Returning Home: 10 fallen Chinese volunteer soldiers finally rest in peace
Updated 13:20, 07-Apr-2019
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The remains of 10 Chinese volunteer soldiers who died in the Korean War have been returned to China. This is the sixth batch of Chinese soldiers' remains to be returned by South Korea. A burial ceremony was held this morning at the Martyrs' Cemetery in the northeast city of Shenyang. CGTN's Guan Yang was there.
The burial ceremony for these 10 fallen Chinese Volunteer Soldiers began at 10 o'clock this morning at the memorial plaza of the Martyrs' Cemetery in Shenyang. A convoy from the People's Liberation Army was holding 9 coffins and marching slowly through the plaza.The reason behind why there were 9 coffins for the ceremony is that, in Chinese customs and numerology, the number 9 was the highest number and therefore the "king" of the numbers. The number also sounds similar to the Chinese word for everlasting, and often represents longevity. Such an arrangement of the number of coffins shows the kind of respect and condolences people here have for the fallen soldiers.
So far, 599 sets of remains of Chinese Volunteer Soldiers have been returned, they were all buried in Shenyang. And the identities of 24 sets of the remains returned have been verified, some of their relatives were in Shenyang for this special occasion.
ZHOU BO RELATIVE OF FALLEN SOLDIER ZHOU SHAOWU "It's a relief for us to finally know our loved-ones are resting in peace here in the cemetery, thanks to all for helping finding the identities."
LI LIANSHENG, DIVISION CHIEF OF COMMEMORATION OFFICE LIAONING BUREAU, MINISTRY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS "These remains are valuable assets for the nation and its people, the Ministry will make profound use of the stories from the fallen soldiers and encourage people from around the country to visit the cemetery hence to draw lessons from the past."
GUAN YANG SHENYANG "66 years since the Korean War armistice, the landscape of Northeast Asia and the world at large has undergone profound change. Observers say: living in an era with prevailing peaceful trends, people often take commemorations of war as opportunities to reflect on the lessons of the conflict and cherish the hard-won peace. That's why today's event marks a milestone for related parties to work together toward resuming dialogue on the goal of building peace on the Korean Peninsula. GUAN YANG, CGTN."