A special place, or time, usually bestows an extraordinary power to be sober and upward on a country remembering its past. The Lugou Bridge and the 7th of July are exactly such a place and such a time for the Chinese people.
On the night of July 7, 1937, the gunshots by the Lugou Bridge completely awakened the Chinese who did not want to be subjugated. From then on, the Chinese, braving the enemy's gunfire, sharing the same hatred, and being united to save the nation, composed a magnificent epic against foreign aggression with their flesh and blood.
Time should not be the excuse to dilute memory, and peace should not be the reason to forget history. The Chinese in peaceful times may find it difficult to understand the tragedy and pain of the past, nor can they easily feel the evilness and disasters of the war of aggression. Today, the reason why the Chinese should never forget the gunshot by the Lugou Bridge is that the history should be the alarm bell for the future – peace does not come easily. Only when we were able to fight, could we prevent from war.
When the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression was won by China in August 1945, a sentence was published in an article in the newspaper Liberation Daily: "We have won today! But we must never forget that the victory is hard-won.”
"We shall never forget", because there had been too much sacrifice. In China, there had been brutal wars and extremely cruel and bloody massacres by the invaders. There had also been feats of Chinese martyrs who fight against invaders with their flesh and blood, as well as a heroically tragic history of "one drop of blood for one inch of the motherland".
"We shall never forget", because forgetting yesterday makes one get lost in tomorrow. In many cases, lacking awareness is much more terrible than distress itself. Without keeping alert to potential risks, one may be paralyzed in mind and depressed in spirit. Only when a nation keeps alert can it continue to improve itself; when a country keeps alert can it achieve prosperity; and when a military keeps alert can it become invincible.
A great victory should not be the ultimate end. Reviewing the history of the Lugou Bridge Incident, the Chinese should not linger on the pain of the past but raise the awareness of potential risks in their hearts instead. In particular, the current international strategic landscape is undergoing profound changes, and there is the law of the jungle in international competition. Problems such as surrounding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights disputes, geographical competition between major countries, and military security contests have become more prominent, and China’s task of safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests has also become more strenuous.
At this moment, it is even more necessary for the Chinese and the Chinese military to remember the most dangerous time, demonstrate stronger vigilance, always be prepared for potential danger, and unswervingly defend the history of victory written in blood and life.
(The author is from the PLA joint logistic support force)