Ｖｉｃｔｏｒｉｏｕｓ Ｐｅａｃｅ——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

Victorious Peace China Zhijiang International Peace Culture Festival

Zhang Yan

The southern green mountains and aqua rivers flew by backwards outside the window as my train rolled northward， taking me back home. My mind， however， was still on the people and events I had just left behind at the Second China Zhijiang International Peace Culture Festival last September.

Zhijiang is a small county town， inhabited mainly by the Dong ethnic minority， in western Hunan Province. During World War II it witnessed one of the most ferocious battles between China and Japanese invaders. It was in Zhijiang that the Japanese army finally submitted its unconditional surrender to the Chinese government， and the so-called “Zhijiang Surrender” brought this small town international fame overnight. Sixty years later， at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory over Japanese invaders and that of people of the world over fascism， the town again came into the spotlight. People to whom this historic episode has personal resonance， including hundreds of white-haired war veterans and their families， came from all over China and several other countries. They gathered together with Zhijiang’s 360，000 residents and talked to and about people with whom they had shared their lives amid danger and triumph.

Some veterans are now in their 90s， but nonetheless presented themselves in high spirits and in a soldierly manner， proudly wearing military decorations and eager to share memories. One former American Flying Tiger shot down seven Japanese planes and so earned the honorable epithet “Ace Pilot.” Another waged several “aerial bayonet combats，” face-to-face with Japanese fighter planes that ended with the enemy plane plummeting to earth in a spiral of smoke. Many Flying Tigers repeatedly risked their lives flying “the Hump” route over the Himalayas in order to take military supplies to the blockaded Chinese army. Not all survived. A veteran of the Kuomintang 74th Army also told me proudly how his fearless conduct in the Zhijiang battle won him the honor of “warrior”， when he was just 16 years old.

World War II veterans were the festival VIPs. Foreign guests in attendance included Americans and Russians that offered their help during China’s War of Resistance， their families and comrades， as well as relatives of war veterans from Germany， Britain， Romania and Denmark. There were envoys from Sudan， the U.S. and Ukraine， and a group of South Korean guests headed by a former prime minister. A French delegation from Grandcamp-Maisy came to make official its sister-city-ship with Zhijiang. The two towns have common ground in having signaled the end of World War II in Asia and Europe.

Chinese guests at the festival came from China’s mainland， Taiwan and Hong Kong. Among them were former soldiers of the Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army led by the Communist Party of China and former Kuomintang generals and soldiers. Surviving witnesses to the Zhijiang Surrender were also present， one of them a former student representative now in his seventies. The Chinese government honored the festival with its delegation headed by Vice Chairman Li Tieying of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee， who officially opened the festival.

An earth donation ceremony had earlier been held in Huaihua City， the jurisdiction above Zhijiang County， to mark the start of work on the Taihe (Supreme Harmony) Tower， a massive monument celebrating peace. Former U.S. air force veterans who volunteered to fight on China’s behalf against Japanese invaders brought 86 bags of earth from the United States with which to augment the tower’s foundations， alongside earth dug from the foot of the Great Wall in Beijing and in Taiwan.

The venue for the opening ceremony of this two-day festival was Zhijiang Airport， the Far East allied forces’ second largest airport during World War II. Tens of thousands participated in the opening ceremony and the gala performances themed in peace that followed. The Flying Tigers Memorial， recently renovated at the airport， was inaugurated that day and unveiled by John R. Rossi， president of the U. S. Flying Tigers Association and leader of the American veterans’ delegation to Zhijiang. The American Flying Tigers’ contribution to China’s War of Resistance is widely acknowledged and honored by the Chinese people. More than 6，000 Tigers flew 400 or so fighter planes during their time in Zhijiang. The 2，600 Japanese planes they shot down dealt a severe blow to the Japanese war machine， but these brave flyers paid a heavy human toll. Visitors paused to pay their respects at the black wall carved with the names of American martyrs at the entrance to the memorial， before filing into the hall of exhibits. After the unveiling ceremony， veterans were joined by a gaggle of joyful children. Youngsters and their Chinese and foreign grandpas released a cloud of white doves into the sky.

The next item on the day’s agenda was the Peace Forum， presided over by Chen Haosu， president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， provincial leaders of Hunan， and scholars from various countries. All spoke with one voice of the need to eradicate the roots of war and realize eternal peace among humankind; of people of the world standing firmly together against war and all forms of terrorism; of promoting equality， tolerance and love; increasing exchanges; discarding prejudice; strengthening cooperation and， perhaps most important， being conscientious practitioners of all these principles. At the end of the forum， the Zhijiang Peace Declaration was signed.

The place of greatest interest to me was undoubtedly the “Surrender Acceptance Hall，” where， as a 23-year-old wartime reporter， I witnessed the historic moment. Memories from 60 years ago came vividly back to me as my eyes glided over the familiar settings in the hall， and I remembered Japan’s representative， crest-fallen Imai Takeo， announcing the Japanese government’s unconditional surrender to the Chinese government. I could not help feeling proud that the last page in this bitter chapter of Chinese history had been turned. Having suffered 100 years of humiliation， China has stood up and begun its peaceful ascent to oriental giant. But it still faces many challenges in this eventful world， and must redouble its efforts towards a beautiful future.

This revisit to Zhijiang brought me new light and hope. Traces of old Zhijiang were nowhere to be seen， but I was deeply impressed by this new town， both physically and spiritually. During the festival two other international events occurred: the ceremony that forged sister-city ties between Zhijiang and French city Grandcamp-Maisy， and an economic and trade fair. The three concurrent events indicate the extent to which this small town has successfully advanced. Zhijiang’s successful second hosting of such a big international peace festival indicates its strength， the efficiency of its people and the support they have won from other parts of China. Almost the entire town showed up for the gala celebration held in front of the Drum Tower; there were people as far as the eye could see. This spectacle of peace and order as participants enjoyed folk performances by hundreds of Dong performers lasted through the night. When performers left the stage to mingle with the audience for a mass singing and dancing party， celebrations became suffused with a common peace and joy as the Peace Culture Festival drew to an end.

ZHANG YAN is former first deputy editor-in-chief of China Today.