Forum Macao will be home to a special exhibition for the 80th anniversary of the Second Sino-Japanese War until 24 September. During the opening ceremony yesterday, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai spoke about the importance of “remembering history and creating the future.”
The exhibition is entitled For National Liberation and World Peace and is billed as an exhibition “on the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.”
The Second Sino-Japanese War, also known in mainland China as the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, was fought between the then Republic of China and the Empire of Japan from 1937 to 1945. The conflict, which notoriously included the Nanjing Massacre, is often regarded as the beginning of World War II in Asia. Macao, then, still a Portuguese administered territory, officially adopted a neutral position despite naval blockades and economic pressure from Japanese-occupied Hong Kong.
[See more: Wartime Macao: Neutrality, refugees and riches]
Although the Portuguese government’s stance was neutral, many residents still participated in the war effort, said Sam in his speech. Macao’s residents helped shelter hundreds of thousands of people from mainland China and elsewhere, he said. According to Sam, the city played a key role in transporting supplies and freeing those trapped in Hong Kong, “demonstrating the Chinese spirit of sharing national adversity and standing together through thick and thin.”
Sam raised examples of notable local figures who aided the Chinese Resistance, such as General Ye Ting and musician Xian Xinghai, describing the Macao residents’ participation as a “source of eternal pride.”
The director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao, Zheng Xincong, also gave a speech during the exhibition’s opening ceremony. Macao was “never absent” from the war effort, he said, with residents contributing either on the front lines or through humanitarian efforts.
The exhibition, sponsored by the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, is part of a series of activities by the Macao government to commemorate the second Sino-Japanese War. Yesterday afternoon, Sam also presented medals to descendants of fallen soldiers Wu Fengyu and Cai Jun at the Macao Cultural Centre.
