Homage to the past

The Beijing exhibition Collected Artifacts of Founding Fathers celebrates the 90th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. Exhibits include letters, posts, weapons, paintings and wax figures. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

They are from the collection of the National Museum of China, and its director Lyu Zhangshen says nearly half the exhibits are on show for the first time.

The exhibition ushers in the 90th anniversary of the founding of People's Liberation Army that falls on Tuesday.

It traces back to the Nanchang Uprising that started on Aug 1, 1927, the first movement of the Communists to fight against the then Kuomintang rule. Since then, the CPC-led troops grew stronger and produced several militarists, such as the "10 grand marshals of New China", whose belongings and statues are on display at the show.

The museum's curators categorize the exhibits into four sections navigating those critical moments in the development of the PLA.

The first part focuses on the army's "devotion to serving the people", a belief and tradition that is still held dear by today's PLA soldiers.

Objects include a blanket dating to 1928, when the CPC-led Red Army confronted the Kuomintang troops in a village in Hunan province. The defeated Kuomintang soldiers left many belongings, including the blanket, and the Red Army gave it to villagers.

The second part shows articles and books that demonstrate the strategic vision of the Party and military leaders.