SINCE the establishment of the Confucius Institute at the University of Guyana (CIUG) in 2014, the tertiary institution has been in close association with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

Both institutions have shared several celebrations, occasions and activities since then. One such event is the Chinese Film Festival, hosted by the University of Guyana (UG) and the Chinese Embassy.

The festival, which ended on Thursday, promised two days of cultural exploration, thought-provoking films, and a celebration of Chinese heritage and global peace, all under the theme: ‘Preserving Historical Memory and Upholding World Peace’. This was held in the Education Lecture Theatre, at UG’s Turkeyen Campus.

Some of the films shown included Eight Hundred, My Country My Parents, The Sinking of the Lisbon Marn, Cliff Walkers, and Hundred Regiments Campaign.

The showing of these films was a symbol of preserving historical memory, and upholding world peace.

According to the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, the films were curated carefully to showcase this aspect of history of the People’s Republic of China, their struggle as a country, and the future of peace between China and the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Guyana, Yang Yang said it is hoped that these stories and the themes serve as a bridge connecting Guyanese with the people of China.

Reflecting on the monumental 80th Anniversary of victory in the Chinese Civil War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression the World Anti-fascist War, Ambassador Yang said it lasted for 14 years. It began as a local conflict and soon spread across nations, making it the longest and one of the earliest struggles in the global fight.

From 1931 to Japan’s unconditional surrender in 1945, China suffered immense losses, with over 35 million military and civilian casualties, and economic damages totaling US$500 billion.

Under the banner of the United Front Against the Japanese Aggression Initiative, and forged by the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people at home and abroad fought in unity and with bloodshed, completely shattered the Japanese aggressors’ plan to conquer China in three months. The Chinese were able to wipe out more than 1.5 million Japanese troops and played a decisive role in the Allied Forces’ victory over the Japanese aggressors.

“This hard-won victory was not only vital for China’s survival. It came at an immense cost, and increasingly supported allied efforts on other fronts, making it a pivotal contribution to the victory of the world’s anti-fascist people,” the Ambassador said.

According to Ambassador Yang, eighty years ago, when peace, justice and freedom rose to their own challenges, people of countries across the world rose up, and together we defeated the forces of fascism, ensuring that justice, light and progress triumphed.