‘Chinese martyrs remembered’: Beijing and Pyongyang officials mark 72nd anniversary of China entering Korean war

The war is one of the most commemorated in China, representing a victory against US imperialism and an end to the ‘century of humiliation’
In Pyongyang ceremony, wreath carried tribute reading ‘Salute to the Chinese people’s volunteer martyrs’

US-China relations

Cyril Ip

Published: 3:14pm, 26 Oct 2022

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Chinese embassy representatives and North Korean officials in Pyongyang have attended a ceremony to mark the 72nd anniversary of Chinese soldiers entering the Korean war.

A wreath-laying ceremony on Tuesday morning was headed by Sun Hongliang, chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy, and several top officials in Pyongyang, including the vice-chairman of the legislature’s standing committee, Kang Yun-seok, defence vice-minister Kim Min-seok, foreign affairs vice-minister Park Myung-ho and economic affairs vice-minister Park Jung-woong.

Ribbons on the wreaths were inscribed in gold lettering, “The Chinese people’s volunteer martyrs will be forever remembered” and “Salute to the Chinese people’s volunteer martyrs”.

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A line of guards and a military band played the two countries’ national anthems and China’s official wreath-laying song. Attendees – including Chinese nationals and Pyongyang locals – bowed in silence before placing flowers at the Friendship Tower, a hilltop monument dedicated to the 3 million-strong volunteer army, which mainly consisted of veterans from the second Sino-Japanese war and the Chinese civil war.

The tower was erected in 1959, six years after the war ended and a year after the Chinese volunteers finished reconstruction work and left the post-war communist state. It was enlarged in 1989 and renovated in 2019 for the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After the wreath-laying, the officials entered the tower room, which contains the list of Chinese martyrs and is decorated with themed murals showing the military’s journey.

The three-year conflict, also known in China as “the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea”, divided the northern and southern parts of the peninsula, which eventually became the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), with support from China and the Soviet Union, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), supported by the US and the United Nations.

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Despite suffering much heavier casualties than the US, China pushed the US and the coalition forces back to the 38th parallel and forced its much stronger enemy to sit down at the negotiation table.

The US’ “forgotten war” is one of the most commemorated in China, representing a victory against US imperialism and an end to the “century of humiliation”, a period of being victimised by foreign invasions.

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The Chinese blockbuster, The Battle at Lake Changjin, which became last year’s second highest grossing film worldwide, was centred around a pivotal skirmish between Chinese and American forces during the Korean war. Its sequel was released in February.

Official commemorations were also held across other parts of the country, including at cemeteries for the Chinese volunteers in North Korea’s Sariwon in North Hwanghae province and Sinyang-dong in the southern Kangwon province.