A walk among heroes
Streets, memorials and museums honor wartime martyrs, preserving spirit of sacrifice and inspiring peace across generations, report Xu Lin and Liu Kun in Wuhan.
Wang Lele, 20, a student at Wuhan University in Hubei province, takes city walks one day along Chen Huaimin, Zhang Zizhong and Hao Mengling roads, each named after a martyr of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The three roads eventually converge onto Shengli Street, whose name means "victory".
In 1946, this street, once divided by concessions of different countries, was reunified and renamed in commemoration of the victory in the war. This year marks the 80th anniversary of that triumph, a milestone that continues to resonate through the city's streets and memorials.
The Defense of Wuhan, also known as the Battle of Wuhan, was fought from June to October 1938. It was the largest and longest battle of the war which had erupted in full scale the previous year. During the battle, the Communist Party of China and Kuomintang cooperated with each other both on the battlefield and behind enemy lines.
