Ａ Ｂｒｉｄｇｅ ｆｏｒ Ｐｒｏｍｏｔｉｎｇ Ｓｉｎｏ－Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ

—Two Decades of Sino-Japanese People-to-People Exchanges Carried Out by Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

The Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression located near the Lugou (Marco Polo) Bridge and set up on July 6， 1987 is China’s only large-sized comprehensive museum for exhibiting the history of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Japanese friends including a delegation of the Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA) attended its opening ceremony. They were the first batch of Japanese visitors the Museum received. Since then， it has received tens of thousands of Japanese visitors from all walks of life. Numerous Japanese personages of various circles and students came to the Museum for visits， exchanges and carrying out all kinds of commemorative activities， expressing their longings and good wishes for peace， no more wars and lasting friendship between China and Japan. In the past 20 years the Museum has played a significant role in the people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries， and become an important bridge for promoting Sino-Japanese friendship.

I.Actively Carrying out Sino-Japanese

People-to-People Exchanges and Cooperation to Enhance

Understanding and Deepen Friendship

In the past 20 years since its setting up， the Museum has received many Japanese delegations organized and sent by Japanese friendship organizations including the JCFA， the Japan-China Friendship Centre， Soka Gakkai， the Japanese Nongovernmental Buddhist Union (JNGBU)， the Japan Trade Union Confederation (JTUC)， the Japan Teachers Union (JTU)， etc. Every year large numbers of Japanese students visited it. The suffering brought about by the war to the Chinese and Japanese people has left an indelible memory in their hearts. They said that the tragedy of the war should never be repeated and that the people of the two countries should coexist peacefully. Japanese scholars and friendly personages donated a large number of historical relics， books and materials to the Museum. For example， Jiro Honzawa， noted Japanese political critic and senior journalist， presented the Museum with the Chinese version of his book China’s Warning， and Japanese friend Tadao Nakata donated a large number of objects of Japanese aggression against China. Since its setting up， the Museum has invited Japanese scholars to China many times for academic exchanges. The scholars of the two countries had extensive exchanges and discussions on major problems concerning the War.

II. Upholding Truth， Publicizing Facts， Resolutely

Opposing Japanese Rightists’ Distortion of History

Since the 1980s， Japanese rightist forces have frequently distorted and beautified the history of Japan’s aggression against China. The Museum by holding meetings and seminars， invited experts on the history of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression， veterans ofthe War and Japanese personages with a sense of justice to sternly rebut the Japanese rightists’ distortion of the history. The Museum has now become an important front to counterattack the Japanese rightists and voice the just stand of the Chinese people. What it has done has been affirmed and praised by the departments concerned.

The Museum has firmly supported the Chinese labourers conscripted forcefully by Japan， the Chinese women forced to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese army and the victims of the Japanese army’s bacteriological and gas warfare in their justifiable demand that the Japanese Government make apologies and compensations. Together with the Chinese lawyers and Japanese lawyers who upheld justice it strongly condemned the wrong judgment made by the Japanese courts.

The Museum has resolutely countered the Japanese rightists’ unreasonable demands that the so-called “anti-Japan education” be stopped， and elaborated the significance of summing up and reviewing the history of that period by the Chinese people: 1. taking history as a mirror to prevent the historical tragedy from happening again; 2. popularizing the great spirit of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression; 3. by reviewing the history of the War， publicizing love of peace among the people at home and abroad and teaching them to love peace; 4. cherishing the memory of numerous martyrs in the War.

III.Forgiving Crimes， Upholding Justice，

Supporting Japanese Veterans’ Reflection on History

The Museum supported Japanese veteran Shiro Azuma in telling the real facts of history. It invited him four times to give evidence of the history of Japanese aggression against China， and resolutely supported his just act of defending the truth of history.

It supported Japanese veteran Rutaro Honda in expressing remorse for the war crimes. On May 19， 2005， accompanied by the curator of the Museum， Rutaro Honda visited the Lugou Bridge and the Museum. He knelt down on the bridge and bent his head in silence to express his remorse for the past and mourning for the Chinese victims.

It accepted the donation given by Japanese veteran Adan Shima. On December 13， 2003， Adan Shima donated 24 engravings created by himself to expose the crimes committed by the Japanese invading army in China. The Museum held a ceremony on receiving the donation.

We must look squarely at the serious crimes committed by the Japanese invading army to the Chinese people. But， to those Japanese veterans who oppose the war and show repentance， we forgive them and appreciate their courage to reveal the historical facts.

IV.In the Spirit of Taking History as a Mirror and Looking

to the Future， Holding Special Exhibitions onCrimes Committed by the Japanese Invading Army and Friendship Between the Chinese and Japanese People

In the spirit of taking history as a mirror， the Museum has held different kinds of special exhibitions exposing the crimes committed by the Japanese invading army. In recent years， Japan’s enslavement of the Chinese labourers， the lawsuits by the Chinese victims of Japan’s bacteriological warfare and by the comfort women have become hot issues. The Museum has timely collected data about them and held special exhibitions to tell the domestic and foreign visitors about the real facts of these issues. In 2001， it held the Labourers’ Evidence of Blood—Exhibition on the Crimes of Japan’s Enslavement of Chinese Labourers. It sent staffers to Beijing， Henan， Hebei and Shandong and spent three years interviewing the former Chinese labourers forced to work in Japan and collected a large number of precious video-audio and written materials. In September 2003， the Museum， the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences and the Northeast China Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall jointly held the Exhibition on the Crimes of the Japanese Army’s Chemical Warfare in China.

In the spirit of looking to the future， the Museum has held exhibitions reflecting the Chinese people’s opposition to war and love of peace. While displaying the unforgettable history of Sino-Japanese relations in that unfortunate period， these exhibitions also show the visitors the 2，000-year history of friendly contacts between the two countries， hoping that the people of both countries will remember well the historical lessons so as to build a better future. In September 2002， the Museum held the Exhibition entitled Taking History as a Mirror and Looking to the Future—Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Normalization of Diplomatic Relations between China and Japan. In December 2003， it held an exhibition entitled Records of Reforming Japanese War Criminals， vividly displaying how the Chinese government gave humanitarian education to and reformed more than 1，000 war criminals， demonstrating the Chinese people’s magnanimity and love of peace. In September 2007， it held an exhibition on the history of Sino-Japanese relations to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The exhibition reviewed the friendly contact and told many touching stories of friendship between the two peoples.

V.Sending Delegations to Japan to Expose the

Crimes of Japanese Militarists’ Aggression Against China and

Express the Chinese People Sincerely Love Peace

In order to strengthen contacts with the personages of various Japanese circles and extensively publicize the real historical facts and realize lasting peace between the Chinese and Japanese people on the basis of taking history as a mirror， the Museum has sent delegations to Japan to learn the current situation of the Japanese society， conduct extensive exchanges with the personages of various circles and hold exhibitions there. From July 1993 to March 1995 the Exhibition on the Crimes of the Unit 731—the Bacteria Unit of the Japanese Invading Army was held in more than 60 Japanese cities with visitors of about 300，000 person/times， evoking strong repercussion among the Japanese people. On August 4， 2000， the exhibition Reviewing the History of Wars in the 20th Century， Facing towards the 21st Century， Expressing the Aspiration of Opposing Nuclear War jointly sponsored by the Museum and relevant Japanese organizations was held in Osaka. This year， with the help of the Japan-China Friendship Association and the Japan-China Friendship Centre， it will hold exhibitions in Japan in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations. In the past 20-odd years since its setting up， the Museum has organized and sent delegations to visit Japan more than 10 times， established close ties with Japanese museums， memorial halls， non-governmental organizations and friendly personages as well as patriotic overseas Chinese， and through frequent exchanges forged profound friendship with them. They have given the Museum great support in holding exhibitions and participating in meetings， and made important contributions to exposing Japanese militarists’ crimes of invading China and publicizing the Chinese people’s sincerity in opposing war and loving peace.

More than 2，000 years ago the Chinese philosophers already advocated the idea that “harmony is most valuable” and “universal love”. The Chinese people sincerely hope that war is gone forever， and the sunshine of peace floods the earth. In the past 20 years since its founding， the Museum has conducted people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan to promote the friendship between the two peoples. At the same time， it has solemnly refuted distorting history and beautifying their crimes by Japanese rightist forces， and in the spirit of taking history as a mirror， together with the Japanese people made unremitting efforts to create a better future for Sino-Japanese relations. In the future， it will continue to make new contributions to promoting the exchanges， deepening friendship and enhancing mutual understanding between the people of China and Japan.

The author is curator of the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.