People across Taiwan Strait commemorate War Against Japanese Aggression

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August 15 marks 73 years since Japan's surrender in the Second World War. For that reason, it also signifies China's victory in its long war of resistance against the Japanese aggression.

To commemorate the special day, some 240 veterans, scholars and students from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan region gathered on Wednesday to share their thoughts and memories of the unforgettable war.

Hau Pei-tsun, a retired commander in the army led by the Kuomintang (KMT) is one year shy of his 100th birthday. Graduated from a military academy 80 years ago in Wuhan, Hubei Province, he joined in the fight against the Japanese aggression.

The Zhongshan warship, destroyed in the Battle of Wuhan during China's resistance war against Japanese aggression, has now been restored and placed in a special museum in Wuhan, Hubei Province,central China. /CGTN Photo

For him, days like this are his way of passing down the war's legacy and spirit to future generations.

"Young people should know the history of the war and how China has risen to be a great power. Without the victory in the resistance war against Japanese aggression, there wouldn't be the China of today," Hua said.

"Cooperation between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang Party played a very important role in winning the war. We need to acknowledge what happened on the battlefields, both in the center and backstage."

To quell the full-fledged Japanese invasion, a Chinese united front was established between the country's two main parties, the CPC and the KMT, in 1937. That alliance disintegrated after the Japanese aggressors were beaten. For years, both sides disputed how much the other contributed to the effort to defeat the Japanese aggressors.

But according to General Fang Zuqi of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the two sides are beginning to see eye-to-eye on the matter.

"Every time we meet, we are just like a family. In the past, we did research on each other and had no direct contact. But now, as we communicate more, the estrangement has disappeared," Fang said.

This is the second gathering of its kind among veterans, scholars and history-lovers from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. But what makes this year so different is the presence of about 140 young students from both sides.

Veterans, scholars, students and history-lovers from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan gather for an event commemorating China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression in Wuhan, Hubei Province, central China, Aug. 15, 2018. /CGTN Photo

"By studying the reports from experts and scholars, I have learned a lot of new ideas and opinions that we never saw in our textbooks," said Yu Yingnan, a student from Wuhan University.

“This event has let us communicate with each other because we have different opinions. I think when different opinions are shared, we can create some new thoughts," said Lo Tsuhao, a fresh graduate from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School.

The Hubei provincial capital was chosen to host the event as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Wuhan – one of the most significant and bloodiest battles in the war against the Japanese aggression.

Retired military commanders from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan region gather at the Zhongshan Warship Museum to commemorate China's war against Japanese aggression, Aug.15, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Besides academic discussions on the war, participants also visited lots of historic sites in Wuhan including the Zhongshan Warship Museum.

The warship, destroyed in the Battle of Wuhan, has now been restored and placed in a special museum, so it can forever serve as a reminder of the war of resistance against the Japanese aggression 80 years ago.

For veterans of the war, memories are still fresh. For the younger generations on each side of the Taiwan Strait, sharing an understanding of history could be the way to sharing a future.