President Ma Ying-jeou visited the SPOT-Huashan movie theater in downtown Taipei on the morning of October 3 to watch a special screening of the film The Everlasting Glory (英烈千秋), one in a series of movies commemorating the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan. In addition to describing the courageous deeds of General Chang Tsu-chung (張自忠), the president also explained the ROC's arduous journey in the War of Resistance. He also expressed hope that the public will remember the sacrifices and contributions of martyrs who died during the war.
After watching the film the president stated that he first saw it 40 years ago, and that even four decades later, as he watched his eyes still filled with tears and he was deeply moved. This year is the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the War of Resistance and Taiwan's retrocession, and the government is holding a special series of commemorative activities to mark these historic events. The objective in holding these activities is not to sing the praises of victory, but to condemn aggression and promote peace, he said. At the same time, the government hopes to use these activities to remind the public of the importance of the War of Resistance and help them understand the profound significance of this period in the ROC's history, according to the president.
Discussing General Chang's historic deeds in the courageous War of Resistance depicted in The Everlasting Glory, the president said that the public knows the story well.
General Chang displayed an admirable patriotism and was well known for being strict and impartial in leading his troops. At a critical juncture in the Battle of Linyi General Chang led his troops to rescue friendly forces, undertaking a forced overnight march and reaching the embattled troops in 24 hours, a trip that normally took three days. They arrived on the outskirts of Linyi (in eastern China) and rushed to the rescue, taking General Seishiro Itagaki of the Imperial Japanese Army by surprise, routing the 5th Division and forcing them to flee northward. This event ultimately played a key role in the ROC's victory at Taierzhuang, he stated.
That War of Resistance was the most protracted battle against foreign aggression in Chinese history, with the highest number of casualties and the most far-reaching repercussions. About 3.22 million troops, including 268 commanding officers, lost their lives, along with more than 20 million innocent civilians. The cumulative property losses were incalculable. The ROC, with the unyielding spirit of the military forces, ultimately emerged victorious despite its inferior equipment and insufficient training and forces compared to the well-trained Japanese.
The president mentioned that in the Prologue to the 2014 book titled Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945, Professor Rana Mitter of Oxford University adds that "China's war is also a story of heroic resistance against massive odds, of a regime and a people who managed, despite everything, to pull off victory against the enemy in a 'war of resistance to the end', proving wrong the journalists and diplomats who predicted, over and over again, that China could not possibly survive…During this time a poor and underdeveloped country held down some 800,000 troops from one of the most highly militarized and technologically advanced societies in the world…the success of the Allies in fighting on two fronts at once, in Europe and Asia, was posited in significant part on making sure that China stayed in the war." These words are all testament to the ROC's wartime tribulations and outstanding contributions to the Allied victory in World War II.