LEGACY of COURAGE

Memorial hall and citywalk routes immerse visitors in wartime sacrifices made by soldiers, Zheng Zheng reports.

Standing alongside Suzhou Creek in central Shanghai, the Sihang Warehouse Memorial Hall has weathered nearly a century of history. Its bullet-scarred west wall still bears silent witness to one of the most inspiring battles of resistance during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

The former warehouse's name, "Sihang", means "four banks" in Chinese and was originally established by four leading Chinese financial institutions in the 1930s: Yienyieh Bank, Kincheng Bank, China & South Sea Bank, and Continental Bank.

In October 1937, Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan led approximately 420 Chinese soldiers in defending their strategic position against Japanese forces. These defenders held their ground at the Sihang Warehouse for four days and nights, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.