The Spirit of the War of Resistance: A Powerful Spiritual Driving Force for the Chinese Nation to Overcome All Difficulties and Obstacles

On September 3, 2014, at the symposium commemorating the 69th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out profoundly: “In the magnificent process of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance, a great spirit of the War of Resistance was formed. The Chinese people showed the world their patriotic sentiment of ‘everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country,’ their national integrity of facing death unflinchingly and preferring death to surrender, their heroic spirit of defying brute force and fighting to the bitter end, and their unwavering faith in victory despite all setbacks and hardships.” [1]1 “Tianxia xingwang, pifu you ze” (天下兴亡，匹夫有责) is a classical Chinese saying meaning “everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country,” often attributed to the Ming-Qing scholar Gu Yanwu. Thereafter, at many important occasions, General Secretary Xi Jinping talked about the history of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance, stressing that the great spirit of the War of Resistance “is a precious spiritual treasure of the Chinese people and will forever be a powerful spiritual driving force inspiring the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech highly condensed and precisely summarized the formation background, scientific connotation and contemporary value of the spirit of the War of Resistance, providing us with fundamental guidance and an action guide for deeply understanding, inheriting and carrying forward the spirit of the War of Resistance.

2014年9月3日，习近平总书记在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利69周年座谈会上深刻指出：“在中国人民抗日战争的壮阔进程中，形成了伟大的抗战精神，中国人民向世界展示了天下兴亡、匹夫有责的爱国情怀，视死如归、宁死不屈的民族气节，不畏强暴、血战到底的英雄气概，百折不挠、坚忍不拔的必胜信念。”此后，习近平总书记在多个重要场合谈及中国人民抗战历史，强调伟大的抗战精神“是中国人民弥足珍贵的精神财富，永远是激励中国人民克服一切艰难险阻、为实现中华民族伟大复兴而奋斗的强大精神动力”。习近平总书记的重要讲话，高度凝练、精准概括了抗战精神的形成背景、科学内涵和时代价值，为我们深入理解、传承与弘扬抗战精神提供了根本遵循与行动指南。

The great spirit of the War of Resistance was nurtured in the surging War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a self-defensive war by the Chinese people against the aggression of Japanese imperialism, a great struggle between justice and evil, light and darkness, progress and reaction waged by the Chinese nation against Japanese fascism. In 1931, Japanese imperialism engineered the September 18 Incident and launched an armed war to invade Northeast China. [2]2 The September 18 Incident (1931) – Japanese military staged a railroad explosion near Shenyang as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China, marking the start of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance. The Chinese people rose up in resistance in the white mountains and black waters (Northeast China), marking the beginning of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. [3]3 “White mountains and black waters” (bai shan hei shui) refers to the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, symbolizing Northeast China where the resistance began. In 1937, the Japanese aggressors, marked by shelling Wanping County and attacking Lugou Bridge, began their long-premeditated full-scale war of aggression against China, and China launched the whole-nation War of Resistance. [4]4 The Lugou Bridge Incident (July 7, 1937) – a clash near Beijing triggered the full-scale Sino-Japanese War; also called the July 7 Incident. After 14 years of arduous and bloody fighting, at the heavy cost of 35 million casualties, the Chinese people defeated the Japanese aggressors with their lives and blood, won the first complete victory in the fight against foreign invasion since modern times, and made significant contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. In the unprecedentedly brutal War of Resistance, all Chinese sons and daughters fought for national survival, for national rejuvenation, and for human justice. The breadth of social mobilization, the depth of national awakening, the tenacity of fighting will, and the firmness of faith in victory all reached unprecedented heights. Countless heroes of the War of Resistance fought strong enemies with indomitable spirit and built a Great Wall with their flesh and blood, enabling the Chinese nation to straighten its unyielding spine and forge the great spirit of the War of Resistance that shines through the annals of history.

伟大抗战精神孕育于波澜壮阔的抗日战争。中国人民抗日战争是中国人民反抗日本帝国主义侵略的自卫战争，是中华民族与日本法西斯进行的一场正义与邪恶、光明与黑暗、进步与反动的大搏斗。1931年，日本帝国主义制造九一八事变，发动武装侵略中国东北的战争。中国人民在白山黑水间奋起抵抗，成为中国人民抗日战争的起点。1937年，日本侵略者以炮轰宛平县城、进攻卢沟桥为标志，开始蓄谋已久的全面侵华战争，中国则展开了全民族抗日战争。经过14年艰苦卓绝的浴血奋战，中国人民以付出伤亡3500万人的沉重代价，用生命和鲜血打败了日本侵略者，赢得了近代以来中国抗击外敌入侵的第一次完全胜利，也为世界反法西斯战争胜利作出了重大贡献。在空前惨烈的抗日战争中，全体中华儿女为国家生存而战、为民族复兴而战、为人类正义而战，社会动员之广泛，民族觉醒之深刻，战斗意志之顽强，必胜信念之坚定，都达到了空前的高度。无数抗战英雄以铮铮铁骨战强敌、以血肉之躯筑长城，让中华民族挺起不屈的脊梁，铸就了彪炳史册的伟大抗战精神。

The patriotic sentiment of “everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country” is the core essence of the spirit of the War of Resistance. Patriotism is the core of the Chinese national spirit, which has flowed in the blood of the Chinese nation since ancient times and is engraved in the spiritual genes of the Chinese nation. During the War of Resistance, facing the crisis of national survival, the Chinese Communists, with their resolute determination to resist to the end and their correct propositions for resistance, displayed a great and profound patriotic spirit, kindled the hope of the whole nation for national salvation, aroused the great awakening of the Chinese nation, and raised the patriotic sentiment of the Chinese nation to a new stage. Three days after the September 18 Incident, the CPC issued a declaration of resistance, and then within the same month issued three more declarations and resolutions. The day after the Lugou Bridge Incident, on July 8, 1937, the CPC Central Committee sent a telegram calling on the people of the whole country: “Peiping and Tianjin are in danger! North China is in danger! The Chinese nation is in danger! Only by implementing a whole-nation War of Resistance can we find a way out!” Under the banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front initiated by the CPC, all compatriots stepped forward with a strong sense of family and country and the national self-respect of “preferring death to becoming a slave”; all political parties, ethnic groups, classes, strata, and organizations shared a common hatred against the enemy and faced national calamity together. [5]5 “Tongchoukudi” (同仇敌忾) is a Chinese idiom meaning “to share a common hatred against the enemy; to unite in fury against the aggressor.” Inside and outside the Great Wall, north and south of the Yangtze River, flames of resistance were kindled everywhere. The antifascist forces led by the Kuomintang and the CPC undertook combat tasks on the frontal battlefield and the enemy’s rear battlefield respectively, forming a strategic situation of jointly resisting the Japanese aggressors. The vast numbers of compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, overseas Chinese, and Chinese abroad shared the same fate with the motherland and participated in and supported the motherland’s War of Resistance in various ways; many of them died for the country.

天下兴亡、匹夫有责的爱国情怀是抗战精神的核心要义。爱国主义是中华民族民族精神的核心，自古以来就流淌在中华民族的血脉之中，刻在中华民族的精神基因里。抗日战争中，面对民族生死存亡的危机，中国共产党人以自己坚决抗战到底的决心和正确的抗战主张，展现出伟大深沉的爱国主义精神，燃起全民族救亡图存的希望，唤起中华民族的大觉醒，使中华民族的爱国主义情怀上升到一个新阶段。九一八事变后第三天，中国共产党就发出抗战宣言，接着在当月又连续发出三份宣言和决议。卢沟桥事变发生的第二天，1937年7月8日，中共中央发出通电，向全国人民呼吁：“平津危急！华北危急！中华民族危急！只有全民族实行抗战，才是我们的出路！”全体同胞在中国共产党倡导建立的抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，以强烈的家国情怀，以“誓死不当亡国奴”的民族自尊，挺身而出；各党派、各民族、各阶级、各阶层、各团体同仇敌忾，共赴国难。长城内外，大江南北，到处燃起抗日烽火。中国国民党和中国共产党领导的抗日军队，分别担负着正面战场和敌后战场的作战任务，形成了共同抗击日本侵略者的战略态势。广大港澳同胞、台湾同胞、海外侨胞和海外华人，与祖国同呼吸、共命运，以各种方式参加和支援祖国人民抗战，不少同胞为国捐躯。

The national integrity of facing death unflinchingly and preferring death to surrender is the personal manifestation of the spirit of the War of Resistance. [6]6 “Shisi rugui, ning si buqu” (视死如归、宁死不屈) is a Chinese idiom meaning “to face death as going home; to prefer death to surrender,” describing extreme bravery and unyielding integrity. The Chinese nation has always valued integrity more than Mount Tai, advocating both the majestic and righteous spirit of “a person cannot be corrupted by wealth and rank, cannot be swayed by poverty and low status, and cannot be subdued by power and force” and the lofty virtue of “jade may be shattered but its whiteness remains; bamboo may be burned but its integrity is not destroyed.” [7]7 “Fugui bu neng yin, pinjian bu neng yi, weiwu bu neng qu” (富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈) is from Mencius, describing an upright person who cannot be corrupted by wealth, swayed by poverty, or subdued by force.[8]8 “Yu sui bu gai qi bai, zhu fen bu hui qi jie” (玉碎不改其白，竹焚不毁其节) is a literary allusion meaning “jade may be shattered but its whiteness remains; bamboo may be burned but its integrity (joints) is not destroyed,” symbolizing unwavering moral integrity. The full-scale war of aggression launched by Japan was a war intended to destroy all of China. The aggressors were extremely cruel to the Chinese people, using inhumane acts, bloody scenes, and appalling massacres in an attempt to force the Chinese people to submit. Unyieldingness in the face of force was the only answer of the Chinese nation to the aggressors. Facing the butcher knife of the aggressors, the Chinese people stood upright and fearless, charging into the smoke and fire of battle, even at the cost of their precious lives, to resolutely fight for national independence and the liberation of the people, displaying the righteousness, backbone and courage of the Chinese nation. In the life-and-death struggle against Japanese fascism, countless trials of life and death highlighted the lofty national integrity of Chinese soldiers and civilians. Yang Jingyu, Zhao Shangzhi, Zuo Quan, Peng Xuefeng, Tong Linge, Zhao Dengyu, Zhang Zizhong, Dai Anlan and other antifascist commanders gave their lives for the country, shaking heaven and earth. [9]9 Yang Jingyu (1905-1940) was a commander of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. After his death in battle, Japanese soldiers found his stomach contained only tree bark, cotton, and grass roots, highlighting his extraordinary endurance. Yang Jingyu, commander and political commissar of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, led his troops to fight a bloody battle in minus 40°C against an enemy several times his number, and finally fought alone to the last moment. After his death, the brutal Japanese soldiers cut open his abdomen and found no grains in his stomach, only grass roots, cotton wadding and tree bark. The “Five Heroes of Langya Mountain” of the Eighth Route Army, the “Liu Laozhuang Company” of the New Fourth Army, the eight women fighters of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, the “Eight Hundred Heroes” of the Kuomintang army and many other heroic groups defended the nation’s dignity and upheld national integrity with their heroic deeds of facing death unflinchingly. [10]10 The Five Heroes of Langya Mountain were five Eighth Route Army soldiers who, in 1941, covered their unit’s retreat and then leaped off a cliff to avoid capture, becoming iconic martyrs.

视死如归、宁死不屈的民族气节是抗战精神的人格彰显。中华民族历来视气节重如泰山，既提倡“富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈”的浩然正气，又宣扬“玉碎不改其白，竹焚不毁其节”的高风亮节。日本发动的全面侵华战争是一场企图灭亡全中国的战争，侵略者对中国人民极其残暴，以惨无人道的行径、血雨腥风的场面、令人发指的屠杀，妄图逼迫中国人民屈服。威武不屈是中华民族对侵略者的唯一回答。面对侵略者的屠刀，中国人民大义凛然，在炮火硝烟中冲锋陷阵，哪怕献出宝贵的生命也要坚决争取民族独立、人民解放，表现出中华民族的正气、骨气与胆气。在与日本法西斯的殊死较量中，无数次生与死的考验都凸显了中国军民崇高的民族气节。杨靖宇、赵尚志、左权、彭雪枫、佟麟阁、赵登禹、张自忠、戴安澜等一批抗日将领以身殉国，感天动地、气壮山河。东北抗日联军第一路军总司令兼政治委员杨靖宇，率部在零下40℃的严寒天气里，同数倍于己的敌人浴血奋战，最后他只身一人坚持战斗到最后一刻。牺牲后，残暴的日军剖开他的腹部，发现他胃中竟没有一粒粮食，只有草根、棉絮和树皮。八路军“狼牙山五壮士”、新四军“刘老庄连”、东北抗联八位女战士、国民党军“八百壮士”等众多英雄群体，都以视死如归的英雄壮举捍卫了民族的尊严，坚守了民族气节。

The heroic spirit of defying brute force and fighting to the bitter end is the external trait of the spirit of the War of Resistance. [11]11 “Bu wei qiangbao, xue zhan daodi” (不畏强暴、血战到底) means “to fear no brute force and to fight to the bitter end.” The Chinese people and the Chinese nation have always had the heroic spirit of defying brute force and daring to overwhelm all enemies without ever being overwhelmed by them. In modern times, facing repeated invasions by strong enemies, the Chinese nation never surrendered; instead, it kept assembling ranks, stepping forward in relentless succession, resisting tenaciously, vowing to fight the aggressors to the bitter end, and playing countless soul-stirring heroic anthems. In the face of the bloody atrocities of the Japanese aggressors, no matter how dangerous the situation or how brutal the war, Chinese soldiers and civilians always radiated an awe-inspiring revolutionary heroism and a heroic fighting spirit. Mao Zedong pointed out in “On Tactics against Japanese Imperialism”: “Our Chinese nation has the spirit of fighting the enemy to the bitter end.” In the Battle of Songhu, hundreds of thousands of soldiers stepped forward in relentless succession, building a fortress of resistance with their flesh and blood, smashing the enemy’s arrogant dream of “conquering China in three months.” [12]12 The Battle of Songhu (1937) – Chinese and Japanese forces fought fiercely for three months in Shanghai, shattering Japan’s claim of conquering China in three months. In the Battle of Pingxingguan, the Eighth Route Army fought a bloody battle to the death with the Japanese army and won their first victory. [13]13 The Battle of Pingxingguan (1937) – the Eighth Route Army ambushed and defeated a Japanese column in Shanxi, its first major victory. In the Battle of Tai’erzhuang, soldiers faced hail of bullets and fought through heavy enemy fire, eliminating a large number of Japanese effective forces and achieving a major victory on the frontal battlefield. [14]14 The Battle of Tai’erzhuang (1938) – Chinese forces defeated Japanese troops in Shandong, a major victory on the frontal battlefield. In the Hundred Regiments Offensive, antifascist soldiers and civilians maneuvered freely, launched an all-out attack on the transportation lines, and through sustained fierce fighting, dealt a heavy blow to the enemy’s arrogance. [15]15 The Hundred Regiments Offensive (1940) – a large-scale Communist-led attack on Japanese lines in North China, involving over 100 regiments. In the years of beacon fire of the War of Resistance, Chinese soldiers and civilians threw themselves into one breathtaking struggle after another with the resolve and courage of “even if my body is ground to powder, I am not afraid,” fully displaying the hero’s mettle. Ten soldiers from a certain company of the Eighth Route Army passed through Mashan Mountain, entered and exited the enemy encirclement four times, successfully escorted more than 1,000 civilians to safety, but all ten brave men shed their blood on the battlefield. [16]16 The Battle of Mashan (1942) – ten Eighth Route Army soldiers repeatedly entered an enemy encirclement to evacuate over 1,000 civilians, sacrificing all their lives. With their spirit of meeting danger fearlessly, fighting courageously, standing upright in great righteousness, and facing death unflinchingly, they became the most distinctive spiritual hallmark of the Chinese nation when repelling foreign aggression, the most direct and shocking external manifestation of the spirit of the War of Resistance.

不畏强暴、血战到底的英雄气概是抗战精神的外在特质。中国人民和中华民族历来具有不畏强暴、敢于压倒一切敌人而不被敌人所压倒的英雄气概。近代以后，面对强敌的一次次入侵，中华民族没有屈服，而是不断集结起队伍，前仆后继，顽强抗争，誓与侵略者血战到底，奏响了无数气壮山河的英雄凯歌。面对日本侵略者的血腥暴行，无论形势多么险恶、战争多么残酷，中国军民始终焕发出大无畏的革命英雄主义精神和英勇顽强的战斗精神。毛泽东在《论反对日本帝国主义的策略》中指出，“我们中华民族有同自己的敌人血战到底的气概”。淞沪抗战，数十万将士前仆后继，以血肉之躯筑起抵御的堡垒，粉碎了日军“三个月灭亡中国”的狂妄迷梦；平型关伏击战，八路军与日军浴血死拼，取得首战胜利；台儿庄战役，将士们在枪林弹雨中出生入死，歼灭了日军大量有生力量，取得正面战场大捷；百团大战，抗日军民纵横捭阖，在交通干线上全面出击，借持续激战重挫敌人嚣张气焰……在抗日战争的烽火岁月里，中国军民以“粉骨碎身浑不怕”的决绝和勇毅，投身于一场场惊心动魄的抗争，尽显英雄本色。八路军某连6班途经马石山的10名战士，四进三出敌人包围圈，成功护送1000余名群众安全转移，而10位勇士全部血洒战场。他们以临危不惧、奋勇抗争、大义凛然、视死如归的牺牲精神成为中华民族抵御外侮时最鲜明的精神标识，是抗战精神最直观、最震撼的外在彰显。

The unwavering faith in victory despite all setbacks and hardships is the inner driving force of the spirit of the War of Resistance. [17]17 “Baizhe bu nao, jianren bu ba” (百折不挠、坚忍不拔) means “indomitable and tenacious, never giving up despite repeated setbacks.” Chinese civilization has gone through vicissitudes and suffered severe hardships, but it has always kept striving constantly to improve itself, becoming the only civilization in world history that has never been interrupted. One important reason for this is the Chinese nation’s quality of remaining indomitable despite repeated setbacks and being firm and persevering. During the 14 years of the War of Resistance, faith in victory always acted like a powerful engine, continuously injecting spiritual momentum into the victory of the War of Resistance, becoming the spiritual pillar for the Chinese nation to resist foreign aggression and defend its dignity. Faith was like a torch; even after nine deaths, there was no regret. No matter how hard the conditions, no matter how brutal the war, no matter how great the sacrifice, the Chinese people never wavered in their determination to recover the lost land. The Chinese Communists, represented mainly by Comrade Mao Zedong, with their faith in victory and outstanding wisdom, scientifically predicted that the war would go through three stages: strategic defense, strategic stalemate, and strategic counteroffensive, leading Chinese soldiers and civilians to put up a long and tenacious resistance, step by step accumulating partial advantages and combining them into an overall advantage, so that the Chinese people and the Chinese nation turned from passivity to initiative strategically, ultimately turning inferiority into superiority, defeating the strong with the weak, turning defeat into victory, and vanquishing the vicious Japanese militarist aggressors, achieving the final victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. An article titled “Thanking the Soldiers for Defending the Country” published on September 19, 1937, in Dagongbao said: “Today on the northern and southern battlefields, people are vying to die, fighting to die, because everyone has an absolute faith, knowing that sacrificing oneself is for the independent freedom of the Chinese nation’s sons and daughters for generations to come, and they are sure to achieve it.” [18]18 Dagongbao (大公报) is a Chinese newspaper founded in 1902, known for its independence and coverage of the War of Resistance. Precisely because the Chinese people held firmly to the faith of fighting to the end, persisted in the War of Resistance, and waged a protracted war, the revolutionary struggle of the whole nation eventually converged into a huge historical torrent. With the equipment of “millet plus rifles,” they defeated the arrogant Japanese imperialism, won the final victory of the war, and created a miracle in the history of human warfare. [19]19 “Millet plus rifles” (xiaomi jia buqiang) is a metaphor for the Communist forces’ primitive equipment, emphasizing that victory came from morale and strategy rather than material superiority.

百折不挠、坚忍不拔的必胜信念是抗战精神的内在动力。中华文明历经沧桑、饱受磨难，但始终自强不息，成为世界文明史上唯一没有中断的文明，一个重要原因就是中华民族百折不挠、坚忍不拔。在长达14年的抗战岁月里，必胜信念始终如同一台强劲有力的引擎，为抗战胜利源源不断地注入精神动能，成为中华民族抵御外侮、捍卫尊严的精神支柱。信念如炬，九死未悔。无论条件多么艰苦，无论战争多么残酷，无论牺牲多么巨大，中国人民从来都没有动摇光复河山的决心。以毛泽东同志为主要代表的中国共产党人，以必胜信念和卓绝智慧，科学预见战争将历经战略防御、战略相持、战略反攻三个阶段，引领中国军民长期顽强抗战，一步步积累局部优势，叠加聚变为全局胜势，使中国人民和中华民族在战略上从被动转为主动，最终实现化劣为优、以弱胜强、反败为胜，打败了穷凶极恶的日本军国主义侵略者，取得中国人民抗日战争最后胜利。1937年9月19日《大公报》刊载的《感谢卫国军人》一文中这样写道：“今天南北战场上，是争着死，抢着死，因为大家有绝对的信仰，知道牺牲自己，是换取中华民族子子孙孙万代的独立自由，并且确有把握，一定达到。”正是因为中国人民抱定抗战到底的信念，坚持抗战，持久抗战，终于使全国人民的革命斗争汇聚成了巨大的历史洪流，以小米加步枪的装备，战胜了不可一世的日本帝国主义，赢得了战争的最后胜利，创造了人类战争史上的一个奇迹。

Online editor: Tongxin.

网络编辑：同心