BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- An annual ritual for people in more than 100 cities in China was repeated again on Tuesday as the sirens wailed to mark the beginning of painful memories 76 years ago.
"A nation should never forget the trauma it suffered and its people should have sirens wailing in their hearts forever," said Qi Shenhong, researcher with the provincial Party school in northeast China's Liaoning Province.
Seventy-six years ago, in 1931, northeast China began to resound with the noise of cannons and explosions when Japanese forces attacked the barracks of Chinese troops, marking the beginning of a Japanese invasion and occupation that was to last for 14 years.
In Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, 21-year-old Liu Jie, from Sichuan University, was distressed by the siren. "September 18 marked our national humiliation," he said, "I was born in the peaceful 1980s and have not had to shed blood on the battlefield, but we should work hard to make our nation stronger."
In Zhengzhou, capital city of central China's populous Henan Province, a photo exhibition on the people's fight against the Japanese invasion drew the attention of dozens of citizens.
Gazing at a rusty bayonet and helmet, a veteran in his 70s, who declined to be named, recalled the suffering. "I hope such activities can remind people of their mission to rejuvenate our nation," he said.
In Changchun of northeast China's Jilin Province, hundreds of visitors to the Museum of Japanese Occupation in Northeast China left chrysanthemums.
"Remembering history can help us cherish peace more," said 65-year-old Yu Tao, "the world can only become a paradise if everybody loves peace."
Similarly, the Memorial Museum of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War in Beijing saw a surge of visitors, with the number estimated to be more than 3,000, according to Li Zongyuan, vice dean of the museum.
In the renowned Nankai University of Tianjin, four students tolled a bronze bell to remember the day, while around 100 signed their names on a scroll as a pledge during the activity.
In Shenyang of Liaoning Province, 79 newly-discovered items were sent to the "9/18" museum, including badges of the Japanese army and gas masks.
The siren is due to resound in the city at 9:18 p.m.
