Online commemoration of WWII martyrs passes on memory

Each year, as Tomb-sweeping Festival nears, Jiao Runkun, 90-year-old veteran of China's war against Japanese invasion, honors his comrades by telling their heroic tales to young generations.

As fewer and fewer people live to tell the tale, he believes it is his duty to pass on the memory of history, because those who gave their lives for the nation's independence should not be forgotten, particularly at a time when right-wing Japanese politicians repeatedly attempt to deny history.

As Chinese people pay tribute to their deceased relatives on Saturday, more and more wish to commemorate those who died defending the country through online platforms.

Netizen "Zhang Zhi003" posted at Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, that "countless Chinese people sacrificed their lives in the war against Japanese aggression for their countrymen. We must not forget about them."

The microblogger identified as a former radio reporter in Zhuzhou city, central Hunan Province, argues honoring the war dead on Tomb-sweeping Day and National Day should be widely practised, adding China should learn from the United States to promote patriotism on National holidays.

Another microblogger, "Wolf in a wilderness" posted a poem he wrote to mourn 20,000 martyrs from his hometown in Shaanxi Province who crossed the Yellow River to fight Japanese invaders.

"Seventy-six years ago, 30,000 of you bid farewell to families and town-fellows, crossing the Yellow River, battling Japanese invaders. There, 20,000 buried your souls forever," the poem reads.

Apart from spontaneous commemoration by individuals, a specialized online memorial has been launched by the Beijing's Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression ahead of the festival.

The memorial provides a platform for netizens to post pictures of war relics and stories. There is also a board called "Post the Right Wing", where the statements and activities of the Japanese right wing are displayed in both Chinese and Japanese.

The website has a section dedicated to the Tomb-sweeping Festival, "Honoring Martyrs Online", which lists the soldiers who died fighting the invaders in chronological order.

With a click of mouse, net users can "light" candles and incenses, "present" flowers and wine, even "plant" trees and "dedicate" songs.

As of release of this story, 985 people had paid their respect to the deceased soldiers in different ways.

Wei Bangshun, spokesman for the museum, notes Japanese militarists frequently denied the history, hurting feelings of Chinese and other peoples invaded by them during the WWII.

Since the internet has become a major forum of public opinion, as the only WWII memorial in China, it is necessary for the museum to set up an online platform to promulgate historical facts.

Wei hopes that, veterans will voluntarily post videos of accounts of their own wartime experiences, and that younger generations exchange views on the website and voice their expectations for China-Japan relations.

The online memorial consist mainly of items donated to the Museum.

Jiao Runkun's narration recalls the story of his former commander in a guerrilla detachment in eastern Zhejiang Province, Zhu Xinmin. Orphaned in the Japanese bombing of Nanjing, Jiao felt Zhu was a big brother to him.

"He was less than 30 years old when he died," Jiao says. Zhu died in a raid on a Japanese fortress in the Cixi City, on the eve of the final victory of the war. Zhu was shot but refused to pull back and he died from loss of blood, Jiao reflects. Zhu sacrificed himself for his dream to drive out the Japanese so that people could live in peace.

"Our country has now realized much more than you hoped for. The people now live a life far better than you could have imagined. You may rest in peace," Jiao chants.

China has set two memorial days in February to mark victory in the anti-Japanese war and mourn Nanjing Massacre victims.

Japanese right-wing politicians' repeated provocations under current administration chills Sino-Japanese relations. Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo visited last December the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A convicted WWII criminals are enshrined.