Global event not promote nationalism: experts
China will hold photo exhibits in more than 150 countries and regions to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II between August and September, a move to deepen the world's understanding of the war rather than nationalism, analysts said.
The Ministry of Culture said on Monday at a press conference that it will display more than 300 photos on the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and the Anti-Fascist war and to underline the Asian battlegrounds' contribution to the outcome.
The exhibits will be held in cooperation with the State Archives Administration and the Xinhua News Agency.
Captions will be written in six languages, including Russian, English and French.
Meanwhile, China is holding events in the country to highlight the Chinese people's bitter journey toward victory, Xinhua reported.
However, some Western media, including Reuters, branded the events as propaganda to strengthen Chinese nationalism.
Hu Lingyuan, a professor at the Center for Japanese Studies of Fudan University, said that such exhibition is not promoting nationalism and commemorating history and those who sacrificed and contributed to the war victory is legitimate.
"Some people say such high-profile commemorations are politically motivated to address domestic conflicts and international problems like the South China Sea disputes. That's nonsense," he said, adding the exhibit could be seen as a response to those who have been distorting or misrepresenting the facts of the war.
"Every country has the right to tell others its modern history and it is reasonable to remind people of what had happened during the war," said Lu Yaodong, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"By displaying national documents and photos on the war, the exhibit will provide an objective to take on the suffering of 'comfort women' and other crimes committed by Japanese invaders during the war," he said. "It's not aimed at fanning hatred between countries but to remind the world not to repeat the same mistake," Hu added.
Lu also said the exhibit could help other countries better understand China's past rather than just economic development and erase their prejudice.
More than 1,500 artworks will be displayed at the museums of several Chinese regions such as Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong between August 10 and September 20.
Ten films, 12 TV dramas, 20 documentaries and three animated features on the war will be aired starting July, on Chinese people who fought the Japanese military.
Between July 15 and September 15, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will stage an exhibit on the role the Communist Party of China played in the war in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.
