CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- “Three things are buried under Jiefangbei (People's Liberation Monument) in Chongqing: a letter to Chongqing from U.S. President Roosevelt, a military sword from a Japanese prince during World War II, and the ashes of 300 anti-Japanese martyrs.” Recently, a video introduction of the history of Chongqing Jiefangbei has drawn the attention of many netizens.

Is the content in the video true?

“Nonsense! None of the ‘three things’ exists,” said Professor Zhou Yong, vice president of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War Society and president of Chongqing Historical Research Society. He said that history is the solidification of reality, and people must not distort history in fun.

The fact is there is a memorial steel pipe under Jifangbei

As a landmark in Chongqing, Jiefangbei is always a must-visit destination for visitors. Naturally, visitors become interested in its history.

So what is exactly buried under Jiefangbei? Zhou Yong answered that there is a memorial steel pipe under Jifangbei. “Historical facts are not fabrications; instead, they are discovered and sorted out by historians based on historical records.”

The things buried under Jiefangbei are clearly recorded in history.

At 10:00 on October 10, 1947, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in Chongqing participated in the inauguration ceremony for the “Monument to the Victory of the Anti-Japanese War” in Spiritual Fortress Square on Duyou Street. The next day, an article titled It Took Ten Months and 200 Million Yyuan to Complete the Monument to the Victory of the Anti-Japanese War was published in Ta Kung Pao to report the inauguration ceremony.

According to the article, the walls on both sides of the ladder were “Corridors of Victory”, which would be used to display the cultural relics from different provinces and municipalities in the future. Words from President Roosevelt would be enlarged ten times before being embedded in the Corridor of Victory.

“There is also a memorial steel pipe containing the newspapers, photos, and relevant cultural relics of Chongqing. It will be buried under the monument this afternoon, allowing our future generations to witness the culture of our age.”

Zhou Yong said the scroll from President Roosevelt did exist in the historical records, but the plan to embed the scroll in the Corridor of Victory was not implemented. When the inauguration ceremony was held, a memorial steel pipe containing the newspapers, photos, and relevant cultural relics was buried under the monument. It did not include the scroll from President Roosevelt. The origins of the other two things are unclear.

We should respect history

What do you think of some social media influencers making up historical facts to attract more web traffic?

As a historian, Zhou Yong criticized the phenomenon and said, “All historical events, with their own social background, are indelible and unchangeable imprints left by our ancestors. The protection of the authenticity of historical facts is necessary for safeguarding the historical memory of a country, passing down its historical culture, and developing its national spirit. As citizens, we should respect the history of our nation, hold a right outlook on history, and pursue and maintain the authenticity of history.”

He added that in recent years, some social media influencers have completely ignored the authenticity of historical facts, made comments inconsistent with or even contrary to historical facts on the internet, and even exaggerated or weakened the impact of historical events, resulting in very bad effects.

"Such erroneous remarks not only mislead the public, especially young people, but also weaken people's historical memory, historical culture and national spirit. Therefore, such irresponsible remarks must be on high alert and condemn such behaviors," said Zhou Yong.

Those joking about history will be included in the blacklist

As people are increasingly interested in history, making up historical facts has become a fast method for social media influencers to gain fans.

According to the Guiding Opinions on Further Improving the Level of Explanation Services in Museums (the "Opinions") released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration on August 23, the tourist guides who distort historical facts, joke about history, and disturb order will be included in a blacklist for intensified monitoring and administration.

The Opinions pointed out that all museums should develop a mechanism for application, training, examinations, assessment, and recruitment; the good commentators and teams shall be included in the whit list for unified administration; we should focus on strengthening the review and control of the explanation content, and timely detect and correct behaviors such as distorting historical facts, joking about the history and disturbing order by means of advance reporting, inspection, social supervision, and online monitoring.

Lin Bizhong, deputy director of the Expert Committee of Chongqing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology said that in recent years, historical and cultural attractions as well as museums have become one of the highlights in the tourism industry, but we can often hear wrong historical facts when traveling.

Lin Bizhong believes that innovation doesn’t mean making up historical facts, joking with history, deliberately confusing history and legend, or rewriting history. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)