In pics: YOG prism
Amputee girl reaches top of half-left tower in Jiangxi
Yardangs in Lop Nur
Intoxicating Ayding Lake in Xinjiang
Beijing's MJ impersonator a 'thriller' for crowds
Armed police compete on the plateau
Rubber Duck settles in Guiyang new urban area
Rare set of giant panda triplets turn one month old
Closing ceremony of Youth Olympic Games
Attractive posters to welcome freshmen
TAIYUAN, Sept. 3 -- Chinese archives have made public 36 documents and photos showing that the wartime Japanese state eyed invasion of China long before the Second World War.
The archives of Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, made the files public for the first time to commemorate the 69th anniversary of China's anti-Japanese war victory on Wednesday.
The documents include layouts and a topographic map of coal resources in Shanxi.
Among them is a military map showing the roads, mountains, rivers and passes around Gujiao, then a coal-producing town in a suburb of Taiyuan. The map was first drawn in 1919.
Japan invaded northeast China in Sept. 1931. On July 7, 1937, the invading Japanese troops marched to Lugou Bridge in the western suburbs of Beijing, where they clashed with the Chinese army, marking the start of the main phase of the Sino-Japanese War.
"However, the files show that the Japanese imperialists started preparing to invade Shanxi in the early twentieth century," said Cui Junbiao, head of the editing and research center of the archives.
"We can see from here that Japan had been investigating Shanxi's geographic features since at least 1919."
"Their intentions to seize coal were obvious," added Cui.
The documents released feature wartime Japan's plundering of Shanxi's resources and its oppression of Chinese citizens.
They include documents showing cruel treatment of Chinese laborers in coal mines. The Imperial Japanese Army coerced residents to work in mines after the fall of Taiyuan in November 1937.
"We have made them public because we want the Japanese government to face up to its wartime history and to reflect on its crimes," said Cui. (To stay up to date with the latest China news, follow XHNews on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/XHNews and Xinhua News Agency on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency.)
Related:
Anti-Japanese War archives cover defense of Nanking
BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The eighth part of an archive series on the Anti-Japanese War on Monday covered the Battle of Nanking, in which Japanese troops overcame Chinese defense and started the world-shaking massacre.
Starting on Aug. 25, the archive series is being released on the website of China's State Archives Administration, one battle per day, in a drive to raise awareness of the war.Full Story
China publishes historical sites, heroes commemorating Anti-Japanese War
BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has released a list of 80 state facilities and sites commemorating the anti-Japanese war ahead of the 69th anniversary of the country's victory, which falls on Sept. 3.
Lugou Bridge in Beijing and the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre are on the list, which is the first of its kind in the nation, according to a circular issued on Monday by the State Council.Full Story
Xinhua Insight: Japanese war criminals recall atrocities
SHENYANG, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- They had the blood of Chinese people on their hands during World War II. But after years of imprisonment in the country they invaded, many Japanese war criminals' attitudes have changed.Full Story


分享


"Twin flowers" bloom in the air
China names 80 Anti-Japanese War memorial sites
The 4th China-Eurasia Expo opens in Urumqi
Tall girls shine at model competition
Girl who cannot gain weight: She is 1, 2.9 kilograms
Bazinga! Watch out the 'facekini' fashion bomb attack
Experiencing maiden voyage between Sanya and Xisha
Chinese inflatable aircraft meets public for the first time
People enjoy delicacies in Tianjin undersea tunnel
Capital Spirits: the capital's first liquor bar
2014 int’l drone exhibition
Chengdu International Auto Show
Trainings taken by Chinese navy divers
Anti-terrorism electric patrol car
Female PLA honor guardsDay|Week|Month