China marks 88th anniversary of skirmish that led to war with Japan
Cai Qi, the No. 5 figure in the ruling Communist Party, attended the annual event held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, located near the bridge in southwestern Beijing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
A skirmish between Japanese and Chinese troops occurred near the stone bridge, also known as the Lugou Bridge, on July 7, 1937, developing into the second Sino-Japanese War that lasted until Japan's surrender to the Allied Powers in 1945.
The Chinese government on Monday also held the opening ceremony for a special exhibition at the museum to mark the 80th anniversary this year of the end of World War II, which China calls its victory in the 1937-1945 War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The exhibition will open to the public on Tuesday, state-run China Central Television reported.
The exhibition features the "criminal acts committed by Japanese militarism against the Chinese people," a government official has said, with around 1,500 photos and more than 3,000 other items on display.
China has designated Sept. 3 as its victory day, as Japan formally surrendered to the Allied forces the previous day in 1945.
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