Liu Guangming: Inheriting and Promoting the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the New Era
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On the morning of June 24, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to announce the overall arrangements for the commemorative activities for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Holding these commemorative activities in a solemn manner is of great and far-reaching significance for us to remember history, honor the martyrs, and carry forward the great spirit of patriotism and the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression. The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression was forged in the magnificent and turbulent War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression is a priceless spiritual asset of the Chinese people." For many years, the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression has resonated in the hearts of the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation, always inspiring us to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strive for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation is an expedition full of glory and dreams, yet also risks and challenges. On this long journey, we will inevitably encounter various risks, challenges, and difficulties—some predictable and others unpredictable—and even stormy waves. We must inherit and carry forward the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression, advance with greater vigor as difficulties and dangers increase, and continuously win new and greater victories.
Deeply Comprehending the Rich Connotations of the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In the magnificent process of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese people gave birth to the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression, demonstrating to the world a patriotic sentiment characterized by 'the rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen,' a national integrity of preferring death to surrender or humiliation, a heroic spirit of fearing no brutality and fighting to the end, and a conviction of victory characterized by perseverance and unyielding resolve." To inherit and carry forward the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression in the New Era, we must deeply comprehend its rich connotations from the perspectives of the development of the spirit of the Chinese nation and the practice of the entire nation’s courageous struggle with united will.
The patriotic sentiment that "the rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen" [1] is a precious spiritual asset for promoting national prosperity and revitalization. Since ancient times, the sons and daughters of China have been known to the world for their deep sentiment for family and country. From Wei Qing and Huo Qubing [2] fighting the Xiongnu with the iron-blooded passion of being willing to be "wrapped in horsehide" [3] to protect the peace of the frontier; to Fan Zhongyan's sense of responsibility to "worry before the rest of the world worries" [4] while implementing new policies to save the nation from crisis; to Gu Yanwu's clarion call that "every citizen is responsible," using the pen as a blade to awaken the common people's consciousness of "protecting the world"... all of these stem from the patriotic genes in the blood of the Chinese people. Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has always taken seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, our Party called out loudly to mobilize the people for self-salvation. The patriotic passion of the people across the country erupted, forming a situation of national resistance summarized as: "The sleeping lion roars: who dares to swallow us or nibble away our land? The scattered sands congeal: no fear of being divided or carved up" [5]. Zhao Yiman endured the most brutal torture of the Japanese invaders and never disclosed a secret, defending national dignity with a will of iron; the Five Heroes of Langya Mountain showed no fear in the face of danger, jumping off a cliff after running out of bullets, composing a song of patriotism with their blood; eight female soldiers, to cover the retreat of their unit, resolutely braved the rolling river after their ammunition and reinforcements were exhausted, interpreting deep patriotic love with their lives... The cries and struggles of countless Chinese people who "vowed never to be slaves of a fallen nation" "set off a huge wave of national self-salvation," merging into a vast ocean that drowned Japanese imperialism. This patriotic sentiment is not only a powerful spiritual driver for the victory of the War of Resistance, but also a precious spiritual asset for us today as we advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
The national integrity of preferring death to surrender or humiliation is the spiritual backbone for safeguarding national interests and dignity. The Chinese nation has always advocated the spirit of never yielding to enemies or pressure, forming a view of integrity characterized by "not being corrupted by wealth or honors, not being swerved by poverty or humble conditions, and not being bowed by force" [6]. Yue Fei "raised his eyes to the sky and let out a long cry, his heart full of fierce ambition" [7], vowing to recover the lost territory even when in dire straits; Wen Tianxiang left behind the eternal masterpiece "Since ancient times, who has escaped death? Let my loyal heart shine in the pages of history" [8], facing death with gallantry; Tan Sitou, with the tragic heroism of "I turn my sword to the sky and laugh, leaving my liver and gall to be as pure as the Kunlun Mountains" [9], was willing to sacrifice his life for the reform and strengthening of the nation... This spirit of following one after another and giving one’s all for the future and destiny of the country and the nation is rooted in the "integrity gene" deep in the souls of the Chinese people. In the life-and-death struggle against Japanese militarism, countless trials of life and death highlighted the noble national integrity of the Chinese military and civilians. The Japanese militarist invaders were extremely brutal, attempting to force the Chinese people to surrender through inhuman acts, scenes of bloody wind and rain, and appalling massacres. Facing the invaders’ knives, the Chinese people remained awe-inspiring and righteous, charging through the smoke of gunpowder and firmly striving for national independence and people's liberation even at the cost of their precious lives, always acting as "tough grass in a strong wind" or "true gold in a fierce fire" [10]. The heroic sacrifices of a group of anti-Japanese generals such as Yang Jingyu, Zhao Shangzhi, Zuo Quan, Peng Xuefeng, Tong Linge, Zhao Dengyu, Zhang Zizhong, and Dai Anlan were soul-stirring and monumental.
The heroic spirit of fearing no brutality and fighting to the end is the spiritual pillar for striving for national independence and self-reliance. In the long course of survival and development, the Chinese nation has tempered a fearless and vigorous national character, writing a magnificent epic of active progress and continuous struggle. Ban Chao "threw down the pen to join the army" [11], and with the courage of "how can one catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den," he reshaped the solid frontiers of the Han Dynasty; Liu Yu led the northern expeditionary army with "golden spears and armored horses, with a spirit like a tiger ready to swallow ten thousand miles" [12], sweeping through the Central Plains and recovering lost territory; Zheng Chenggong, unafraid of wild winds and evil waves, vowed "to destroy the invaders by the river clad in white mourning weeds, with a heroic army of a hundred thousand and a spirit to swallow the Wu region," leading his army east to recover Taiwan... "How many heroes there were for a time" [13] on the land of China; the gene of national character surges in the veins of the Chinese people. During the War of Resistance, facing the bloody atrocities of the Japanese invaders, no matter how precarious the situation or how cruel the war, the Chinese military and civilians always radiated a spirit of dauntless revolutionary heroism and a valiant, tenacious fighting spirit. In the Battle of Shanghai, hundreds of thousands of soldiers followed one after another, building a fortress of resistance with their flesh and blood, shattering the Japanese army's arrogant dream of "destroying China in three months"; in the ambush at Pingxingpass, the Eighth Route Army fought a bloody battle with the Japanese army and won the first victory; in the Battle of Taierzhuang, soldiers braved life and death in a hail of bullets, annihilating a large number of the Japanese army's effective strength and achieving a great victory on the frontal battlefield; in the Hundred Regiments Offensive, the anti-Japanese military and civilians maneuvered and launched a comprehensive attack on major transport lines, using continuous fierce fighting to heavily strike the enemy's arrogance... On the anti-Japanese battlefield, the Chinese military and civilians, with the decisiveness and courage of "fearing not even being ground into dust" [14], threw themselves into one thrilling struggle after another, performing one majestic and heroic drama after another.
The conviction of victory characterized by perseverance and unyielding resolve is the enduring motivation for the unremitting struggle to achieve national prosperity. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has never lacked people of insight with long-term vision and pillars of the state with iron shoulders of responsibility. Da Yu regulated the waters, "passing his own door three times without entering," braving wind and rain for thirteen years to carve through nine rivers; the Foolish Old Man moved the mountains, saying "my sons and grandsons are endless," shaking the mountains by digging stones and tilling soil through generations; Zhang Qian held his imperial tally as an envoy to the Western Regions, enduring "thirteen years of wind, sand, frost, and snow," traveling "twelve thousand li of cities, mountains, and rivers" to finally traverse the ten-thousand-li Silk Road... Their success stemmed from the "conviction gene" deeply planted in their hearts, exerting effort continuously and persisting over the long term. Under the heavy pressure of the iron heel of Japanese militarism, the Chinese people did not choose to bow down or live ignobly in darkness, but rather sought a bright future through unyielding struggle. The Chinese Communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong as their chief representative, using the conviction of victory and extraordinary wisdom, scientifically predicted that the war would go through three stages: strategic defense, strategic stalemate, and strategic counter-offensive. They led the Chinese military and civilians in a long-term tenacious resistance, accumulating local advantages step by step, which then merged and transformed into an overall superior position. This enabled the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to shift from passive to active in the strategic sense, ultimately transforming inferiority into superiority, the weak defeating the strong, and turning defeat into victory, defeating the heinous Japanese militarist invaders and winning the final victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Deeply Grasping the Contemporary Value of the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression
In modern China, there was a long night of sorrowful song as the Chinese nation faced "great changes unseen in several millennia." In today's China, we are "riding the wind and breaking the waves," and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation shows an unprecedentedly bright prospect. From falling into a deep crisis to moving toward great rejuvenation, the Chinese nation has carried out many arduous and great struggles. The historical turning point among them was the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was the first complete victory for China against foreign invasion in modern times. The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression is a spiritual monument standing at this historical turning point. The dazzling light it emits guides us to temper our national character, overcome national tribulations, and write national glory.
The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression is a towering spiritual monument led and forged by our Party in arduous struggles. The Communist Party of China was the national vanguard in winning the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the leading force in cultivating and promoting the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression. After the beginning of the modern era, an important reason for the failure of the Chinese people's previous wars against aggression was the corruption and incompetence of the ruling groups and the internal weakness and fragmentation of the nation. From the day of its birth, our Party took upon itself the noble mission of uniting and leading the Chinese people to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, vigorously removing negative spiritual factors from the national body and striving to awaken and inspire positive spiritual factors. Especially during the War of Resistance, with a spiritual outlook characterized by being the most steadfast in defending national independence, the most resolute in safeguarding national interests, and the bravest in resisting foreign aggression, the Party led the entire nation in forging the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression. Our Party took the lead in holding high the banner of national resistance, actively advocated for the establishment of the anti-Japanese national united front, proposed and implemented the line of comprehensive resistance, the general strategic policy of protracted war, and the strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare. We created anti-Japanese democratic base areas, opened up vast battlefields behind enemy lines, and always persisted in resistance against surrender, unity against division, and progress against regression. The Party became the mainstay of the national resistance and the primary cultivator and model practitioner of the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression. Under the guidance, appeal, and inspiration of the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression, more and more outstanding sons and daughters of China joined the Party organization and the ranks of the resistance, making outstanding contributions to the ultimate victory of the War of Resistance.
The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression is a powerful spiritual pillar tempered by the tenacious struggle of the Chinese people in modern times. The reason the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is called "a wonder in the history of war, a magnificent feat of the Chinese nation, and an earth-shaking great undertaking" lies not only in the fact that it wrote a page full of vicissitudes in the history of the Chinese people's struggle for national independence and people's liberation in modern times, but also in that it wrote a soul-stirring spiritual epic in the historical development of the Chinese nation. "The Yellow River flows out of Tongpass; because of the resistance of Mount Taihua, its hydraulic power increases its rushing momentum. The wind returns to the Three Gorges; because of the obstruction of Mount Wushan, its wind power increases its howling roar." [15] Conditions of an era that seem like a dead end often become the "whetstone" that tempers a great spirit. Japan's arrogant act of "gambling the national fate" and "the small fighting the large," and the Japanese army's murderous aura of "praying for death in battle" and "not returning alive," while pushing the Chinese people to the most dangerous situation where "the great building is about to collapse" and "the wild waves have already fallen," also forced the Chinese military and civilians to forge the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression. The Chinese people shared a bitter hatred for the enemy, faced the national crisis together, showed their unyielding character, and faced death with equanimity, playing a soul-stirring song of national salvation. One heroic figure after another, one heroic group after another, feared no brutality and sacrificed their lives for the country. As it is said: "Truly brave and truly martial, to the end strong and impossible to intimidate. Though the body died, the spirit attained divinity; the soul was resolute and became a hero among ghosts." [16] In the face of such resolute and tragic heroic spirit, no matter how arrogant the enemy, they will be struck down; no matter how fierce the invaders, they will be annihilated!
The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression is a distinct spiritual hallmark of the Chinese nation's rebirth through fire while overcoming hardships and challenges. The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression is the specific manifestation of the great national spirit during the War of Resistance; the great national spirit is the powerful support and deep foundation of the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression. The Chinese nation is a great nation that loves peace, is industrious and brave, and is characterized by self-improvement. The Chinese people are a people with a great spirit of creativity, struggle, unity, and dreams. The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression enriched, condensed, and sublimated the great national spirit. Since ancient times, the genetic spirit of courage and self-improvement has been inherited in the veins of the Chinese nation. Legends such as Pangu creating the heavens, Kua Fu chasing the sun, Nüwa mending the sky, and Jingwei filling the sea [17] publicize this spirit. The heroic deeds of those in history who sang tragic but stirring songs and acted with chivalry and courage testify to this spirit. However, the serious shackles of long-term feudal enslavement education and the chronic diseases of the patriarchal system caused this genetic spirit to gradually change from dominant to recessive. The lion of the East became a sleeping lion, suffering and becoming scarred in the "great changes unseen in several millennia." The Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression reversed the genetic spirit of courage and self-improvement inherent in our nation from recessive back to dominant. With powerful force, it swept away the spiritual malady of repeated defeats and the pessimistic haze of the modern era. The Chinese nation achieved a spiritual phoenix-like nirvana and rebirth through fire.
On the new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, we must vigorously carry forward the Great Spirit of Resistance Against Aggression...
The realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires both the guarantee of robust strength and the support of a powerful spirit. The Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit manifests the character inherent in the bones and the genes within the bloodlines of the Chinese nation; it is a potent driving force for building a strong country and national rejuvenation. We must embody the promotion of the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit across all fields and the entire process of advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization. We must overcome all hardships and obstacles on the New Journey, unswervingly opening up new horizons and creating new miracles.
Transforming the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit into strategic initiative for overcoming risks and challenges. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Whether a country can become prosperous and strong, and whether a nation can achieve rejuvenation, depends most importantly on whether that country and nation can follow the tide of the times and grasp the initiative of historical progress." The patriotic sentiment, national integrity, heroic mettle, and faith in victory contained within the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit manifest the historical and strategic initiative of the Party and the people to hold the destiny of China's development and progress firmly in their own hands. The history of the War of Resistance tells us that in the face of major risks and powerful adversaries, only by taking the initiative to meet the challenge and struggling resolutely can there be a path to survival—only then can we win dignity and achieve development. On the New Journey, we must deeply study, comprehend, and practice Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially the General Secretary's important expositions on the Great Struggle [18]. We must thoroughly understand and grasp the strategic judgments, strategic layouts, and strategic choices made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to seize the initiative for China's future development, and implement these in practice to grasp the initiative and win the future amidst the advancing tide of the times. We must persist in placing the development of the country and the nation on the basis of our own strength [19]. We must constantly expand and strengthen ourselves, striving to temper an "indestructible golden body" [20] that remains as steady as Mount Tai [21] regardless of how the international winds and clouds may change, ensuring we survive and develop with eternal vitality and keep the initiative of development firmly in the hands of the Party and the people.
Transforming the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit into extraordinary courage for overcoming risks and challenges. The national integrity of facing death with equanimity and preferring death to surrender, and the heroic mettle of fearing no violence and fighting to the end inherent in the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit, are vivid reflections of our nation’s "bloodiness" [22] and courage. To advance the cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation on the New Journey, we must manifest the national "bloodiness" of disregarding personal safety for a cause and finding life within death, ensuring the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit is carried forward and illustrated. To comprehensively build a modern socialist country, we must manifest national "bloodiness" and courage; no matter how powerful the enemy, how treacherous the road, or how severe the challenge, we must never fear or retreat, having the courage to race through the dangerous shoals of the "Three Gorges of History" [23] and sail far. In comprehensively deepening reform, we must strive to break through the obstacles of traditional ideas, breach the barriers of vested interests, and overcome the chronic ailments of systems and mechanisms. In the comprehensive structural rule of law, we must shoulder the scales of equity and hold the sword of justice, daring to struggle against acts that "violate, substitute, or suppress the law" with power, bravely correcting wrongful cases according to the law, and striving to let the people feel fairness and justice. In comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, we must combat corruption with a "zero-tolerance" attitude, the determination to "use strong medicine to cure a serious illness" [24], the courage to "scrape the bone to remove the poison" [25], and the iron-fisted scale of severe punishment—never pausing for a moment or retreating half a step—resolutely winning the tough, protracted, and total war of the anti-corruption struggle.
Transforming the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit into powerful strategic resolve for overcoming risks and challenges. The indomitable and persevering faith in victory inherent in the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit fully manifests the powerful strategic resolve of the Chinese nation. On the New Journey, we not only need to face the "ambush from ten sides" [26] formed by the containment and blockade of hostile forces, but also need to distinguish the enemy's "feints" and perceive their true hidden hand. We need both the dauntless mettle of "not bending even if Mount Tai presses down" and the spiritual foundation of "clinging to the green mountain" [27] when faced with "winds from all eight directions." We need both the sense of mission to act as the "mainstay" [28] in the face of major tests concerning the life and death of the Party and the state or the success and failure of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the firm perseverance to not be mired in the gains or losses of a single moment or event, nor be shaken or subdued by local and temporary difficulties. Faced with the "teacher-like" [29] overbearing sermons and "carpet-bombing" style bullying behavior, we must be able to withstand the pressure and keep our composure, possessing the confident equanimity that "the sky will not fall," the firm attitude of "not wanting to fight, but not fearing to fight," and the powerful confidence to "see it through to the end." More importantly, we must possess the strategic wisdom that "time and momentum are on our side," anchoring ourselves to the central task of advancing the cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization. We must unswervingly manage our own affairs well, continuously improve overall national strength, and constantly open up new prospects for the development of our cause.
Looking back at the path traveled, the smoke of the War of Resistance has drifted away; looking ahead, the light of the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit shines like a torch. At this important historical juncture of the 80th anniversary, commemorating the great victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression means inheriting and promoting the Great Anti-Japanese War Spirit in the New Era. We must use the light of the spirit to illuminate the great journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, win new victories in the Great Struggle with many new historical characteristics, write a magnificent new chapter of historical undertakings, and deliver an excellent "test answer" [30] worthy of the era, the people, and our ancestors!
(The author is a researcher at the National Defense University Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era) Source: People's Daily, June 27, 2025, Page 9 Web Editor: Tongxin