Remembering more than half a century through oral history
By Wang Zhen
2015-03-31
Jilin province, in China's northeast, begun an oral history project for survivors of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression for the upcoming 70th anniversary in the World-Anti-Fascist War, on March 28.
The provincial government counselor, Cao Baoming, who is part of the project explained, "These veterans personally experienced a long fight with overwhelming Japanese forces and this should be recorded and passed on for generations".
Cao went on to comment on the army that was the major force opposing the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in the 1930s and first half of the 1940s by adding, "Their memories and perceptions on what happened in that special period of time are of great value for our historical research."
The research methodology for this oral history, as Cao called it, involves collecting and studying the information on events and everyday lives, from individuals and families who were involved in or observed past events. The province has 271 remaining guerrilla fighters, who are in their late 80s, 90s, or more than 100 years old, scattered about the province.
Cao continued, "I'm pretty sure each of them has their own individual story about the war and the Japanese resistance, but they're not in very good conditions because of wounds and aging. So, this is a must-do thing for us, for a record of the past, and to keep in touch with humanity."
Cao and his team have been joined by volunteers in the project and hope to hold a memorial event right before the 70th anniversary of the victory in the World-Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in mid-August.
