Historic role of Shenyang Trial site emphasized

With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War, the post-war role of a historic two-story building in Shenyang, Liaoning province, has been brought back into focus. In 1956, the small building captured the world's attention as it hosted the public trial by a special military tribunal for 36 Japanese war criminals during World War II.

The former military tribunal has been transformed into a historical exhibition hall, known as the Exhibition Hall of the Shenyang Trial of Japanese War Criminals Site.

Upon entering the hall, visitors are greeted with lifelike wax figures that recreate the trial scene. The expressions of the presiding judge, judges and prosecutors are solemn, while all the accused war criminals stand with bowed heads, awaiting the judgment of history.

Through a combination of restored displays and historical exhibits, including text, charts, photos, historical documents, artifacts, audio-visual materials and multimedia presentations, the hall vividly recreates the complete historical process of the public trials conducted by a special military tribunal of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China.

The site has been included in the first batch of national-level memorial facilities and sites for the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and it serves as a national patriotic education demonstration base, a national court revolutionary tradition education base, a national key cultural relics protection unit, and a national 3A-level tourist attraction. "After World War II, although the Tokyo Trials dealt with the main war criminals, the crimes committed by Japanese aggressors in China required an independent trial based on the suffering experienced by the Chinese people," said Bai Qingxiu, a member of the Shenyang Huanggu district's political consultative conference.

"After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country adopted a principle of combining punishment with education for the detained Japanese war criminals, initiating public trials to expose war crimes, affirming Chinese judicial sovereignty, and promoting a correct understanding of history between the Chinese and Japanese people."

The verdicts recorded on the exhibition panels clearly show the final judgment — none of the 36 war criminals escaped punishment and all were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment.

Most strikingly, faced with overwhelming evidence, all the war criminals pleaded guilty, and none appealed. Holding the trial in Shenyang had significant social implications. "These Japanese war criminals were detained in Fushun, which is very close to Shenyang," said Zhang Kaixin, a staff member of the news office of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Liaoning."Furthermore, Shenyang was the site of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of the war."

The site was initially built in 1954 as the club for the Northeast Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

After fulfilling the special historical mission, the site was taken over by the Shenyang Film Company in 1957 and renamed Beiling Cinema.

In recent years, with the advancement of preservation work for sites and relics of the war, the trial site has been restored to its original appearance. In 2011, the project to establish the hall was officially launched and on May 18, 2014, the hall officially opened to the public.

"Nearly 70 years have passed; however, the significance of the Shenyang Trials has never faded," said Zhang. "History is the best textbook. The Shenyang Trials represent a re-examination and review of Japanese war crimes, carrying significant historical, social and educational importance.

"Remembering history is the key to facing the future," he said. "During a visit to the site, people can gain a deeper understanding of this often-overlooked history."