Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎｓ ｏｆ Ｆｏｒｅｉｇｎ Ｖｅｔｅｒａｎｓ Ｐａｒｔｉｃｉｐａｔｅ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ Ｚｈｉｊｉａｎｇ Ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｐｅａｃｅ Ｃｕｌｔｕｒｅ Ｆｅｓｔｉｖａｌ

Sixtieth Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War Commemorated

Delegations of Foreign Veterans Participate in China Zhijiang International Peace Culture Festival

Zong He

Zhijian， Hunan is a sacred place for commemoration of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The International Peace Culture Festival， the International Peace Forum and the reopening of the Flying Tigers Memorial were held there from September 6 to 7， 2005

Invited to China by the CPAFFC to participate in the activities in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the victory of China’s War of Resistance and the World Anti-Fascist War， veterans and family members of the deceased veterans of six countries including the United States and Russia arrived in Zhijiang on September 5. At the airport they were welcomed by hundreds of young pioneers with flowers in their hands and deeply moved by cheers and crescendos of music. They were very happy to return to the place where they fought shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese army and people. Zhijiang as a place which witnessed the surrender of the Japanese army has a special meaning in their hearts. On the way from the airport to the hotel， the people of Zhijiang waved greetings to them amid warm and enthusiastic atmosphere. Many of them said excitedly that it was the most touching scene they had ever experienced. The delegation attended the “earth-donation ceremony for the construction of Taihe Tower， symbol of peace and culture”. Li Tieying， vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC)， spoke on the occasion. He thanked the foreign veterans for their contributions to the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， and called on all present to continue to make unremitting efforts for world peace. Zhou Bohua， governor of Hunan Province， and other leading officials concerned attended the ceremony.

On September 6， the grand China Zhijiang Second International Peace Culture Festival， jointly sponsored by the Hunan Provincial People’s Government， the CPAFFC and the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO was inaugurated. Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Li Tieying， Former Vice Premier Qian Qichen， Governor Zhou Bohua， CPAFFC President Chen Haosu， foreign veterans from the United States， the former Soviet Union and other countries and ambassadors of more than 30 countries were present on the occasion. Following the opening ceremony was large scale performance entitled Voice of Peace. The whole activity expressed the Chinese people’s lofty ideal of humanity---untiring pursuit of peace， freedom and equality. After the gala， Vice Chairman Li met with and had a picture taken with the foreign veterans.

On that afternoon， representatives of the foreign veterans attended the International Peace Forum and the signing ceremony of Zhijiang Peace Declaration. In his speech at the ceremony， CPAFFC President Chen Haosu said， peace is the common aspiration of humankind. We should keep history firmly in mind， never forget the past， cherish peace and create a better future. To establish friendship is the starting point to peace. The theme of Beijing Peace Declaration is to love life， and the Zhijiang Peace Declaration once again proves the strong vitality of the cause of peace. The Chinese people will forever stand with friends all over the world to maintain world peace.

On the morning of September 7， the Flying Tigers Memorial， just renovated， was formally opened to the public in Zhijiang. More than 100 Chinese and foreign veterans of World War II including quite a few members of the Flying Tigers attended the opening ceremony.

At the opening ceremony， representatives of the American veterans of WWII donated commemoration albums， autographed paintings drawn by members of the Flying Tigers and airplane models to the memorial. Representatives of the Chinese Flying Tigers veterans donated emergency bags and military canteens they had used during the war. Historical films of the Japanese airplanes bombing Zhijiang and the Flying Tigers shooting down the Japanese airplanes were shown at the museum for the Chinese and foreign veterans.

In their interviews with the media， foreign guests said that the activities were very instructive and that the friendly and warm-hearted Chinese people cherish peace. They said that the performances were wonderful.