Where bullet holes still speak

Village rises from ashes of war to become a model of rural vitalization, Zhao Ruixue reports in Zaozhuang, Shandong.

After a refreshing morning rain, sunlight bathed the Taierzhuang War Ruins Park in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, as crowds of visitors gathered around a bullet-riddled old house — a silent witness to the fierce fighting that once raged here.

This scarred building is one of 53 wartime relics preserved in the park, standing as a powerful reminder of the brutal Battle of Taierzhuang that took place in 1938, a pivotal conflict in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

"We will never forget how our nation united to resist foreign invasion. The peace we enjoy today was hard-won," says a 77-year-old tourist surnamed Zhou, visiting with a group of elderly travelers. "Young people must understand this history, love their country, and help it thrive."