Martyrs' Day observed across China

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Commemoration ceremonies were held across China on Thursday to honor fallen national heroes on Martyrs' Day.

At 9:30 a.m., a crowd of around 1,000 people sang the national anthem in front of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing.

Thereafter they paid a silent tribute to those who devoted their lives to the liberation of the Chinese people and the construction of the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949.

"As a veteran, I can better understand the dauntless spirit and loyal revolutionary belief of the martyrs. They sacrificed their lives for the happy life that we enjoy today," said Wang Wei, an official with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications who attended the event.

"On this occasion, we can recall the spiritual heritage and historical feats left by those fallen heroes," said Dong Lixin, deputy curator of the museum, who also called on the Chinese people to make joint efforts to build a great cause that can stand the test of time.

China's top legislature approved designating Sept. 30 as Martyrs' Day in 2014 to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of national independence and prosperity.

Besides Beijing, a series of memorial activities were held in other parts of China such as Liaoning, Jiangxi and Shandong provinces to mark the country's eighth Martyrs' Day, a day ahead of the National Day.

At the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, veterans, family members of deceased heroes and representatives of all walks of life stood in front of a martyrs' monument on Thursday morning.

At around 10 a.m., the national anthem was played and people paid silent tribute to the fallen heroes. Ten honor guards placed five flower baskets at the foot of the monument. Veterans and school students straightened the red ribbons on the baskets.

Seventy-one years ago, the CPV crossed the Yalu River and fought alongside the army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, eventually winning the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in 1953.

More than 197,000 CPV soldiers sacrificed their lives in the war. The names of the martyrs can be seen on a memorial wall at the cemetery.

"I will never forget my brothers in arms who fought side by side with me decades ago. The spirit of martyrs is immortal," said Li Weibo, an 89-year-old CPV veteran who participated in the activity on Thursday.

"The establishment of Martyrs' Day is a solemn commemoration of the fallen national heroes in the name of the country. They will be engraved upon Chinese people's hearts forever," said Wang Chunjie, who has worked for the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang for 17 years.