This year marks the 90th anniversary of the "1.28" Songhu War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Near the anniversary, a retired "old uncle" in the city sorted out three precious historical materials related to the "1.28" Songhu Anti-Japanese War from his own collection, and the "old uncle" said that he would donate these historical materials to suitable research institutions.
The Shanghai "old uncle" is named Wang Yi, 65 years old this year, and for more than 20 years, he has collected thousands of cultural relics related to the War of Resistance. Wang Yi's collection of anti-Japanese war historical materials began in 1995, when he participated in a knowledge contest commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, which stimulated his enthusiasm for collecting anti-japanese historical materials.
Wang Yi said that as a Shanghainese, he paid special attention to the historical materials of the Shanghai War of Resistance, and the historical materials about the "1.28" Songhu War of Resistance were selected by him from the old paper piles in the antique market and auctions, and some even came from Japan.
Houses in the area of Yongxing Road in Zhabei that were blown up by Japanese planes
Japanese tanks in Kohama near Ewan
Aerial view of the disaster area in Zhabei after being bombed
After the war, the residents of Zhabei went home to see it
The first historical material that Wang Yi showed us was a complete set of "Picture Times Shanghai War Journal" published in 1932. "Picture Times" is the first newspaper photography supplement in mainland China, pioneered by the famous newspaperman Ge Gongzhen. In order to report the "January 28 Incident" in a timely manner, from February 7 to June 7, 1932, the "Picture Times Shanghai War Journal" was added, and a total of 43 issues were published before and after, showing in more detail the scene of our army's officers and men bravely resisting the Japanese Kou in the form of pictures. In the war periodicals, there are scenes of Japanese invaders in Shanghai and bombed stations, shops, and houses, images of anti-Japanese soldiers who braved violence and fought bravely, and scenes of people from all walks of life doing their best to support the anti-Japanese resistance. Among them, Song Qingling's old historical photos such as holding enemy shells in his hands under the destroyed wall are very precious and touching.
Song Qingling took a picture of the enemy shells under the crippled wall
Women in the rear service group sewed anti-gas masks
Feng Yong University Women's Volunteer Army
Our soldiers shouldered the bombs dropped by Japanese aircraft
Our soldiers are in the trenches
The officers and men of our army sang in the trenches between battles
The officers and men of our army are on the battlefield
Another "Shanghai Incident Photo Pictorial" was published by the Japanese Asahi Shimbun in 1932, which proved from another angle the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese army in Shanghai.
Wang Yi shows Japan's 1932 Shanghai Incident Photo Pictorial
The pictorial recorded the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese army in the area of Qiujiang Road and North Sichuan Road in Shanghai
Wang Yi also displayed a private Japanese photo album in his collection, the owner of which was speculated to be a member of the Japanese army that invaded China that year, and the album contained video records left by the Japanese army during the invasion of Shanghai, Suzhou and Nanjing, which is irrefutable historical evidence.
Private photo album from Japan
Old photograph of the Commercial Press destroyed during the "1.28 Incident"
The tragic situation of the Shanghai Special Municipal Government in the war
Evidence of crimes left by the Japanese army when they invaded Suzhou and Nanjing
Wang Yi believes that precious materials are the historical memory of the whole nation and should be shared by society. Over the years, Wang Yi has donated the historical materials of the anti-Japanese War cultural relics he carefully collected to various relevant museums and memorials, such as the Memorial Hall of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Memorial Hall of the Compatriots Killed in the Nanjing Massacre of the Japanese Army Invading China, the "9.18" Historical Museum in Shenyang, the Shanghai Sihang Warehouse Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall, and the Shanghai Songhu Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall. Wang Yi said that the historical materials related to the "1.28" Songhu Anti-Japanese War compiled this time should also be dedicated to the society for further research and use by relevant institutions.
Collection should serve the society, which is Wang Yi's most important collection concept. Over the years, Wang Yi has painstakingly collected various cultural relics and historical materials with the strength of a salaried person, and more than 1,000 pieces have been donated to major museums, memorials and libraries alone. Among them, he donated 44 pieces of ancient ink to the Palace Museum in Beijing, more than 500 copies of Western publications from the Republic of China period to the Library of Fudan University, and 78 custom pens of famous artists of the late Qing Dynasty to the Shanghai Museum. A large stack of donation certificates made him an unquestioned "donor".
Wang Yi was part of the donation certificate obtained
From Wang Yi's heart, although these cultural relics and historical materials are his own painstaking accumulation and hobbies for many years, they should still go to the most suitable place. On the one hand, because Wang Yi's collection is mostly documentary historical materials, it is not easy to preserve, and the personal storage conditions are far inferior to those of professional institutions; on the other hand, these documents and historical materials are not ordinary works of art, they more reflect historical value and social value, so they should be allowed to return to society and play a greater role in society through research, collation, education and display.
Shanghai "old uncle" Wang Yi
Wang Yi likes to call himself a retired "old uncle", but he has grown into an expert in cultural relics appraisal through years of collection and research. Before his retirement, he was a researcher at the Shanghai Municipal History Museum and now a member of the Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee. Wang Yi said that donations do not seek returns, sometimes thousands of miles of donations to pay their own road fees, others do not understand and it does not matter, spend this money, this effort is entirely because I am willing, this is my retired life that a retired "old uncle" in Shanghai likes.