National Museum of China Highlights International Friends in Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression with 700 Artifacts and Photos

Theme Wall of the Exhibition

 

On September 9, the exhibition International Friends and China's War of Resistance — Commemorative Exhibition Marking the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, jointly organized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Archives Administration of China, and the National Museum of China, opened at the National Museum of China (NMC). Through artifacts that bear witness to history, the exhibition revisits the turbulent years of the War against Japanese Aggression, and highlights the international friendship forged with blood and life.

 

To commemorate the valuable assistance and support given to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression by peace- and justice-loving nations and peoples, international organizations, and various anti-fascist forces around the world, the NMC has carefully curated this exhibition as part of its "National Exhibitions" program. Divided into four sections: "Reporting: Voicing the Truth," "Military: Combat," "Rescue: Medical Aid," and "Support: Donations," the exhibition presents more than 300 artifacts and over 400 photographs. Together, they systematically showcase the humanitarian spirit that transcended race and borders during the War of Resistance, as well as the monumental spirit of solidarity built by the world's forces of justice fighting side by side. Among this year's wide range of exhibitions on the Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression, the exhibition offers a unique perspective, seeing China through the eyes of others. Many of the artifacts and photographs are being displayed to the public for the first time.

 

Huang Li, research fellow and curator at the NMC, explained, "The first artifact on display in our exhibition is Edgar Snow's suitcase. At that time, before the War of Resistance had fully begun, this foreign journalist, with sharp insight, captured the emergence of a new force rising on Chinese soil — a force that would later ignite the key spark to change China's destiny. His book Red Star Over China, based on what he saw and heard, gave the world its first vivid account of the Communist Party of China — its position, vision, strategy, and the reality of the resistance behind enemy lines. In this exhibition, we take this suitcase as the starting point of our narrative, connecting artifacts, historical photographs, and precious archival materials. Through these authentic traces of history, visitors are invited to explore the deeper question of 'why the red star came to shine over China,' and to feel both the power of belief and the inevitability of history in those turbulent years."

 

Visitors viewing the exhibition

 

Here we see international medical workers who saved lives and carried forward the spark of resistance with their scalpels, and foreign war correspondents who braved the battlefield and wielded their pens as swords to spread the voice of justice; Soviet Red Army martyrs who fought fiercely in the skies and, with their blood, laid the foundation of China-Russia friendship, and members of the American Flying Tigers who, despite great dangers, opened the Hump route with their steel wings. A collection of archival materials provided by the Russian Embassy in China offers a detailed record of the Soviet Union's sincere assistance to China in the early stages of the War of Resistance.

 

This exhibition has received special support from the Bank of China, as well as strong partnership from China Photo Service, the Second Historical Archives of China, the China Academy of Art, and the Embassy of Russia in China. It has been included in the "Recommended Exhibitions for the Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War," announced by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and the National Cultural Heritage Administration. The exhibition is held in Galleries S8 and S9 at the National Museum of China.

 

Exhibition setup highlight: a video reliving the international friendship forged with blood and life

 

 

Edgar Snow's Red Army octagonal cap (replica)

 

Agnes Smedley's book Battle Hymn of China, based on her firsthand experience of Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression

 

List of Chinese and Foreign Journalists on the Northwest Visit Tour

 

Roster of Soviet Volunteer Air Force members departing for combat in China

 

Commendation banner from the Allied Headquarters honoring Dr. W. P. Lee for his outstanding contributions

 

Marriage Certificate issued to Ma Haide (George Hatem) and his wife by the Department of Civil Affairs of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region

 

Self-Portrait of Norman Bethune

 

Notice from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee approving Richard Frey's admission into the Communist Party of China

 

After arriving in Yan'an, Michael Lindsay helped assemble a one-kilowatt transmitter. In August 1944, Yan'an began sending radio signals overseas, and its English-language broadcasts started to make their voice heard around the world. This is the relay used by the Yan'an Xinhua Radio Station when broadcasting to San Francisco, USA.

 

Program booklet of the opera Rural Symphony, inscribed and presented by Mao Zedong to Molly Yard

 

Paul Robeson's recording of Chee Lai