A boy touches old cannons which are displayed at Marco Polo Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing July 6, 2007, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Japan's full-scale invasion of China. [Reuters] More photos    Chinese soldiers on their way to fight against the Japanese aggression in 1937. [Xinhua]Sildeshow: Remember the history: July 7 Incident

Today holds a special meaning to Chinese people. Exactly 70 years ago at Lugouqiao Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge) in suburban Beijing, Japanese aggressors launched an attack against Beijing, starting their overall invasion of China.

We mark this day because we Chinese always believe historical lessons can be a guide to our future. People of many ethnicities share this mentality. That is why many ceremonies are held in many parts of the world every year to mark past important events.

We mark this day because we do not want younger generations to forget what happened to their grandparents during the eight years (1937-45) of war against Japanese aggression and how their motherland was devastated by aggressors.

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We mark this day because we want our younger generations to bear in mind the fact that China was invaded by a country that is much smaller in size of both territory and population because China was weak and underdeveloped at the time, and they are supposed to be stimulated by this fact to make more contributions to the prosperity of this country.

We mark this day because there are always some right wing Japanese politicians, who deny the atrocities such as the Nanking Massacre that Japanese aggressors committed during the war and even describe Japan's aggression against China as a war neutral in nature.

Yuko Tojo, granddaughter of Japan's wartime prime-minister Hideki Tojo, described not long ago the aggression as a war of defense in nature and described the International Military Tribunal for the Far East as a tribunal by the victors only and against international law.

We must mark this day so that not only younger generations but the rest of the world, including Japan's younger generations, know the truth about the war.

We mark this day not because we want to cultivate resentment among Chinese against Japanese, just like ceremonies to mark the Normandy Landing and Holocaust are not intended to alienate Germans from the rest of the world.

We cherish our relationship with Japanese people and always believe that two neighbors separated by a small strip of water need to develop and keep friendly relations through future generations.

It is just because of this we do not want younger generations of both countries to forget what happened between the two nations 70 years ago. To remember that part of history that brought misery to both peoples will prevent a similar event from happening again.

(China Daily 07/07/2007 page4)