BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China needs a national humiliation day to
remind its people of the misery the nation suffered under foreign aggressions,
and a best choice is September 18, the date when Japan started its all-out
invasion of China more than seven decades ago, said a lawmaker on Thursday.
"An outstanding nation is one that will always keep its history firmly in
mind. We should never forget our compatriots who lost their lives in the war,"
said Jiang Jian, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), on the
sidelines of the top legislature's annual full session.
"Remembering this humiliating part of history will help Chinese people feel
urged to safeguard peace and work hard for the rejuvenation of the nation," said
Jiang, president of Qufu Hospital under China's Red Cross Society.
On September 18, 1931, Japanese troops plotted a railway blast near
Shenyang, capital city of northeast Liaoning Province, but framed the crime on
Chinese army to justify its following bombardment on the Chinese barracks.
Japanese aggressors seized Shenyang after the incident, which is seen as
the start of Japan's all-out invasion of China.
The day is now marked in many Chinese cities with alarm bells tolling,
air-raid sirens wailing and cars horning.
But that is not enough. The lawmaker from eastern Shandong Province said
she has submitted a proposal calling to observe September 18 nationwide
"simultaneously" as National Humiliation Day.
She said governments at all levels should half-mast the national flags in
front of their office buildings on the day and arrange for simultaneous air-raid
sirens that must last three minutes, and all the people across the country
should stand in silent for one minute to mourn for those died in the
anti-aggression war.
Regretful for those who take September 18 as an auspicious day for the
similarity between the pronunciation of 918 and that of "jiu yao fa" which means
"make money", the lawmaker said governments should discourage people from
holding celebrations on the day.
She also suggested governments not hold celebrations or entertainment
activities on the day and public servants not attend business celebrations even
in their own names.