Tracing wartime footprints of New Fourth Army in memorial, rare images

HEFEI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The memorial hall of the former headquarters of the New Fourth Army in Jingxian County, a key cultural relic under state protection, serves as a historical site of commemorating the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The well-preserved memorial recreates the scenes of the New Fourth Army's combat and life during their stay in Yunling Township. Launched in 1985, the memorial has now received more than nine million visits.

At the memorial hall, there is an attic where American journalist Agnes Smedley lived. In July 1939, she published a report with a series of rare images documenting the New Fourth Army's fight against Japanese aggression in LIFE, a popular U.S. magazine. The coverage drew widespread attention to China's counter-Japanese forces and help Western readers understand the role of the Communist Party of China in the fight against Japanese invaders.

"On this pages, you see what is wearing out Japan and it's long war with China," she wrote from her deep venture into China's revolutionary heartland in the article.