An exhibition, "For National Liberation and World Peace," opened in the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in Beijing, on July 7. The exhibition commemorates the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
The exhibition, in eight sections, displays 1,525 photos and 3,237 artifacts. It presents a panoramic view of the glorious course of the Chinese people's hard-fought, 14-year War of Resistance. The exhibition will become one of the museum's permanent displays.
The museum's social-education department participated in preparations for the exhibition. The museum opened to the public on July 7, 1987, at which time the department was established. Today, the department has 29 staff members, including 21 women. The women range in age; for example, one woman was born during the 1970s, while the youngest woman was born during the 2000s. The women have played important roles in telling stories about the War of Resistance, and in promoting the great spirit of resisting aggression bred during that war.
"The department's responsibilities include reception and docent services, planning for and carrying out online and/or offline social-education activities, and developing and training a high-caliber team to provide social education (education by social organizations to the public, as a supplement to family and school education)," says Wang Lei, the department's deputy director.
As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the department has devoted tremendous effort into preparing for and hosting the thematic exhibition.
The team not only helped outline the exhibition's overall design, but also wrote stories, based on the exhibition's content, to enrich docents' scripts. The team has prepared audience-specific scripts — more than 100,000 Chinese characters in total — for the docents' scripts.
By early August (just over a month after the exhibition opened), department staff had answered more than 10,000 visitors' inquiries, conducted more than 1,000 docent sessions, and received more than 300,000 visitors (group and individuals combined). Additionally, the team has arranged six regular docent sessions daily.
In recent years, the department has participated in more than 10 major national exhibitions. The team has also designed various educational programs for children, to guide younger generations in remembering the past and the country's martyrs, cherishing peace and building a new future.
For instance, the team has helped primary- and middle-school students, in Beijing, cultivate and practice core socialist values. The team has also organized special holiday study tours for young people, which, combined, have attracted nearly 100 study groups, from 24 regions, and more than 1,000 children during the 2024 summer and winter vacations.
In addition, the team has developed several courses, themed "Counter-Japanese History for Children," and the courses have benefited nearly 1,000 students from around 10 primary schools. The department has also organized lectures in primary and secondary schools, and it has published 50 social-education courses online. Those courses have generated nearly 10 million views since 2020.
"We interpret revolutionary stories into 'bravery,' 'unity' and 'perseverance' — words that children can understand. As children listen intently to our interpretations, I sense the 'red genes' have been inherited by the younger generations," says Xu Ying, a department employee who was born during the 1990s.
Department employees vividly interpret stories of War of Resistance, and they promote the great spirit of resisting aggression to the public through their work. In fact, they have brought this spirit to life through their actions. Liu Zeqi, born during the 2000s, is a new member of the team. Her experience epitomizes how the team inherits the spirit.
Liu joined the department in late 2024. After being hired, she expanded her knowledge by studying The Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression: A Concise History. She gradually became involved in writing stories and docents' scripts.
"Since I began working at the museum, I have come to know the stories of many revolutionary martyrs, who were extraordinarily brave and patriotic. As such, my understanding of the noble spirit of resistance became more concrete, and tangible," Liu says.
Colleagues' support has helped Liu develop and improve her professional skills. "They guided me in performing docent services, helped me expand my knowledge of this period of history, and enabled me to quickly integrate into the team. During peak visitor hours, we cooperated seamlessly, to guide visitors, and we successfully completed one reception task after another. The spirit bred during the war has never been far away; it resides in every moment we work, side by side, toward a common goal," Liu says.
"As we work on the frontline of inheriting 'red genes' and promoting the great spirit of the resistance war, the department fully leverages the strengths of women — meticulousness, professionalism and vitality — and demonstrates the spirit of courage, perseverance and positivity," says Li Xueli, head of the Red Story Interpretation Art Research Studio, under the social-education department.
The team helps tell heroines' stories, and is dedicated to social education, creating educational activities, with warmth and depth, and innovating communication methods, to ensure the spirit of the resistance war shines in the new era.
Through its relentless efforts, the department has garnered recognition from all segments of society, and the team's hard work has been rewarded with numerous honors. In recent years, the department's employees have won various titles, including Gold Medal Narrator at the National Red Story Narration Competition. In 2023, two team members received the ninth Capital Ethnic Unity and Progress Awards.
In 2025, the department (as a whole) was named a Beijing March 8th Red-Banner Collective. "This honor is not only a recognition of the hard work of all of our women staff, but also an encouragement and motivation for the social-education efforts of the museum. It belongs to every colleague who has dedicated him/herself to his/her post and to all the visitors who have supported the museum's work," says Li.
The department's staff will continue cultivating high-caliber docents, and improving their services. They will also plan activities around key commemorative dates, innovate working methods and enhance overall performance. Additionally, they will advance social-education initiatives for students, of all ages. The team will develop its Red Story Interpretation Art Research Studio, to tell revolutionary stories and build the museum's educational brand. "We will remain true to our original aspirations, and we will carry forward the great spirit of resisting aggression bred during the war, using women's strength," says Li.
Photos from Interviewees
(Women of China English Monthly September 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
