Gaining Lessons and Perspective on the War of Resistance

To mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, the Department of Chinese and History (CAH) of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), in collaboration with the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, hosted the “Academic Symposium in Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance” in May 2025. The event aimed to deepen students’ and educators’ understanding of the history of the war and Hong Kong’s contributions, while also promoting the spirit of patriotism.

Officiating at the opening ceremony were guests of honour Dr SZE Chun-fai, JP, Acting Secretary for Education; Professor LEE Chun-sing, Provost and Deputy President of CityUHK; and Professor CHAN Chi-hou, Vice-President (Community Engagement). In his speech, Sze described the victory in the War of Resistance as a turning point in the resurgence of the Chinese nation. He encouraged the younger generation to remember the past and learn about the heroic deeds of the nation's martyrs, and to inherit the national spirit.

The symposium attracted over 300 attendees, including specialists, scholars, educators, secondary school teachers and students, with more than 100 secondary school teachers also participating online. Their enthusiastic response reflected strong interest in the topic. Presentations by the scholars and experienced educators were lucid and comprehensive, enabling participants to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the War of Resistance in China and Hong Kong.

The symposium was divided into two sessions. The morning session, themed The War of Resistance on China’s Battlefield, opened with a keynote address by Professor Joseph TING Sun-pao, Honorary Professor in the School of Chinese of The University of Hong Kong. In his talk, titled The War of Resistance in Western Yunnan: A Forgotten Chapter of the Resistance, Ting shared first-hand insights from his fieldwork in Tengchong, Yunnan, near the China-Myanmar border, highlighting lesser-known episodes from the Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan.

Another keynote speaker, Professor WANG Chaoguang, Research Fellow at the Institute of World History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Chair Professor of Arts at Sichuan University, delivered a talk titled China’s War of Resistance from a Global Perspective, in which he analysed China’s strategy and achievements during the war from the standpoint of international relations.

The afternoon session comprised five thematic talks focusing on two major topics: Hong Kong’s Contributions and the Days of Occupation and China’s Role and Contributions to the Anti-Fascist War. Mr KO Tim-keung, a Hong Kong historian, used fascinating historical images to explore Hong Kong’s role during the years of the War of Resistance from 1937 to 1941. Professor CHAN Hok-yin, Head of CAH at CityUHK, recounted the hardships faced by the Hong Kong people during the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945.

Professor PUK Wing-kin, from the Department of History at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, reviewed the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression from the perspective of global history, examining the events through three main dimensions: military, political and economic.

Professor KWONG Chi-man, from the Department of History at Hong Kong Baptist University, interpreted the strategic role of the South China battlefield, focusing on naval and aerial warfare. Finally, Mr TSOI Yiu-lun, the history panel chair at Heep Yunn School, shared his teaching experience by illustrating the contributions of Chinese diplomats KOO Vi Kyuin and CHANG Peng Chun to the post-war international order.