video clips depict the night of July 7, 1937, when Japanese troops carried out so-called military training maneuvers in the vicinity of Lugou Bridge, and demanded entry to the nearby town of Wanping to search for a missing soldier, which was refused by the Chinese side.

Later, Japanese soldiers besieged Wanping and launched an attack. The Chinese regimental commander Ji Xingwen led the Chinese defenses.

The incident led directly to Japan's full-scale invasion, with Beiping (former name of Beijing), Tianjin and other northern cities being occupied at the end of July 1937.

After the incident, the Communist Party of China called on the people to fight the Japanese, which was echoed by Chiang Kai-shek, the Kuomintang leader.

China will hold national memorial activities on Sept. 3 each year to mark "Victory Day," the day after the Japanese government officially surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.

In February this year, the day was designated through legislative procedures as the Victory Day of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.