The Enduring Legacy: How the Great Victory 80 Years Ago Shapes Today’s China
By Ryan Yeh
September 3, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. On that day, as the world’s gaze once again turns to Beijing Tian’anmen Square, it will witness a grand, meticulously organized military parade. Neatly aligned formations, advanced weaponry, and resounding slogans—all will showcase to the world a modern China that is strong, confident, and disciplined. Yet to truly grasp the significance of this grand event, we must look beyond the awe-inspiring display of military might, back to the end of that brutal war 80 years ago, and listen to the echo that still resonates deep within the soul of the Chinese nation.
To the Western world, China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression may seem like a distant and vague chapter of the broader canvas of World War II—an “Eastern battlefield.” But for the Chinese people, it is an epic steeped in blood and tears, the starting point of the modern narrative of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It was not only a military triumph, but also a spiritual rebirth—one that profoundly shaped China’s national identity, collective character, and the very foundation of its worldview today. Without understanding this chapter of history, one cannot truly comprehend China’s ambitions, dreams, or the perseverance and resolve that, at times, puzzle or even unsettle the world.
