War veteran Yang Ronghua urges youth to remember history

Yang Ronghua is a veteran of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), the War of Liberation (1946-49), and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

He was born in a poor peasant family in April 1927 in Jiangfang village, Wutai county, Shanxi province. As a child, he witnessed the Japanese arrest and kill civilians in his village and enslave Chinese workers in a factory. The villagers were in a state of great panic.

In 1937, the Eighth Route Army's arrival near his village sparked a wave of resistance movements, with locals supporting the army however they could. Women in the village made military shoes and tended to the wounded.

In just over a month, 120 young villagers applied to join the Eighth Route Army, and a group of Communist Party members was formed.

Yang participated in the resistance efforts with a spirit of defiance and patriotism. He joined the village's theater troupe and helped craft war slogans, such as "Down with Japanese Imperialism", "Save China's Future", and "Boil Water for the Eighth Route Army, Bury Landmines against Japanese Invaders".

Transitioning to anti-Japanese guerrilla forces, Yang took on sentry duty and planted landmines, risking his life to thwart enemy advances.

In the autumn of 1943, as the Japanese forces advanced, Yang and his comrades became exposed during a perilous situation. Among the nine of them, two lost their lives in a bid to thwart enemy attempts to seize vital resources.

"Those passionate young men fought fiercely against the Japanese imperialist aggression and tried to stop the enemy from seizing grain," Yang said. "Their spirit was noble. We should always remember them and pay tribute."

In June 1951, he joined the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Yang was awarded the third-class merit for his efforts in the Battle of Kumsong in July 1953.

As China commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Yang urges the younger generation to study this pivotal chapter in history, understand the oppression endured, honor the sacrifices made, and cherish the hard-won freedom.

Through his legacy, Yang Ronghua embodies the indomitable spirit of China's wartime heroes, inspiring future generations to uphold the values of courage, unity, and patriotism in the face of adversity.