A medal commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), gifted by the central government, will be permanently exhibited in Hong Kong to spread the spirit of the War of Resistance and patriotic sentiments.
The medal was awarded by the central authorities in 2025 – the 80th anniversary of the victory in 1945 – to surviving veterans, old comrades, wartime generals, and their families to mark the triumph against aggression.
A ceremony was held on Thursday at the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence to witness the medal’s handover.
Li Li, deputy director of the Fifth Bureau of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, on behalf of the central government, presented the medal to Manda Chan Wing-man, director of Leisure and Cultural Services of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Chan expressed gratitude to the central government and announced that the medal will go on public display starting Friday.
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The commemorative medal will feature in the special exhibition Standing Together for Peacebuilding: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance in Guangdong and Hong Kong until July before being transferred to the museum’s permanent War of Resistance Galleries.
“The gift provides members of the public with the opportunity to appreciate the commemorative medal as well as its significance, thereby deepening their patriotic sentiments,” Chan said.
The gift arrives following a year of extensive commemorative activities led by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in 2025, which included film screenings, talks, and exhibitions that attracted over 620,000 attendees citywide.
Looking ahead, the museum said it will launch an interactive map showcasing wartime historic sites linked to the Chinese Communist Party in the city by the first quarter of 2026.
The museum will also commission a university to conduct an oral history project on the War of Resistance, with findings expected to be compiled into manuscripts and short films by early 2027.
