Sirens wailed and a bell tolled across north-east China on Thursday to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the September 18 incident, an event that marked the beginning of China’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

Hundreds of people, including war veterans and their families, gathered in the square of the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, to honour those who fought in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

At exactly 9:18 a.m., 14 representatives from various sectors struck a massive bell 14 times, symbolising the 14 years of China’s resistance against Japanese invasion.

Across Shenyang, air-raid sirens and vehicle horns sounded for three minutes, while pedestrians stood in silence to pay tribute.

Since 1995, the city has observed this annual alarm to mark the historical incident.

On September 18, 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang and falsely accused Chinese forces of sabotage.

The staged explosion served as a pretext for a full-scale military assault on Chinese barracks, marking the beginning of Japan’s premeditated invasion of China.

(Xinhua/NAN)