China's modern history has too much humiliating blood and tears, and the imperialist powers have set their sights on China in order to satisfy their desires and expand their markets.
As an invader, in the process of invading colonization, many buildings with the characteristics of colonial countries will be left in the colonized cities. For example, the Hagia Sophia Church in Harbin with the characteristics of Tsarist culture, the Wanghailou Church with the characteristics of French culture in Tianjin, and the European Prison with European style in Qingdao.
These colonial buildings are like hideous old scars, reminding people not to forget the humiliating past. In Lushun City, there is also such a Japanese building, which is the "Omotechu Tower" built by the Japanese to commemorate their soldiers who died in battle.
The war years left traces of aggression
In 1931, Japan launched the September 18 Incident, and one of China's granaries, the three northeastern provinces with fertile black soil, gradually fell. Here, the Japanese army implemented the "three lights" policy, which caused the people on this fertile land to endure great suffering. During the more than ten years of colonial rule, the Japanese army inflicted indelible physical and psychological damage on the people of Northeast China.
Not only that, but in the process of colonial rule, they also tried to "educate" the local people, making them speak and write Japanese, and built many buildings in the Japanese cultural style. Through these means, they encroached on this land as their own territory.
In fact, long before the Japanese army launched a war of aggression against China and occupied the three eastern provinces, Japan had a conflict with Tsarist Russia over the control of China's Liaodong Peninsula. As the conflict of interests between the two intensified, the Russo-Japanese War broke out between the two countries. In the end, Japan won the war, but it also paid a very heavy price, and many Japanese soldiers were killed on the front line.
After the end of the war, in order to beautify the war of aggression, deceive the people at home, and at the same time pay tribute to the dead soldiers, Japan forcibly captured more than 20,000 Chinese laborers in Lushun City, Dalian, China, and built a "Biaozhong Tower" to commemorate the fallen Japanese soldiers. At the time of construction, most of the materials of the tower were transported from Japan, and in order to highlight its importance, the materials outside the tower were precious stones sent by the Japanese who traveled thousands of miles across the sea.
It took the Japanese two years to build a memorial tower on the vast land of China to commemorate the Japanese soldiers who died in battle. When the tower was first built, the Japanese held a grand ceremony for 28 days, and all the Japanese princes, shoguns and other aristocratic classes came to the banquet.
Not only that, but in the years that followed, the Japanese army forced the local Chinese people to come here regularly to pay their respects. If the local Chinese rebelled or expressed any negative feelings, they were all put to death. The existence of this memorial tower is undoubtedly a humiliation to the devastated land of China at that time.
Annoyed and angry, the Japanese side made unreasonable demands
This Pyochung Tower, both in appearance and some details of its construction, shows the ugly and arrogant face of the Japanese in invading other countries at that time. A large number of laborers disappeared while revising the tower, and the entire tower was in the shape of cannonballs, and the fence of the observation deck at the top of the tower was built in the shape of the Japanese flag, implying that they came to the land of China as strong men and visited the beautiful scenery of China at will.
The construction of this tower was a humiliation of Russia's defeat at that time, and even more so a humiliation of China. On the soil of China, commemorating the Japanese soldiers who died in battle for the invasion of China sounds ridiculous and ridiculous today!
After years of arduous resistance, the invaders were finally driven out of the land of China, and the colonies were reclaimed by the state. The buildings left by the great powers during the invasion have become the scars left by the history on the land of China at that time. As China's national power grows, so does the public's call for the demolition of these buildings.
Regarding the departure and stay of Pyochung Tower, Japan and Russia quarreled first. Russia believes that the tower should be demolished and a new Russian memorial tower should be erected here, but Japan strongly opposes it.
Faced with an unreasonable request to build a memorial tower for Tsarist Russia, China did not hesitate to refuse. At that time, most of the Chinese people also supported the demolition of the pagoda, but this undoubtedly touched a sensitive nerve in Japan. Annoyed and angry, the Japanese side said that the tower was used to commemorate the souls of the Japanese soldiers, and that it would be disrespectful to them to dismantle it. If the tower had to be demolished, all the building materials sent to Japan would have to be returned, and a Japanese-style hotel would be built in the vicinity.
As a great power that invaded other countries, it once made this land full of wolf smoke and lifeless, and now it is defeated and returned to China, and still wants to show off its power here. In the face of the ridiculous demands of the Japanese side, the Chinese side also refused without hesitation.
Preserve the building and serve as a wake-up call for future generations
After many consultations and communication, the local government thought twice and finally decided to leave this "Biaozhong Tower". The existence of Pyochung Pagoda is intended to remind future generations at all times not to forget the shameful history of being invaded, and to cherish peace while taking history as a mirror and constantly striving for indignation.
Later, the Lushun government made some renovations to the "Biaozhong Tower". First of all, the "Pyochung Tower" was renamed "Baekyusan Tower", and then some inscriptions recording the history of Japanese invasion engraved on the north side of the tower were erased, and the fence in the shape of the Japanese flag on the observation deck was completely removed. This memorial tower, which was originally used to commemorate the souls of the Japanese army, has become a symbol of the local people who always remind the people of the history of the invasion.
Although the tower has not been demolished, it still serves as an important motivator to this day. After entering the new era, the turbulent and war-torn years have been difficult to find, the country has become rich and strong, the quality of life of the people has been continuously improved, and the humiliating history seems to have been covered with thick dust with the passage of time.
Although this history is full of blood, tears and pain, it should always be hidden in the hearts of every Chinese people, rather than being gradually forgotten with the history of time. The demolition of the "Pyochung Tower" may be able to soothe the wounded hearts of the people at that time to a certain extent and gain temporary comfort from it, but leaving this tower shows a kind of courage and unyielding spirit.
Mr. Lu Xun once said: "We must dare to face it, so that we can dare to think, dare to speak, dare to do, and dare to act." "The existence of Pyochung Pagoda has always inspired future generations to face up to the past history, take history as a mirror, remember the national shame, and cherish peace. With this history as a spur, even in a prosperous and prosperous era, we should always be prepared for danger in times of peace and contribute to the development of the motherland!