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Borneo Post
a day ago
- General
- Borneo Post
The modern-day battle of a heroic Chinese city
Photo taken on June 23, 2025 shows a statue of Zhao Yiman, a revered war heroine, in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. – Xinhua photo HARBIN (June 29): In the fertile black soil of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, where traces of a turbulent past remain, the city of Shangzhi is pursuing a different kind of struggle, one for growth, grounded in resilience and the land itself. Sunlight filters through the trees at a memorial park in the city, a quiet corner that bears the weight of sacrifice. A winding stone path leads visitors to the site where Zhao Yiman, a revered war heroine, was captured after being wounded in a battle against Japanese invaders 90 years ago. As one of the most lionized female revolutionary martyrs, Zhao Yiman was a pivotal figure in northeast China's anti-Japanese resistance. Captured in 1935, she endured brutal torture but divulged nothing to the enemy. Executed at 31 in 1936, her final words to her young son urged pride in her sacrifice for the nation. In the city of Shangzhi, stories about heroes like Zhao Yiman and Zhao Shangzhi, another leader in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, have become part of the land's identity. Shaped by hardship and nourished by fertile soil, Shangzhi has embarked on a transformative campaign, turning its once war-scarred landscape into a bountiful 'hometown of red raspberries'. The area's clean environment and sharp diurnal temperature shifts have proven ideal for berry cultivation. Today, berry cultivation, particularly red raspberries and blackcurrants, is a signature industry driving Shangzhi's rural revitalisation – its own modern-day 'battle' for sustainable prosperity. With 3,000 hectares of berry plantations, the city has established a modern industrial chain that covers stages from seedling breeding and cultivation to quick-freezing processing and sale. Berries are cultivated across all 17 townships in Shangzhi City, generating an annual output value of approximately 500 million yuan (about US$69.8 million), said Zhang Chenghai, deputy director of the city's agriculture and rural affairs bureau. An aerial drone photo taken on June 23, 2025 shows a view of the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. – Xinhua photo Thanks to their high quality, about 70 per cent of the city's raspberries and blackcurrants are exported to markets in Russia, Brazil, the European Union and North America. According to Zan Qinglin, a leading official of Chengxi Village, the village has invested over 7 million yuan in the development of its 1,500-mu raspberry production base. In 2024, its raspberry yield reached 80 tonnes, generating 800,000 yuan in revenue and creating jobs for over 100 people. And technological innovation has brought new momentum to the industry. 'Shangzhi Red Raspberry' is a term that now enjoys national geographic indication protection, and local berry-processing enterprises are expanding, turning raw fruit into higher-value products such as anthocyanin extract and not-from-concentrate (NFC) juice. 'We're planning to attract business partnerships to upgrade our production lines, expand output and extend our industrial chain, making the raspberry industry a golden key for rural revitalization,' Zan said. Photo taken on June 23, 2025 shows a statue of Zhao Shangzhi, a leader in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, in the city of Shangzhi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. – Xinhua photo This transformation from a 'red' revolutionary base to a hub for red raspberry cultivation is intrinsic to Shangzhi's soul. The legacy of local heroes graces its streets, parks, and schools, anchoring the city to its resilient past and enduring hopes for the future. In Shangzhi, the hush of the memorial site and the hum of work in the berry fields are not contradictions, but verses in the same unbroken song that tells of a quiet resilience rooted in the black soil, where memory feeds the earth and the sweet, sun-soaked fruit thrives. – Xinhua China Heilongjiang Province Shangzhi City Xinhua
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Global Times: Retracing northeast anti-Japanese path in WWII reveals hero-named streets preserving 14-year battles' legacy
Global Times honors Zhao Yiman, NAJUA heroes, and their legacy of sacrifice, courage, and patriotism. Beijing, China, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 1936, in the dimly lit underground cell of Harbin Municipal Hospital, Zhao Yiman, a legendary heroine who fought against Japan's invasion of China, lay on a frigid wooden plank, leaving her leg wound festering, with over 40 bones broken. Each breath brought searing pain. As a Japanese interrogator sneered and lashed her exposed wound with a whip, she stared defiantly, repeating only "I can tell nothing." This is a scene recreated for the Global Times reporter by the docent of a memorial hall on Yiman as the Global Times reporter stands before the former site of this hospital ward, gazing at Zhao's photographs from different periods lining both walls of the ward, it is hard to imagine that Zhao, who held her head high and refused to yield under torture, was once a young woman born into an affluent family, who should have lived a life rowing a boat on the Songhua River and walking the streets of Harbin in high heels with red lipstick. When her country fractured, she resolutely chose the hardest decades ago, a steel-willed force led by figures like Zhao Yiman wrote one of the most tragic chapters in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. They were China's Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army (NAJUA), who fought for 14 years in extreme September 18, 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang and accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for the attack. Later that night, they bombarded barracks near Shenyang. Triggered by the September 18, 1931 Incident, Japan's invasion of Northeast China ignited the mid-1930s, the Communist Party of China (CPC)-led Northeast anti-Japanese guerrilla units were joined by volunteer armies and mountain guerrillas to form the United Army, dealing heavy blows to Japanese the 14-year period, the NAJUA engaged 760,000 Japanese troops, and killed or incapacitated 180,000 of them, in a display of the valor and unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation. Its campaigns lent strong support to the anti-Japanese struggle nationwide and to the World Anti-Fascist War. A street witnessing victory, resilience and defianceHarbin, in May, hums with the damp breeze off the Songhua River. Its streets and parks were steeped in the NAJUA legacy. Last winter, as Harbin's ice-snow tourism surged, visitors braved the chill to snap photos by Yiman Street's signpost, a tribute to Zhao Yiman. In 1932, she organized revolutionary works against Japanese aggression on this street. On Yiman Street stands a striking three-story building - the Northeast China Martyrs Memorial Hall at No. 241 Yiman Street, established in 1948 to honor heroes of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Liberation the memorial courtyard, a vintage tram measures over 9 meters long and 3 meters high, with its white upper body contrasting with red lower panels and black headlamp."This is the very tram Zhao Yiman led striking workers in," Liu Qiangmin, director of the memorial, told the Global Times. Preserved intact, it stands as physical evidence of her revolutionary work in Harbin, he early 20th-century Harbin - then an international metropolis - Japanese occupiers after the 1931 invasion routinely abused tram national crisis, the Communist Party of China sent members like Zhao to organize resistance. By September 1932, she mobilized workers to plaster anti-Japanese posters across the city. Facing overwhelming pressure, occupiers capitulated - punishing abusive officers and meeting worker demands."Yiman Street" - this particular street sign seems to gleam a little more lustrously than its neighbors. A nearby shopkeeper told the Global Times that people often bring flowers to pay tribute under the street sign. "This is a heroine's street because of her courage." It was here, too, where she was captured and held at the Police Station of "Manchukuo," a puppet state established by Japanese invaders. Stepping into the historical site of police station, the basement houses the grim remnants of the so-called "Manchukuo" Harbin police station. Black-and-white photos document the invaders' atrocities. A cramped cell, with a hard bed and a rusted lock on its iron door, held Zhao after her capture in 1935. Nearby, a torture chamber displays rows of implements - whips, needles, irons - casting long shadows. Here, Zhao endured unimaginable shocks ravaged her nerves, salt was rubbed into her wounds, steel needles pierced her fingers, and chili water was forced into her nose. Yet in lucid moments, she roared: "You bandits can reduce villages to rubble, hack people to pieces, but you cannot extinguish my faith or defeat China's resolve." Her tormentors, enraged, left empty-handed, according to a report by the Xinhua News nine months, from November 1935 to July 1936, the enemy alternated between healing and beating her, deploying every method available. Zhao never betrayed her comrades or the Party. Today, the very instruments of torture used against this heroine remain preserved at several memorial halls across China. Every visitor paying tribute stands in solemn silence before this cell, their faces etched with footage at the hall captures her final moments on August 2, 1936. Standing tall, head high, Zhao faced the morning breeze and sang defiantly. Nine years later, China, alongside global allies, crushed fascism. Four years later, the People's Republic of China, for which Zhao and countless martyrs shed their blood and made the ultimate sacrifice, came into years after her death, Zhao's name and story endure. Generations seek her, learn from her, and aspire to her. At Harbin's Zhao Yiman Red Army Primary School, just 300 meters from Yiman Street, children's "letters" to Zhao adorn the walls, sharing their struggles like unfinished math homework or mastering the drums. These letters conveyed the "Yiman spirit" - unyielding courage, never bowing to adversity, never surrendering to the enemy. The school's docent team narrates her deeds, while plays, drawings, and speeches keep her legacy alive. For these students, "heroine" isn't just a word in textbooks - Zhao Yiman is a vivid, inspiring presence.A street where shadows and valor intertwinedAbout 5 kilometers from Yiman Street lies Jingyu Street, bearing witness to another hero - General Yang Jingyu (born Ma Shangde), a NAJUA November 1931, Yang arrived in Japanese aggression-stricken Harbin to lead underground resistance. The city teemed with spies; one misstep possibly meant carrying vital documents near Zhengyang Street (now Jingyu Street), Yang encountered Japanese soldiers conducting body searches behind barbed wire. With agents watching his back, he calmly destroyed papers, unbuttoned his robe, and strode forward. His impeccable attire and composure disarmed suspicion - the soldiers waved him through. Buttoning up, he vanished into the alleyways, documents confirm. On February 23, 1940, the NAJUA commander sacrificed his life for fighting in Bao'an village, Mengjiang county (now Jingyu county) in Northeast China's Jilin Province. When enemies dissected his body, they found only undigested bark, grass, and cotton in his stomach - no food, according to the Xinhua report. In 1948, Zhengyang Street was renamed Jingyu Street in Qiangmin told the Global Times that Heilongjiang, the epicenter of Northeast resistance, bore witness to the NAJUA's grueling struggle in 14 years. Of the NAJUA's all 11 armies, 9.5 operated in Heilongjiang, especially after 1937, along the China-Soviet border. The toll was staggering: From 30,000 fighters initially, fewer than 1,000 survived by 1945. The hardships faced by the NAJUA stemmed, on the one hand, from the brutal aggression and economic blockade by Japanese puppet troops, and on the other, from the long-term forced severance of contact with the Central Committee of the CPC. Despite this, the forces held fast to their beliefs, drawing strength from various sources and demonstrating unwavering loyalty to the Party. "Fundamentally, this reflects the unswerving support of NAJUA soldiers for the Party," said a veteran researcher of WWII resistance history, Liu recalls discovering Japanese military archives documenting severe frostbite casualties at -40C. "It's unimaginable how our ill-equipped Chinese soldiers endured this," he reflects. Today's youth, he believes, need such crucibles of willpower - that is precisely why they need to learn NAJUA's story."Their 14-year resolve offers timeless lessons. Their courage in shouldering national duty inspires today's youth to reject complacency, embrace their responsibility, and contribute to China's rejuvenation in the new era, even without facing bullets or bayonets," Liu stressed.A legacy in bloodlineEighty years ago, Ma Shangde, known as Yang Jingyu, fought to his last breath for China's independence. Today, his great-grandson, Ma Chengming, forgoes city comforts to serve in Jingyu county in Central China's Henan Province, a former national-level impoverished county and the land of Yang Jingyu's martyrdom, aiding rural revitalization."I had job offers in the mega cities," Ma Chengming told Global Times, "but a deep bond drew me here."As a child, Yang Jingyu was a hero in textbooks and films. In middle school, Ma visited Yang's martyrdom site in Jingyu county and the Jingyu Street in Harbin. In swirling snow, he heard how Yang, out of ammunition and food, fought alone until his final moment. "I pictured him and his comrades, in thin clothes, starving and freezing, battling to their last breath," Ma recalled, eyes reddening. "That was when being 'Yang Jingyu's heir' hit me.""This land needs youth," Ma said, explaining his return to the homeland. From his role as a young official in Bao'an village, Jingyu county, Ma rooted himself in the countryside, helping 11 impoverished households secure medical reimbursements and housing upgrades until the village escaped poverty over the years. Retracing the path of the NAJUA is not merely a journey through history, but a quest for a spiritual compass for the future. Forged in the crucible of ice and fire, this spirit holds the enduring strength of the Chinese nation. At its core lies the Communist Party of China's unwavering faith, steadfast responsibility, and defiance of hardship. As Ma, Yang Jingyu's great-grandson, put it: "My great-grandfather is a beacon, forever guiding my way." That light will continue to illuminate the paths of countless others. The article first appeared in the Global Times: Company: Global Times Contact Person: Anna Li Email: editor@ Website: City: Beijing Disclaimer:This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
