The Chinese mainland on Monday marked the 88th anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident, also known as the July 7 Incident of 1937, which sparked the nation's united stand against Japanese aggression during World War II.
Before dawn on that day, local resident Zheng Fulai recalled being awakened by the clash between the 29th Army and Japanese troops. "Clutching my mother's dress, I fled to the northern end of Changxindian Town," Zheng told China Media Group in a final interview before his death in 2024. He remembered a pine grove where fallen soldiers lay covered by cloth, silent witnesses to the fierce battle over control of the bridge.
The fall of Peiping (now Beijing) on July 29, 1937, led to the loss or disappearance of more than 10,000 civilians. Yet this dark chapter also forged an unlikely alliance: the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China united to resist further invasion, signalling the Chinese mainland's whole-nation resistance, a key battlefield against imperialism and fascism.
Official data records that over 35 million soldiers and civilians died during the war – nearly 8 percent of the population in 1928. Decades later, this anniversary serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict and the resilience that emerges when a nation stands together.
For today's young global citizens, business innovators, thought leaders, sports and entertainment fans, and digital nomads, the 88th anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident is more than a date on the calendar – it's a call to remember shared history, learn from the past, and champion peace across borders.
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China marks 88 years since start of whole-nation anti-Japan war
cgtn.com
