Anti-Japanese War vets saluted in Bay Area

The 70th anniversary of victory in the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945) makes the year of 2015 very meaningful to many.

"As one of the victorious nations, we should not only remember the history, but also re-celebrate our victory," said He Yingming, president of the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (GA), who announced a series of commemorative activities set to take place in the San Francisco Bay Area this year.

First was a reception hosted by GA paying tribute to Anti-Japanese War veterans at Peninsula Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown in San Francisco on Thursday afternoon.

Veterans Chen Zhouqi, Lai Shutong, Ji An, Yin Jijun and Zhang Shu attended and received commemorative badges presented by GA. "It is very difficult for these veterans to get together. Most of them are over 90," said He.

The history should be remembered and cannot be distorted by anyone, particularly the Japanese right, which is trying to deny the invasion and the deeply hurt feelings, said He.

"China's victory in the War was one of the political reasons for the US to lift the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, honoring the ally relationship that developed between two countries during the war," said He.

The Anti-Japanese War, a righteous struggle against a war of aggression provoked by Japanese militarists, aroused the Chinese people and strengthened national cohesion as never before, which should be passed to future generations, said Lai.

The next scheduled activity under the 70th anniversary theme will be the 2015 Chinese-American teenagers' Anti-Japanese War memorial trip in July, sponsored by Chinese Americans for Next Generations.

"We will send more than 100 American children this summer to China for a study tour to visit war memorial halls and sites of important battles. We want to provide them first-hand experience of the Sino-Japanese War history," said He.

zilian@chinadaily.com