Preface
On the land of China, there is a tower, which has witnessed the changes of a hundred years, and also carried countless humiliations and pains. This tower is the Baiyushan Tower in Lushun, also known as the "Biaozhong Tower".
The White Jade Mountain Pagoda bears witness to the humiliation suffered by the Chinese nation in modern times, and also proves Japan's encroachment on the land and people of the mainland.
At that time, after Japan invaded and annexed Northeast China, in order to commemorate the sacrifice of the Japanese army in the Russo-Japanese War, a building called Pyotchu Pagoda was built.
Since the completion of the tower, the Japanese side has held festivals here every year and forced the Chinese people to participate in it to show their authority and domineering. This tower not only hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, but also provoked the Chinese people to resist. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese tried to blow up the tower several times, but were unsuccessful.
After Japan's surrender, in order to make the people remember this humiliating history, the mainland government did not demolish the Baiyushan Tower, but regarded it as a site of the Russo-Japanese War and evidence of the Japanese invasion of China, and was listed as a city-level cultural relics protection unit.
However, the tower's fate did not rest on its laurels. In the torrent of history, the tower has also been repeatedly demolished by Japanese and Soviet requests, but the Chinese government has firmly refused.
Why did the Chinese government keep this tower? What does this tower mean to the Chinese people? And how does this tower silence Japan?
1. The reasons and process of Japan's construction of the "Pyotchu Tower" in China
Ironically, Northeast China is China's territory, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, both Japan and Russia coveted this land on the mainland, and a war broke out between the two.
At that time, both Japan and Russia sought to expand their spheres of influence in Korea and the northeastern part of the mainland, and to seize related political and economic rights.
On the other hand, Russia had been looking for ice-free ports in the Pacific Ocean, so in 1898 it leased Port Arthur and Dalian to ensure the safety of the railroad and port it had laid there, which aroused strong resentment from Japan.
In 1902, Japan signed the Japan-Britain Alliance, which gave Japan the support of Britain and strengthened its conviction against Russia.
The two sides were completely torn apart in 1900, and at first they thought of a peaceful settlement, so there were many negotiations between 1903 and 1904.
However, the interests of the two countries could not be conceded, so the negotiations eventually broke down because the positions of the two sides were too different. Thus broke out a war between imperialists.
In this war, Japan, as a small country, actually defeated Tsarist Russia, a large European power. As a result, Japan obtained the right to lease Lushun and other northeastern regions of China, and began its colonial rule over China.
After the victory over Tsarist Russia, Japan was very proud and considered itself the leader of Asia and the power of the world. In order to commemorate the victory of this war, and also to summon the spirits of the Japanese soldiers who died in the war, Japanese Navy Marshal Togo Heihachiro decided to build a "Pyotsu Tower" in Lushun.
First of all, Heihachiro Togo chose the site of Hakuyushan in Lushun, which is a strategically important place. Baiyu Mountain is the commanding height of Lushun, overlooking Port Arthur and the city.
In the Russo-Japanese War, Baiyushan was one of the main battlefields of the Japanese and Russian armies, and the two sides fought fiercely here. In order to capture Baiyu Mountain, the Japanese army paid a heavy price, killing and wounding thousands of people.
Therefore, Japan believes that Baiyu Mountain is a symbol of the Russo-Japanese War and a place for the heroic souls of Japanese soldiers, so it chose to build the "Pyotchu Tower" here.
Later, he launched a fundraising campaign in Japan, and in addition to the burning and looting in the Tohoku region, he finally raised a huge amount of money to build the tower.
Construction of Pyochung Pagoda began in June 1907 and lasted two years before being completed in November 1909.
While Japan is complacent, the Chinese people have not forgotten how humiliating this tower is, and how much Chinese blood it is stained with.
The Chinese tried to destroy the tower many times, but unfortunately never succeeded.
II. Japan's ambition
At 66.8 meters high, it was the tallest building in East Asia at the time. Its shape is a cylinder, which is composed of four parts: base, base column, tower body and tower top.
The tower is made of reinforced concrete, and there is a spiral-shaped iron ladder with a total of 273 steps leading to the top of the tower. The top of the tower is set up with a sun flag pattern guardrail, and a bronze commemorative plaque is placed in the north of the tower, which is inscribed in Japanese to praise the so-called achievements of Japanese military imperialism in the Russo-Japanese War.
In the vicinity of the "Pyothu Tower", Japan also built a "Na Bone Temple" to store the ashes of Japanese soldiers who died in the Russo-Japanese War. It is said that there are 22,723 ashes of Japanese soldiers here, making it the largest Japanese cemetery in China. The Japanese held a sacrificial ceremony here every year to pray and comfort the dead Japanese soldiers.
What is even more infuriating is that the Japanese also forced Chinese teenagers to come here to worship, and every month on the 8th of the school organized students to defeat them, which was undoubtedly a forcible indoctrination of imperialist ideology into the mainland youth.
Japan's process of building the "Biaozhong Pagoda" in China has met with strong opposition and resistance from the Chinese people. In order to build the tower, the Japanese forcibly conscripted more than 20,000 Chinese laborers, threatened them with whips and guns, and made them work from morning to night.
During construction, many Chinese laborers died from fatigue, starvation, disease, or abuse by the Japanese. It can be said that the foundation of this tower was filled with the corpses of Chinese, and this tower was built with the blood and lives of Chinese.
The Chinese people's hatred of this tower also translated into resistance to Japan. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese tried to blow up the tower several times, but were unsuccessful.
During its aggression against China, Japan not only violently abused the Chinese people, but also tried in vain to import Japanese ideas and values into them and stifled the Chinese national culture in many ways.
3. The Chinese Government's reservations and response to the "Pyozhong Pagoda".
After the end of World War II, Japan and the Soviet Union repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the mainland in view of the fact that the Baiyushan Pagoda was not demolished and was listed as a city-level cultural relics protection unit.
But so what? This is the territory of the continent, and we have the right to decide what to do in our own territory.
In early 1953, when the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev visited China, he proposed to demolish the Japanese military memorial tower at Lushunkou and build a new tower to commemorate Russian officers on the opposite hill, saying that this move was intended to prove that the Russo-Japanese War was a just war for Russia to defend Chinese territory.
And it involves an insult to Russia, which should be demolished. At the same time, it promised to ask the Soviet Union to provide additional economic assistance if China cooperated.
However, Premier Zhou Enlai firmly rejected this unreasonable demand, clearly pointing out that China would not erect a monument for foreign invaders, and that the Japanese military memorial tower at Lushunkou should be retained as a witness to the imperialist invasion of China, so as to inspire future generations to be vigilant against the weak and bullied and strengthen their own construction.
He stressed that China does not seek handouts from the Soviet Union, but only seeks friendly and mutually respectful relations between the two sides. Premier Zhou Enlai's firm position made Khrushchev irrefutable and had to make compromises.
The Japanese government has also repeatedly demanded demolition, but the Chinese government has taken a resolute attitude and rejected the Japanese government's unreasonable demands, and Japan has no choice but to give up.
So why did the Chinese government keep the tower?
First of all, the preservation of this tower is to remember the history and warn future generations.
With the passage of time, unless it is the older generation who came from that era, it is difficult for the younger generation to empathize with the tragic environment at that time.
It reminds us that we must not forget history, but all the more we must work hard to safeguard sovereignty and dignity.
Secondly, the tower was kept in order to expose the truth and educate the people.
The white bones under this tower are the flesh and blood of the Chinese people, and if the tower is there, it can always remind the Chinese people of the sins of the Japanese army more than 100 years ago.
Finally, the purpose of keeping the tower is to show self-confidence and fight back against Japan.
This tower is a provocation by Japan against China, and it is also a test for Japan. It has tested China's integrity and backbone, as well as China's wisdom and courage.
The self-esteem and self-confidence displayed by the Chinese in this incident shocked the world and demonstrated China's rationality and tolerance.
Today, in the 21 st century, there are still Chinese and their own compatriots who "persuade" the Chinese people to let go of their hatred? However, can this kind of national hatred really be put down? Can the ancestors who sacrificed underground really turn a blind eye? Can they really sit back and watch their backs reconcile with national enemies?
The author feels that if you still uphold the view of "letting go of ethnic hatred", it can only show one point, you are not worthy of being a Chinese.