In a significant contribution to historical preservation, Associate Professor Mao Chenghui from Central South University has donated a substantial collection of 104 artifacts documenting Japan’s wartime aggression against China to the Changsha History Museum of the Communist Party of China. The formal accession ceremony took place on Tuesday, marking an important addition to the museum’s historical archives.
The collection, meticulously gathered by Professor Mao during his academic visits and personal travels overseas, contains historically significant items that provide tangible evidence of Japan’s military actions in China. Among the most notable artifacts is a dinner fork engraved with the inscription ‘Commemorating the Entry into Wuhan City’—a chilling reminder of the Japanese occupation during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Professor Mao’s decision to donate his personally acquired collection followed careful consideration of where these historical items would be most appropriately preserved and made accessible to the public. The Changsha History Museum, as an institution dedicated to documenting China’s modern history, provides an ideal repository for these artifacts that serve as material evidence of a crucial period in Sino-Japanese relations.
The donation represents more than just a transfer of historical objects; it constitutes an important act of historical preservation that ensures future generations will have access to physical evidence documenting this difficult chapter in China’s history. Such artifacts play a vital role in historical education and maintaining collective memory of events that shaped modern China.