CHINA: To mark Martyrs’ Day on 30 September 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping, leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the State attended a ceremony to commemorate the deceased national heroes at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday morning. Some 1,800 representatives also attended and all participants observed a moment of silence.
Why China Celebrates Martyr’s Day
Since its creation by the National People’s Congress in 2014, Martyrs’ Day is celebrated in China on September 30, the eve of the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.
After the Century of humiliation, the so-called Resist America, Aid Korea Campaign in China was pushed back in October 1950, but by Christmas time, the People’s Volunteer Army under the command of Gen. Peng Dehuai, forced the United Nations to retreat back to the 38th Parallel. Costly to the Chinese side, mostly because of the lack of experience in modern warfare and the lack of modern military technology, China’s casualties vastly outnumbered that of the United Nations. The Korean War ended any possibility of normalised relations with the United States for years. Meanwhile, Chinese forces invaded and annexed Tibet in October 1950.
