Editor's note: The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a glorious turning point in the rise of China and the rejuvenation of the nation, and it is of great significance to revisit this period of history in today's ever-changing international political landscape. Preserving this history in the form of oral history with vivid examples and materials, so that the sons and daughters of China can remember the history of the Chinese nation's resistance to aggression and courageous struggle, as well as the great sacrifices and indelible major contributions made by the Chinese people in the world anti-fascist war, which can enhance national cohesion and provide a powerful spiritual driving force for the realization of the Chinese dream.
With the passage of time, the number of surviving Anti-Japanese War veterans (witnesses) is decreasing sharply, in order to enrich the historical materials of the Anti-Japanese War and let more people understand this history, Changsha Anti-Japanese War Culture Research Association, Anti-Japanese War Memorial Network, and Anti-Japanese War Library with the support of Shenzhen Longyue Charity Foundation, race against time to carry out the oral collection of "Recording History for Anti-Japanese War Veterans". Collect extensive materials on the Anti-Japanese War, listen to their stories, record their archives, and reproduce their eventful years. The stories of the veterans of the Anti-Japanese War, our history, are worth remembering!
In September 2023, Ren Gangqiang's team from the project team of "Recording History for Anti-Japanese War Veterans" went to Henan Province to visit veteran Zhang Peitian and record the story of veteran Zhang Peitian.
Veteran's Files
Zhang Peitian, born in 1927, a native of Fengqiu County, Henan, in 1938, the Japanese army invaded Fengqiu, Zhang Peitian, who was in elementary school, was forced to learn Xi Japanese, and after graduating from primary school, he was unwilling to continue to be a slave in the occupied area, so he enrolled in the second wartime middle school in Henan, Songxian County. After graduating from middle school in 1942, he was admitted to the National No. 10 Middle School and went to Qingshui, Gansu Province to study. In his junior year of high school, he responded to the call of the country to sign up for the Youth Expeditionary Force, and went to Hanzhong to supplement the artillery battalion of the 206th Division as a target until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.