Let's bear history in mind and improve ourselves: 91st anniversary of September 18 Incident

September 18 is a day that every Chinese should remember. This year marks the 91st anniversary of the September 18 Incident (also known as the Mukden Incident or Shenyang Incident). On 18 September 1931, the Independent Garrison Unit of the Japanese Kwantung Army initiated an explosion to destroy a section of the South Manchuria Railway near Liutiao Lake in Mukden (now Shenyang). Accusing the Chinese troops of causing the destruction, Japan used it as a pretext for staging a raid in Mukden overnight. This started off the Japanese military aggression against our country. In February 1932, entire Northeast China was occupied. Japan later established the puppet state of Manchukuo in the city of Changchun, Jilin Province, which brutally violated the sovereignty of our country. At that time, China was plagued by internal and external turmoil, making it hard to summon the strength to fight against Japan.

As a result, nearly one million square kilometers of territory in Northeast China and 30 million compatriots fell under the control of the Japanese army in no time. To defend our motherland, tens of thousands of patriots risked and sacrificed their lives to resist the aggression, and victory was finally secured. Since peace was earned through an arduous journey of resistance against foreign aggression and the Japanese invasion, by recounting the past to connect the dots in the thought of those to come, we can deeply understand that peace and stability in our motherland are indeed hard-won. Learning from history and commemorating the September 18 Incident enable us to reflect on the Chinese people's significance in defending national sovereignty and safeguarding people’s well-being.

Today, the fire of war has cleared, and China is no longer poor and weak. Time has passed, but Chinese people remember. To let students reflect on the origins of the Japanese invasion of China and the hard work of the Chinese people in uniting against the Japanese invasion, the Personal, Social and Humanities Education Unit of the Curriculum Development Institute of the Education Bureau has produced learning and teaching resource on the Mukden Incident.

The resource is based on the September 18 Museum of History in Shenyang, where a remnant of the history of the war in Northeast China on September 18, 1931, is recorded. Every year on September 18, an event is held here to commemorate the September 18 Incident, with students, soldiers, and people from all walks of life lining up in a solemn manner.

The teaching resources are accompanied by a large number of historical pictures, which introduce in detail the events and their main points, such as the series of events of the Japanese invasion of China and the experiences of the Mainland and Hong Kong in sharing the hardships, as well as extended readings, including the materials of the Chinese Cultural Institute.

Schools and teachers can also make reference to the above learning and teaching resources and adopt appropriate strategies according to the school situation.

Through different learning activities, students can be taught relevant history to promote a comprehensive understanding of the Incident, cultivate students' national identity and sense of responsibility towards the nation and the country, and share the positive values of remembering history and cherishing peace.