For Hans Van de Ven, Professor of Modern Chinese History at Cambridge, China's Second World War commemoration on Thursday was a way to strengthen national identity among the general public.
"The War is presented as an effort by all of China to resist aggression and that sort of eradicates the differences between the Communists and the Nationalists and so I think attempt to be inclusive was really there and many people will see this as positive."
He says China played an important role during the Second World War but its story has not been properly told. And by inviting foreign contingents to participate in its military parade, China sees itself as part of a broader alliance.
"Had China sided with Japan, which was not entirely impossible, then Japan would have been able to utilize China's resources and China's man power for not only the occupations of South East Asia but also to fight the Russians, and the whole World War II would have been rather different."
However, Professor Hans did point out that European audiences often associate such military parades with assertions of power and that's may be part of the reason why China's V-Day Parade is misinterpreted in some cases. He explains that in Europe, war commemorations are usually on the solemn side. Also, while national scale commemorations are important, he would be glad to see more local remembrances that engage people who have survived the Second World War.
"By this I mean there are national commemorations in the UK and across the European countries as well as the United States, but we also have some local commemorations in universities, in schools, villages and in our neighborhoods, and people are telling their own stories. I think it would something really really good if that could happen in China as well."
Professor Hans Van de Ven was guest professor at the Department of History of Nanjing University and co-editor of Negotiating China's Destiny in World War II published by Stanford University Press, 2014.
For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in London.
