September 30 approved as Martyrs’ Day
Print Edition
CHINA’S top legislature yesterday approved the establishment of a national day to commemorate martyrs.
The decision was made on the final day of the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
It said Martyrs’ Day will be marked with events across the country on September 30 every year.
The move is aimed at “publicizing martyrs’ achievements and spirits, and cultivating patriotism, collectivism, and socialist moralities so as to consolidate the Chinese nation’s cohesiveness,” the legislature said.
It will be the third national memorial day in China, following “Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression” on Wednesday and “National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims” on December 13, both ratified by the committee in February.
Martyrs, as defined by the government, are “people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times, or after the First Opium War (1840-1842).”
It is believed that China has about 20 million martyrs. However, as many of them did not leave their names in warring days, only 1.93 million martyrs have been enlisted in the government’s directory. About 300 more people have been identified as martyrs annually in recent years.
Zou Ming, a senior official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said the setting on September 30, one day before National Day on October 1, has great significance as people will take time for more somber reflection before celebration.
September 30 was also the day on which the foundations were laid for the Monument to the People’s Heroes, which stands at the heart of Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square.
The ministry initiated feasibility studies on setting the day in 2005, and won public support after soliciting opinion over the following years.
Zou said the central government will guide local governments to hold events on Martyrs’ Day and the ministry will encourage public participation.
It has asked the management of over 4,300 sites dedicated to martyrs to go to schools, communities, factories and barracks to publicize martyrs’ achievements, and vowed to better protect those facilities.
China has a long tradition of commemorating and honoring martyrs and other heroes who contributed greatly to the nation’s development. About 100 million people visit martyrs’ graves every year, and films, TV series and books about martyrs’ achievements are popular.
The government also supports martyrs’ families. Central authorities have issued regulations to protect facilities commemorating martyrs, and increased pensions for families 23 times since 1978.
About 200,000 families benefit from government pensions and enjoy preferential policies in education, employment and other fields.
China has about a million martyrs’ graves, and another 29,000 facilities commemorating martyrs administered and protected by a national system. There are also 170 facilities commemorating Chinese martyrs in 22 countries and regions around the world.
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