Forged in Unity: The Cornerstone of a Nation's Victory

BEIJING, Aug. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on the 80^th anniversary of the victory of WWII:

Ninety-four years ago, when the Japanese aggressors bombarded Northeastern China and breached the nation's gate, the country was still mired in a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The Japanese aggressors arrogantly declared they would conquer China within three months. However, despite overwhelming gaps in military might and economic strength, the then weak and poverty-stricken China managed to resist the aggression of the modernized Japanese troops for 14 long years, before ultimately securing victory. A pivotal reason was the establishment of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), which rallied the entire Chinese nation in a unified resistance effort.

In late 1935, a declaration began circulating in major cities like Peiping (now Beijing), Shanghai, and Nanjing. It read: "Whatever differences various political parties have and had in their advocacy and interests… everyone should come to realize that 'Brothers may quarrel within the walls of their home, but outside they resist bullying from others.' Above all, the civil war should be put to a stop…" This is known as the August First Declaration issued by the CPC, with the word "brothers" standing out as most striking. Back in 1935, the CPC and the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) had been locked in civil war for almost a decade; for the CPC to suddenly refer to the KMT as "brothers" and express its willingness to "join hands tightly to save the nation" was nothing short of astounding. After Japan's invasion of Northeastern China in 1931, the KMT continued to focus on encircling and suppressing the CPC, while maintaining a non-resistance policy towards the Japanese aggressors. It was the CPC that first called for nationwide resistance, leading the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army to fight in the terrain of Northeastern China. It also advocated putting a stop to the civil war and establishing the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression. Thanks to the CPC's initiative and persistent efforts, the cooperation between the two parties was made possible, allowing them to stand together against a common enemy.

Through their cooperation, people from all ethnic groups and patriots from all walks of life rallied in support of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. From 1937 to 1941, most of the international aid to China was transported to the front lines through Xinjiang. At a time when the Chinese nation faced its gravest peril, Xinjiang — with a population of less than 5 million — mobilized more than 500,000 people in building a land corridor stretching over 1,500 km from China's border areas deep into the interior. In less than two months, they built five air stations and 11 transit stations to ensure the smooth delivery of international aid to the front lines. In 1938, 45 overseas Chinese groups formed the Relief Committee of Nanyang Overseas Chinese for China's Refugees in Singapore, donating an average of 7 million yuan per month to their home country. Some overseas Chinese even returned to join the resistance in person. Under the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression guided by the CPC, compatriots from all across the country, and overseas alike, have devoted themselves to the resistance effort in various ways, forging a huge tide of force against Japanese aggression.

At the time, the KMT, as the ruling party, commanded several million regular troops, but it relied only on its governmental and military forces to resist the aggressors. In contrast, the CPC advocated a philosophy of all-out resistance, that is, mobilizing the people, staging guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, and drawing on the people's wisdom and strength to combat the enemy.

In 1939, heavily armed Japanese troops besieged Ranzhuang Village in northern China's Hebei Province. Villagers young and old took up their pickaxes, and dug an underground network that not only connected every household, but also served as shelters and ambush points. When enemies came, militias disappeared into the underground tunnels, firing covert shots or emerging unexpectedly from rooftops to launch sudden attacks. The Japanese aggressors could only see bullets flying, but never the shooters. In addition to tunnel warfare, villagers also laid landmines and carried out guerrilla attacks, which defeated Japanese aggressors time and again. The ever-growing tide of resistance forged by the Chinese people dragged Japan into a prolonged war of attrition, ultimately leading to its defeat.

During this war that shaped the fate of the Chinese nation and the world, the CPC stood firmly at the forefront of the national resistance against Japanese aggression, displaying outstanding political leadership and sound strategic vision. Under the CPC's guidance, the Chinese people fought with unwavering courage and tremendous sacrifice, turning flesh and blood into an unyielding tide of national resistance. The hard-won victory was not only a triumph over aggression, but also a triumph of justice, and above all, of the people.

China Mosaic 
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 

SOURCE China.org.cn