The Historical Turning Point of the Chinese Nation from Deep Crisis toward Great Rejuvenation

The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the longest-lasting, largest-scale, and most costly national liberation struggle waged by the Chinese people against foreign invasion in modern times. Through arduous and bitter fighting, the Chinese people won their first complete victory against foreign invasion in the modern era. This great victory became the historical turning point for the Chinese nation as it moved from the deep crisis it had fallen into in modern times toward great rejuvenation. History is the best textbook and also the best sobering agent. Looking back at the great victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression eighty years ago, it has already been transformed into a huge and invaluable spiritual treasure, surging in the hearts of every son and daughter of China, guiding us to surmount all difficulties and obstacles and march bravely toward national rejuvenation!

抗日战争是近代以来中国人民反抗外敌入侵持续时间最长、规模最大、牺牲最多的民族解放斗争，中国人民经过艰苦卓绝的浴血奋战，赢得了近代以来抗击外敌入侵的第一次完全胜利。这个伟大胜利，成为中华民族从近代以来陷入深重危机走向伟大复兴的历史转折点。历史是最好的教科书，也是最好的清醒剂。回望80年前中国人民抗日战争的伟大胜利，它已然化作一笔巨大的、弥足珍贵的精神财富，激荡在每一个中华儿女的胸膛，引领我们跨越一切艰难险阻，向着民族复兴勇毅前进！

I. The Awakening of the Chinese Nation: From a Heap of Loose Sand to a Great Wall of Flesh and Blood

一、中华民族的觉醒：从一盘散沙到血肉长城

The history of modern China is a history of suffering aggression and humiliation at the hands of imperialist powers, among which the Japanese war of aggression against China brought the heaviest disasters, the greatest losses, and the deepest suffering to the Chinese people, plunging the Chinese nation into an unprecedentedly severe national crisis. But as Engels said: “No great historical calamity is without compensation for historical progress.” In the great struggle to resist the Japanese aggressors to the death, the national awakening and unity of the Chinese nation reached an unprecedented height.

近代中国历史，是一部受尽帝国主义列强侵略凌辱的历史，其中尤以日本侵华战争给中国人民带来的灾难最重、损失最大、苦难最深，使中华民族陷入空前严重的民族危机。但正如恩格斯说：“没有哪一次巨大的历史灾难不是以历史的进步为补偿的。”在拼死抵抗日本侵略者的伟大斗争中，中华民族的民族觉醒和团结达到了前所未有的高度。

—“Arise! Arise!” The Communist Party of China sounded the clarion call to awaken the masses and save the nation from peril

——“起来！起来！”中国共产党吹响唤醒民众挽救危亡的号角

After 1840, the continuous Japanese imperialist aggression against China was the darkest page in modern Chinese history. After entering the 20th century, the pace of the Japanese aggressors’ invasion of China greatly accelerated, pressing forward step by step, and their ambition to destroy China and dominate China alone expanded rapidly. In 1914, they occupied Qingdao; in 1915, they put forward the “Twenty-One Demands.” In 1931, they instigated the September 18th Incident [1]1 The September 18th Incident (1931): A staged event used by the Japanese Kwantung Army as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China. and occupied Northeast China. In 1932, they provoked the January 28th Incident [2]2 The January 28th Incident (1932): A Japanese military attack on Shanghai, met by resistance from the Chinese 19th Route Army. and launched a large-scale attack on Shanghai. In 1933, they crossed the Shanhai Pass and occupied Rehe. In 1935, they created the North China Incident [3]3 The North China Incident (1935): A series of Japanese moves to extend control over northern Chinese provinces, including demands for “autonomy.” and instigated the so-called “North China Autonomy Movement.” In 1937, they created the Marco Polo Bridge Incident [4]4 The Marco Polo Bridge Incident (1937): A clash near Beijing that triggered the full-scale outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. and launched a full-scale war of aggression against China. The aggressive acts of the Japanese invaders, pressing hard and extremely arrogant, pushed the Chinese nation to the brink of national subjugation and genocide.

1840年以后，日本帝国主义对华持续侵略是近代中国历史上最黑暗的一页。进入20世纪以后，日本侵略者的侵华步伐大大加速、步步紧逼，灭亡中国、独霸中国的野心急剧膨胀。1914年侵占青岛，1915年提出“二十一条”。1931年策动九一八事变，侵占东北。1932年挑起一二八事变，大举进攻上海。1933年越过山海关，侵占热河。1935年制造华北事变，策动所谓“华北自治运动”。1937年制造卢沟桥事变，发动全面侵华战争。日寇咄咄逼人、猖狂至极的侵略行径，将中华民族逼到了亡国灭种的境地。

Faced with the large-scale aggression of Japanese militarism, the extensive loss of national territory, and the humiliating retreat and concessions of the Kuomintang government, the Communist Party of China was the first to raise high the banner of armed resistance against Japan, calling on all workers, peasants, and laboring masses of the whole country to “unanimously mobilize and arm themselves, and give a severe answer to the Japanese bandits and all imperialists.” In October 1935, it issued the “Letter to All Compatriots on Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation” (i.e., the August First Declaration) [5]5 The August First Declaration (1935): A public appeal by the Chinese Communist Party calling for a united front against Japan, issued during the Long March., loudly raising the slogan “Resist Japan and Save the Nation,” and calling for an end to the civil war, for all political parties, armies, and compatriots of all walks of life to concentrate all national strength on the sacred cause of resisting Japan and saving the nation. In December of the same year, at the Wayaobu Conference [6]6 The Wayaobu Conference (December 1935): A key CCP meeting that formally adopted the policy of the Anti-Japanese National United Front., it formally established the strategic policy of the Anti-Japanese National United Front. On July 8, 1937, the day after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Central Committee of the CPC sent a telegram to the whole country, issuing the strongest voice for the whole nation’s war of resistance: “Beiping and Tianjin are in danger! North China is in danger! The Chinese nation is in danger! Only by the whole nation carrying out a war of resistance is our way out!”

面对日本军国主义的大举侵略、国土的大片沦丧和国民党政府的屈辱退让，中国共产党率先高举武装抗日旗帜，号召全中国工农劳苦民众“一致动员武装起来，给日本强盗与一切帝国主义以严重的回答”。1935年10月，发表《为抗日救国告全体同胞书》（即八一宣言），响亮地提出“抗日救国”的口号，呼吁停止内战，全国各党派、各军队、各界同胞集中一切国力去为抗日救国的神圣事业而奋斗。同年12月，在瓦窑堡会议上正式确立了抗日民族统一战线的策略方针。1937年7月8日，卢沟桥事变发生第二天，中共中央通电全国，发出了全民族抗战的最强音：“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！”

In order to promote the establishment of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, the Communist Party of China, putting national interests and the greater good of the nation first, adjusted its policy toward the Kuomintang with broad political magnanimity, moving from “opposing Chiang Kai-shek and resisting Japan” to “forcing Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan,” and then to “allying with Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan,” facilitating the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident [7]7 The Xi’an Incident (December 1936): The kidnapping of Chiang Kai-shek by his own generals, resolved through CCP mediation, leading to a united front against Japan., and pushing the Kuomintang and the Communist Party onto the path of second cooperation, thereby preparing the necessary prerequisite for the realization of the whole nation’s war of resistance.

为了促进抗日民族统一战线建立，中国共产党以国家利益、民族大义为重，以博大的政治胸怀调整对国民党政策，从“反蒋抗日”、“逼蒋抗日”，到“联蒋抗日”，促成和平解决西安事变，推动国共两党走上第二次合作的道路，为实现全民族抗战准备了必要前提。

The correct propositions and actions of the Communist Party of China in resisting Japan and saving the nation demonstrated its clear stance of resolutely opposing Japanese aggression, reflected the indomitable will of the Chinese nation never to yield in the face of Japanese aggression, and sounded the clarion call for the awakening of the Chinese nation.

中国共产党抗日救亡的正确主张和行动，表明了坚决反对日本侵略的鲜明立场，反映了中华民族面对日本侵略决不屈服的顽强意志，吹响了中华民族觉醒的号角。

—“Each and every one is forced to utter his last roar,” the sleeping Eastern lion awakens

——“每个人被迫着发出最后的吼声”，东方睡狮猛醒

The thunderous roar of the Japanese aggressors’ artillery heavily struck the hearts of the Chinese people, shaking awake the long-slumbering Eastern “sleeping lion.” A young student wrote in a letter to Zou Taofen, editor-in-chief of *Mass Life* [8]8 *Mass Life*: A progressive Shanghai weekly edited by Zou Taofen, a prominent journalist and publisher.: “The enemy’s planes are constantly flying over our heads; the sound of artillery from so-called field exercises shakes the glass windows of the classrooms; machine guns keep firing during target practice. Every single bullet seems to hit our hearts, making us feel so distressed. Sir, can we still study?” The theme song of the 1935 film *Children of Troubled Times* [9]9 *Children of Troubled Times*: A 1935 Chinese film whose theme song, “March of the Volunteers,” later became the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. shouted out the common voice of the pent-up grief and indignation of all Chinese sons and daughters: “Arise! All who refuse to be slaves! Let our flesh and blood forge our new Great Wall! The Chinese nation faces its most dangerous moment, each and every one is forced to utter his last roar.”

日本侵略者的隆隆炮声沉重敲击着国人心坎，震醒了沉睡已久的东方“睡狮”。一个青年学生在写给《大众生活》主编邹韬奋的信中说：“敌人的飞机尽在我们头上掠过，所谓野外演习的炮声震得教室的玻璃窗发抖，机关枪不断的响着在打靶。这一颗颗的子弹，好像每颗都打在我们心上一样的难过。先生，我们能念书吗？”1935年上映的影片《风云儿女》，其主题歌喊出了中华儿女满腔悲愤的共同心声：“起来！不愿做奴隶的人们！把我们的血肉，筑成我们新的长城！中华民族到了最危险的时候，每个人被迫着发出最后的吼声。”

The grief and indignation of the entire nation accumulated, surged, and grew; the whole of China was like a volcano about to erupt. On December 9, 1935, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, thousands of patriotic students poured into the streets, raising their arms and shouting slogans such as “Down with Japanese imperialism!” and “Stop the civil war, unite against foreign aggression!” The storm of resistance against Japan and national salvation by students in Beiping quickly swept across the land north and south of the Great Wall and both sides of the Yangtze River, with resistance and national salvation movements surging forward everywhere.

整个民族悲愤的情绪郁积着、奔腾着、增长着，整个中国就像一座喷薄欲发的火山。1935年12月9日，在中国共产党的领导下，数千名爱国学生涌上街头，振臂高呼“打倒日本帝国主义”、“停止内战，一致对外”等口号。北平学生的抗日救亡风暴迅速席卷长城内外、大江南北，各地的抗日救亡运动风起云涌。

The awakening of a nation usually requires two conditions: first, that the nation faces a severe crisis it has never encountered before, with the entire nation pushed to the point of life and death; second, that at this juncture of life and death, the nation can also see a new way out and kindle new hope. This is precisely why modern China, repeatedly invaded, colonized, and oppressed, never fully awakened this “sleeping lion” of the Chinese nation, but during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression it began to awaken and rise up in struggle. The unprecedented danger of national subjugation, combined with the guidance of the Communist Party of China in raising high the banner of the whole nation’s war of resistance, prompted the Chinese nation to complete a tremendous transformation from a “sleeping lion” to an “awakened lion” and a “raging lion.”

一个民族的觉醒，通常需要两个条件：一是这个民族面临以往从没有遇到过的严重危机，整个民族被逼到了生死存亡的关头；二是在生死存亡之际，还需要这个民族能看到新的出路，燃起新的希望。这也就是为什么近代中国一次又一次被侵略、被殖民、被压迫，都没有使中华民族这头“睡狮”完全醒来，但在抗日战争中开始觉醒和奋起抗争的原因。前所未有的亡国危险与中国共产党高举全民族抗战旗帜的指引，促使中华民族完成了从“睡狮”到“醒狮”、“怒狮”的巨大转变。

—“Four hundred million people all step forward with vigor,” the Chinese nation achieves unprecedented unity and cohesion

——“四万万人齐蹈厉”，中华民族空前团结凝聚

Under the banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, established on the basis of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation as advocated by the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, once divided and scattered like a heap of loose sand, unhesitatingly threw themselves into the torrent of resisting the Japanese aggressors.

在中国共产党倡导建立的以国共合作为基础的抗日民族统一战线旗帜下，中国人民一改过去四分五裂、一盘散沙状况，义无反顾投身到抗击日本侵略者的洪流之中。

Men and women, old and young, were all mobilized. “Mothers send their sons to fight the Japanese; wives send their husbands to the battlefield.” In Miyun, Beijing, the heroic mother Deng Yufen [10]10 Deng Yufen: A rural woman from Miyun County, Beijing, who sent her entire family to fight the Japanese; all died in the war. sent her husband and five children to the front lines, one after another; all of them later died on the battlefield. All sectors of society provided full support. “Those with money contributed money, those with guns contributed guns, those with grain contributed grain, those with strength contributed strength, those with specialized skills contributed specialized skills.” Industry, journalism, education, and the arts were urgently mobilized; even many monks from religious circles shouldered rifles and joined the anti-Japanese ranks. Overseas Chinese contributed wholeheartedly. Anti-Japanese national salvation organizations among overseas Chinese were established one after another, supporting the motherland’s war of resistance through various means. The famous patriotic overseas Chinese leader Chen Jiageng [11]11 Chen Jiageng (Tan Kah Kee): A leading overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist from Singapore who organized fundraising for China’s war effort. initiated the establishment of the South Seas Federation of Chinese Chambers of Commerce, actively organizing overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to donate money and goods and return to China to participate in the war. These new phenomena, unseen in the past hundred years, marked the unprecedented awakening and unity of an ancient nation. This awakening and unity embodied a high degree of identification with the nation and the state, and consolidated the will and strength of the entire nation. The Japanese aggressors increasingly discovered that what they faced was the continuously consolidating Anti-Japanese National United Front, composed of the entire Chinese nation—an indestructible and insurmountable iron wall!

男女老幼尽数发动。“母亲叫儿打东洋，妻子送郎上战场。”北京密云，英雄母亲邓玉芬先后把丈夫和5个孩子送上前线，后来他们全部战死沙场。社会各界全力支援。“有钱的出钱，有枪的出枪，有粮的出粮，有力的出力，有专门技能的供献专门技能”，工业、新闻、教育、艺术各界紧急行动起来，宗教界不少僧侣也扛起钢枪，参加抗日队伍。华人华侨倾囊相助。海外华侨抗日救国组织纷纷成立，通过各种方式支援祖国抗战。著名爱国华侨领袖陈嘉庚发起成立南侨总会，积极组织南洋华侨捐款捐物、回国参战。这些百年以来未曾有过的新气象，标志着一个古老民族的空前觉醒与团结。这种觉醒与团结，体现的是对国家、民族的高度认同，凝聚的是全民族的意志和力量。日本侵略者越来越发现，其面对的是不断凝聚起来的由整个中华民族组成的抗日民族统一战线，一道坚不可摧、无法逾越的铜墙铁壁！

The test of the flames of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression brought the progress of the Chinese people in spirit and organization to an unprecedented height, greatly enhancing the sense of identity and cohesion of the Chinese nation, and greatly strengthening the consciousness of the Chinese people to fight for the future and destiny of the nation. All of this laid a solid foundation for national rejuvenation.

抗日战争烽火的考验，使中国人民在精神上、组织上的进步达到前所未有的高度，大大提升了中华民族的认同感和凝聚力，大大增强了中国人民为民族前途和命运抗争的意识，这些都为民族复兴打下了坚实的基础。

II. The Forging of the Central Force for National Rejuvenation: From Repeated Defeats to Invincibility

二、民族复兴中坚力量的锻造：从屡战屡败到不可战胜

In the nearly one hundred years before the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, every Chinese resistance against foreign invasion ended in failure. So why was it that a poor and weak China could defeat the once-invincible Japanese militarism and achieve victory in the War of Resistance? What was the deepest driving force in historical change?

抗日战争前的近百年间，中国反抗外敌入侵没有一次不是以失败而结束的。那么，积贫积弱的中国，为什么能在抗日战争中战胜不可一世的日本军国主义、夺取胜利呢？历史变化中最深刻的动因是什么？

—There was a well-deserved mainstay

——有当之无愧的中流砥柱

From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has taken the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its historic mission, defending national independence most resolutely, safeguarding national interests most firmly, and resisting foreign aggression most courageously. From advocating the establishment of the Anti-Japanese National United Front to persisting in implementing the comprehensive line of resistance, from proposing the general strategy of protracted war to implementing a complete set of people's war strategies and tactics, from extensively establishing anti-Japanese base areas to actively opening up enemy rear battlefields, the Chinese Communists, with their political propositions, firm will, and exemplary actions, led the correct direction for winning the war, propped up the hope of the Chinese nation for national salvation from extinction, and became the mainstay of the entire nation's War of Resistance.

中国共产党自成立之日起，就把实现中华民族伟大复兴作为自己的历史使命，捍卫民族独立最坚定，维护民族利益最坚决，反抗外来侵略最勇敢。从倡导建立抗日民族统一战线到坚持贯彻全面抗战路线，从提出持久战战略总方针到实施一整套人民战争的战略战术，从广泛建立抗日根据地到积极开辟敌后战场，中国共产党人以自己的政治主张、坚定意志、模范行动，引领着夺取战争胜利的正确方向，支撑起中华民族救亡图存的希望，成为全民族抗战的中流砥柱。

During the stage of strategic stalemate in the War of Resistance, while the Communist Party of China led the military and civilians in the base areas to tenaciously and arduously resist the Japanese invaders and the enemy rear battlefield increasingly became the main battlefield, the die-hard Kuomintang clique, disregarding the overall situation of the War of Resistance, launched three anti-communist upsurges, and in January 1941 even created the shocking Southern Anhui Incident [12]12 Yang Jingyu (1905–1940) was a commander of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army who fought against Japanese occupation forces in Manchuria; he died in battle and was found to have consumed only cotton and tree bark in his final days.. The Communist Party of China, however, always prioritized the overall situation of the War of Resistance, did not haggle over various grievances with the Kuomintang, firmly guarded the Anti-Japanese National United Front, the lifeline for victory in the War of Resistance, and with outstanding political leadership and correct strategic tactics, unswervingly maintained and promoted the nationwide War of Resistance.

在抗战进入战略相持阶段，在中国共产党领导根据地军民艰难顽强抗击日寇、敌后战场日益成为抗战主战场的过程中，国民党顽固派不顾抗战大局，先后掀起三次反共高潮，1941年1月更是制造了震惊中外的皖南事变。中国共产党却始终以抗战大局为重，不计较与国民党的种种恩怨，牢牢守护着抗日民族统一战线这一抗战胜利的命脉，以卓越的政治领导力和正确的战略策略，坚定不移维护和推动全民族抗战。

During the arduous years of leading the War of Resistance, the Communist Party of China, through the creative implementation of the "great project" of Party building [13]13 Wang Jiantang was a soldier from Sichuan province who fought in the War of Resistance; his father's gift of a banner bearing the character for "death" symbolized a determination to sacrifice for the nation., achieved maturity through comprehensive forging in politics, ideology, organization, work style, and discipline, becoming the strong core leading the Chinese people in striving for national independence and people's liberation. With a new image, it brought a new atmosphere to the War of Resistance, and more and more people and the international community came to understand and recognize the Communist Party of China. The U.S. Army Observer Group in Yan'an once commented that the War of Resistance led by the Communist Party had "a vibrant atmosphere and strength, a desire to engage the enemy."

在领导抗战的艰苦岁月，中国共产党通过创造性实施党的建设这个“伟大工程”，以政治上、思想上、组织上、作风上、纪律上的全面锻造走向成熟，成为领导中国人民争取民族独立和人民解放的坚强核心，以崭新的风貌带给抗战崭新的气象，越来越广泛的人民群众和国际社会了解和认识了中国共产党。美军驻延安军事观察组曾经评论，共产党领导的抗战“有一种生机勃勃的气氛和力量，一种和敌人交手的愿望”。

——Having a heroic people's army capable of defeating a strong enemy

——有制胜强敌的英雄人民军队

In May 1938, vast territories in North and East China fell to the enemy, and the crisis of national subjugation and racial extinction loomed like black clouds over the land. Amid the nation's panic, a resounding voice clearly and firmly told the world

1938年5月，华北、华东大片国土沦丧，亡国灭种的危机犹如黑云笼罩大地。举国惶然之际，一个洪亮的声音，清晰而坚定地告诉世人：“中国会亡吗？答复：不会亡，最后胜利是中国的。中国能够速胜吗？答复：不能速胜，抗日战争是持久战。”毛泽东同志发表《论持久战》，汇集全党智慧，科学系统地阐明了持久抗战的总方针，提出了一整套动员人民群众，在持久战中不断削弱敌方的优势、生长自己的力量、以夺取最后胜利的切实可行的办法，指明了中国抗战必胜的前景。

Under the guidance of the general policy of an all-out war of resistance and the strategic master plan of protracted war, the anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Communist Party of China struck like a drawn sword. The three divisions of the Eighth Route Army advanced to the anti-Japanese front line in North China, while the New Fourth Army developed the battlefield behind enemy lines in Central China. The battlefield behind enemy lines, opened up under the leadership of the CPC, and the frontal battlefield commanded by the Kuomintang coordinated with and flanked the enemy, gradually shifting China from a strategic disadvantage to an advantage, thereby creating conditions for the final victory of the War of Resistance against Japan.

在全面抗战路线和持久战战略总方针指导下，中国共产党领导的敌后抗日武装犹如利剑出鞘，八路军三个师挺进华北抗日前线，新四军发展华中敌后战场……中国共产党领导开辟的敌后战场和国民党指挥的正面战场相互配合、前后夹击，使中国逐步由战略上的劣势转变为优势，为夺取抗日战争最后胜利创造了条件。

In their operations against the Eighth Route Army in North China, the Japanese forces exhausted every vicious scheme and cruel means in an attempt to strangle the anti-Japanese armed forces and base areas led by the CPC. Yet the military and civilian forces in the anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines, "fearing neither rain nor wind, encircling the rear, deploying surprise troops, capturing one village today and retaking another town tomorrow," created and employed diverse tactics such as tunnel warfare, landmine warfare, sparrow warfare, and sabotage warfare, staging a living drama of "warfare everywhere, warfare at all times." The Japanese historian Kikuchi Kazutoyo stated, "Without examining the battlefield of the Communist Party's army, it is impossible to understand why a strong nation like Japan ultimately lost to a weak nation like China."

日军在华北对八路军的作战，用尽狠毒阴谋与残酷手段，妄图绞杀中国共产党领导的抗日武装和根据地。然而，敌后抗日根据地军民“不怕雨，不怕风，包后路，出奇兵，今天攻下来一个村，明天夺回来一座城”，创造和运用了地道战、地雷战、麻雀战、破袭战等多样战法，演绎出“无处不战、无时不战”的战争活剧。日本史学家菊池一隆说，“不考察中共军队的战场，就不可能弄清强国日本何以最终败于弱国中国”。

The War of Resistance against Japan tempered a heroic people's army. By the time of victory, the people's army had grown to approximately 1.32 million troops, with militia forces exceeding 2.6 million, providing a solid strategic support for the realization of national rejuvenation.

抗日战争锤炼了一支英雄人民军队，到抗战胜利时人民军队发展到约132万人，民兵达260余万人，为实现民族复兴提供了坚实战略支撑。

— Precious spiritual wealth for forging ahead with rejuvenation

——有砥砺复兴的宝贵精神财富

The War of Resistance against Japan was not only a contest of military strength and economic power but also a confrontation of will and spirit.

抗日战争，不仅是军事实力和经济实力的较量，更是意志和精神的对垒。

The Chinese nation is a peace-loving people, yet when aggressors imposed war upon the Chinese people, the indomitable and tenacious spirit of resistance inherent in the Chinese nation since ancient times proved immense and inexhaustible. A fatal error committed by the Japanese aggressors was their gross underestimation of the spiritual power latent among the Chinese populace, especially the patriotic spirit of national unity in the face of existential crisis that erupted at the critical moment of national survival. Confronted with the grave threat of national subjugation and genocide, the Chinese people tightly bound their own future, destiny, hopes, and interests to the war of resistance. The patriotic sentiment etched deep in the soul of the Chinese people was aroused as never before, and saving the nation from peril became the common will of all Chinese sons and daughters.

中华民族是一个爱好和平的民族，但当侵略者把战争强加到中国人民头上时，中华民族自古就有的不屈不挠、顽强抗争的精神是力大而无穷的。日本侵略者犯的一个致命错误，就是大大低估了中国民众中蕴藏的这种精神力量，特别是在民族生死存亡关头迸发出的那种万众一心赴国难的爱国主义精神。在亡国灭种的严重威胁面前，中国人民将自己的前途、命运、期盼、利益紧紧地同抗战连在一起，印刻在中国人民灵魂深处的爱国情感被空前激发出来，挽救民族危亡成为所有中华儿女的共同意志。

"One's head may be cast away without hesitation, one's blood may be shed, but the will of unwavering loyalty shall not be shaken." In the snowy wilderness, Yang Jingyu led his troops in combat and maneuvers against Japanese and puppet forces, maintaining a firing posture even after falling in battle. "Grant me a banner, to be carried at all times. Wipe blood with it when wounded, wrap my body with it after death..." Before Sichuan soldier Wang Jiantang set out for the war of resistance, he received a white cloth banner from his father, with a vigorous and forceful character for "death" written in the center. A newspaper editorial of the time wrote, "On the battlefields of the north and south today, people are vying to die, scrambling to die, because everyone has absolute faith, knowing that sacrificing oneself is to win eternal independence and freedom for the sons and grandsons of the Chinese nation."

“头颅不惜抛掉，鲜血可以喷洒，而忠贞不贰的意志是不会动摇”，冰天雪地里，杨靖宇率部与日伪军战斗周旋，直至战死仍然保持射击的姿势。“赐旗一面，时刻随身。伤时拭血，死后裹身……”四川战士王建堂出川抗战前，收到父亲赠送的一面白布大旗，旗帜正中写着一个苍劲有力的“死”字。当时的一篇报纸社评这样写道，“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”。

In the magnificent course of the War of Resistance against Japan, the Chinese people, advancing wave upon wave and jointly resisting foreign aggression, demonstrated to the world a patriotic sentiment of "every individual is responsible for the rise or fall of the nation," a national integrity of facing death unflinchingly and preferring death to surrender, a heroic spirit of defying brute force and fighting to the bitter end, and an unyielding and tenacious conviction of certain victory. They forged the great spirit of the War of Resistance, recasting the blood, energy, and soul of the Chinese nation. This great spirit of the War of Resistance is a spiritual Great Wall built by the Chinese people with their flesh and blood, a concentrated eruption of the Chinese nation's cohesion and fighting capacity at the moment of peril, a harbinger that China would not perish and would inevitably rise and rejuvenate. It will forever inspire the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and to strive unremittingly for national rejuvenation.

在抗日战争壮阔进程中，中国人民前仆后继、共御外侮，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，铸就了伟大抗战精神，重铸了中华民族的血气精魂。伟大抗战精神，是中国人民用血肉筑起的精神长城，是中华民族于危亡之际凝聚力、战斗力的集中爆发，是中国不会亡、必然崛起振兴的未来昭示，将永远激励中国人民克服一切艰难险阻、为实现民族复兴而不懈奋斗。

III. Opening Up the Bright Prospects for the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation: The Transformation of the Nation's Fate

三、开辟了中华民族伟大复兴的光明前景：国家命运的改变

The victory of China's War of Resistance against Japan washed away the wounds of the nation, the humiliation of the people, and the pain of the populace that had accumulated since modern times. From then on, no aggressor could again run rampant on Chinese soil. Ancient China rose from its most perilous state.

中国抗日战争的胜利，使近代以来国家之殇、民族之耻、人民之痛得以洗刷，自此再也没有侵略者可以在中国的土地上横行肆虐。古老中国从最危险的境地中站了起来。

— Re-establishing China's status as a major power in the world

——重新确立中国在世界上的大国地位

There was a time when China was subjected to oppression by the great powers of the world. Not only did it play no significant role in international affairs, but it did not even possess the basic qualification for equal dialogue. This situation underwent a major transformation during the War of Resistance against Japan.

曾几何时，中国饱受世界列强欺压，不要说在国际事务中发挥重要作用，就连起码的平等对话的资格都没有。这种状况在抗日战争中发生重大改变。

China's War of Resistance against Japan, at tremendous national sacrifice, made an irreplaceable and significant contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, earning the respect of the international community. The war of resistance long pinned down and engaged the main forces of Japanese militarism, playing a decisive role in the complete destruction of the Japanese aggressors. Strategically, it coordinated with and supported the operations of the Allied powers, playing an important role of strategic coordination in the anti-fascist war on the European and other Asian fronts, and it constrained and disrupted the attempts at strategic coordination between Japanese fascism and German-Italian fascism. Stalin praised the Chinese people for having "played a tremendous role in the cause of eliminating the Japanese imperialists." U.S. President Roosevelt stated that the United States "will not forget how the Chinese people held out against the savage onslaught of the Japanese for more than seven long years and pinned down a large number of enemy troops over the vast areas of the Asian continent."

中国抗日战争以巨大的民族牺牲为世界反法西斯战争胜利作出了不可替代的重大贡献，赢得了国际社会的尊重。抗日战争长期牵制和抗击了日本军国主义的主要兵力，对日本侵略者的彻底覆灭起到了决定性作用；在战略上策应和支持了盟国作战，对欧洲战场和亚洲其他地区的反法西斯战争起到了战略配合的重要作用，并制约和打乱了日本法西斯和德意法西斯战略配合的企图。斯大林盛赞中国人民“在消灭日本帝国主义者的事业中起了巨大的作用”。美国总统罗斯福表示，美国“忘不了中国人民在七年多的长时间里怎样顶住了日本人的野蛮进攻和在亚洲大陆广大地区牵制住大量的敌军”。

Because the Chinese military and civilians played an extremely important role in the World Anti-Fascist War, and together with the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain were the main forces persisting in the fight against the Axis powers at that time, China received the title of one of the "Big Four." On January 1, 1942, 26 anti-fascist nations signed the Declaration by United Nations in Washington, and China was included among the Big Four co-leading the signing, alongside the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. In April 1945, China, together with the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, jointly initiated the San Francisco Conference to discuss the establishment of the United Nations. With the formal promulgation of the Charter of the United Nations, China became one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

由于中国军民在世界反法西斯战争中发挥了极其重要的作用，与苏、美、英同为当时世界上坚持与轴心国作战的主力，中国获得了“四强”之一的称号。1942年1月1日，26个反法西斯国家在华盛顿签署《联合国家宣言》，中国进入与美、英、苏共同领衔签字的四大国之列。1945年4月，中国同美、英、苏共同发起旧金山会议，共商建立联合国。随着《联合国宪章》正式出台，中国成为联合国安理会5个常任理事国之一。

The victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan [14] re-established China’s status as a major power in the world and provided indispensable external conditions for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

抗日战争的胜利，重新确立了中国在世界上的大国地位，为实现中华民族伟大复兴提供了不可或缺的外部条件。

—Promoting the Abolition of Unequal Treaties Imposed on China by the Great Powers

——推动废除列强强加给中国的不平等条约

Abolishing the unequal treaties was a strong aspiration of the Chinese people in modern times. The War of Resistance Against Japan created the conditions for China to change its unequal international status and abolish the unequal treaties. At China’s repeated urging, the U.S. and British governments, abandoning their previous dismissive attitude toward China, had to give up their stubborn positions. On 11 January 1943, they signed new treaties with China in Washington and Chongqing respectively, abolishing their extraterritorial rights in China.

废除不平等条约，是近代以来中国人民的强烈愿望。抗日战争为中国改变不平等的国际地位和废除不平等条约创造了条件。在中国的一再敦促下，美、英政府一改过去对华轻视的态度，不得不放弃顽固立场，于1943年1月11日分别在华盛顿和重庆与中国签订新约，废除其在华治外法权。

The abolition of the unequal treaties was the result of years of bloody resistance by the Chinese military and civilians, and a major victory in the Chinese people’s long-term national liberation movement and their demand for the abolition of the unequal treaties. The abolition of these unequal treaties cancelled many privileges that various countries had seized through the unequal treaties imposed on China, giving China a legally independent and equal status.

废除不平等条约是中国军民浴血抗战多年的结果，是中国人民长期进行民族解放运动及要求废除不平等条约的重大胜利。这些不平等条约的废除，取消了各国通过对华不平等条约攫取的许多特权，使中国在法理上获得独立平等的地位。

—Putting National Rejuvenation onto the Fast Track of History

——把民族复兴送上了历史的快车道

The great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan accelerated the arrival of the victory of the New Democratic Revolution and the founding of New China, becoming the pivot of the turning point in modern and contemporary Chinese history.

抗日战争的伟大胜利，加速了新民主主义革命胜利和新中国建立的到来，成为中国近现代历史转折的枢纽。

The War of Resistance was won, but the Chinese nation still faced a choice between two futures and two destinies. One was “an independent, free, democratic, united, prosperous and strong China, that is, a bright China, a New China where the Chinese people are liberated”; the other was “a semi-colonial and semi-feudal, divided, poor and weak China, that is, an old China.” [15]

抗战胜利了，但中华民族依然面临着两个前途、两种命运的选择。一种是“独立、自由、民主、统一、富强的中国，就是说，光明的中国，中国人民得到解放的新中国”；另一种是“半殖民地半封建的、分裂的、贫弱的中国，就是说，一个老中国”。

Where was China heading? Different political parties were making their choices; history and the people were making theirs.

中国向何处去？不同的政党在选择，历史和人民在选择。

The Communist Party of China advocated “achieving national unity on the basis of peace, democracy and unity, and building an independent, free, prosperous and strong New China.” Comrade Mao Zedong, carrying the strategy of establishing a coalition government, braved danger to go to Chongqing to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek, signing the Double Tenth Agreement [16] and striving for a glimmer of hope for peaceful nation-building.

中国共产党主张“在和平民主团结的基础上，实现全国的统一，建设独立自由与富强的新中国”，毛泽东同志怀揣建立联合政府的方略，不顾危险赶赴重庆与蒋介石谈判，签订了双十协定，努力寻求和平建国的一线生机。

The reactionary ruling clique of the Kuomintang, however, chose a war that turned its back on the people’s will. Especially at a time when the people of the whole country were set on stability and eagerly longed for peace, Chiang Kai-shek, relying on his absolute military superiority, flagrantly tore up the peace agreement despite strong opposition from all sectors of society, launched a full-scale civil war, and thus completely lost popular support.

国民党反动统治集团却选择了背离民心的战争。特别是在全国人民人心思定、急切盼望和平之际，蒋介石自恃军事力量占绝对优势，不顾社会各界强烈反对，悍然撕毁和平协议，发动全面内战，导致人心尽失。

Strangling peace and choosing war inevitably meant losing the people’s hearts. The Chinese people, awakened after 14 years of the War of Resistance, longed for peace more than ever before, and longed to build an independent, free, democratic, united, prosperous and strong New China. In the comparison between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and in the hard-won great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Chinese people became more steadfast in their will to pursue national independence and national prosperity, more deeply realized that the prerequisite for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation was achieving national independence and the liberation of the people, and more profoundly recognized that the CPC’s proposals to transform old China and build a new China represented the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation. More and more people, including many who had originally been politically centrist, became strongly disillusioned with the Kuomintang and turned to trust and support the Communist Party. This great shift in popular sentiment changed the balance of political forces in China and brought the Chinese revolution to a turning point. This turning point accelerated the collapse of Kuomintang rule on the mainland and sped up the process of victory for the New Democratic Revolution.

扼杀和平、选择战争，必然失去民心。经历了长达14年抗战觉醒了的中国人民，比以往任何时候都期待着和平，期待着建立一个独立、自由、民主、统一、富强的新中国。在对国共两党的比较中，在来之不易的抗日战争伟大胜利中，中国人民更加坚定了追求民族独立、国家富强的意志，更加深刻体悟到中华民族伟大复兴的前提是实现民族独立和人民解放，更加深刻认识到中国共产党提出的改造旧中国、建设新中国的主张代表了中华民族的根本利益。越来越多的人，包括许多原来在政治上处于中间状态的人，对国民党强烈失望，转而信任和支持共产党。这种人心向背的大变动改变了中国政治力量的对比，使中国革命达到了一个转折点。这个转折，加速了国民党统治在大陆的崩溃，加快了新民主主义革命胜利的进程。

In just over four years after the victory of the War of Resistance, the CPC led the people to annihilate 8 million troops of the Kuomintang reactionaries, overthrow the reactionary Kuomintang government, achieve complete victory in the New Democratic Revolution, and embark on a new historical journey of the Chinese Phoenix rising from the ashes and being reborn through fire!

抗战胜利后短短4年多时间，中国共产党领导人民消灭了国民党反动派800万军队，推翻了国民党反动政府，取得新民主主义革命的完全胜利，开启了古老中国凤凰涅槃、浴火重生的历史新征程！

“Looking back on the path we have traversed, the green mountains stretch far and wide.” [17] Only by placing the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan in the context of the Chinese people’s continuous struggle for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation since modern times can we deeply understand what General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “This great victory is the historical turning point of the Chinese nation from the deep crisis it fell into in modern times toward the great rejuvenation.” From the start of the Opium War in 1840 to the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan in 1945, over 105 years, China continuously sank in a situation of “a collapsing house, a leaking boat, and a fire on the hearth,” [18] and the people endured the agony of “being slaves, beasts of burden, and dogs and sheep,” [19] with the fate of the Chinese nation falling to the bottom of history. In the 80 years from the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan in 1945 to today, the CPC has united and led the people in bloody struggles and determined efforts, establishing New China and realizing a great leap from thousands of years of feudal autocratic politics to people’s democracy; completing the socialist revolution and advancing socialist construction, realizing the most extensive and profound social change in the history of the Chinese nation; carrying out reform and opening up and socialist modernization, achieving a historic breakthrough from a state of relatively backward productive forces to becoming the world’s second-largest economy; and ushering in the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects on the land of China, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty, and providing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with more complete institutional guarantees, a more solid material foundation, and a more proactive spiritual force.

却顾所来径，苍苍横翠微。把抗日战争的伟大胜利置于近代以来中国人民为实现中华民族伟大复兴接续奋斗的历程中，才能深刻理解习近平总书记所说的，“这个伟大胜利，是中华民族从近代以来陷入深重危机走向伟大复兴的历史转折点”。从1840年鸦片战争开始至1945年抗日战争胜利，105年的时间里，中国在“覆屋之下、漏舟之中、薪火之上”的境地中不断沉沦，人民在“为奴隶、为牛马、为犬羊”的痛苦中历经煎熬，中华民族的命运跌入历史的谷底。从1945年抗日战争胜利到今天的80年时间里，中国共产党团结领导人民浴血奋战、发愤图强，建立起新中国，实现了从几千年封建专制政治向人民民主的伟大飞跃；完成社会主义革命和推进社会主义建设，实现了中华民族有史以来最为广泛而深刻的社会变革；进行改革开放和社会主义现代化建设，实现了从生产力相对落后的状况到经济总量跃居世界第二的历史性突破；开创中国特色社会主义新时代，在中华大地上全面建成了小康社会，历史性地解决了绝对贫困问题，实现中华民族伟大复兴有了更为完善的制度保证、更为坚实的物质基础、更为主动的精神力量。

“We dare to make the sun and moon shine in a new sky, for our sacrifice has been great.” [20] Today’s China is no longer the China of 80 years ago; the changes have been earth-sh

“为有牺牲多壮志，敢教日月换新天。”今天的中国早已不是80年前的中国，变化翻天覆地，中国共产党团结带领人民书写了中华民族几千年历史上最恢宏的史诗，中华民族伟大复兴进入了不可逆转的历史进程！

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心