From a Single Person's Obsession to the Names of 320,000: The History and Human Nature Behind a List of Martyrs in the War of Resistance
As a financial journalist, I usually focus on GDP, stock market fluctuations, and corporate financial reports. But today, I want to introduce you to a special “asset” that has no market value, yet carries immense weight; it generates no cash flow, yet nourishes the spiritual homes of countless people.
This is the “List of Martyrs in the War of Resistance,” compiled over five years by 70-year-old Wang Wei and a group of volunteers. The list includes 321,500 names and details, stretching 4.5 meters in length.
In today’s fast-paced society, we tend to summarize everything in numbers. But behind each number in this list lies a once-living person, a forgotten family story, and a long battle fought by an ordinary individual against oblivion.
Below, I will break down the story, logic, and value behind this list from five dimensions in plain language.
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I. The Beginning: From “Who Was My Grandfather” to “Who Are They?”
How did an ordinary person’s quest for answers turn into a public memory project?
The story started quite personally, even with a touch of mystery.
The protagonist, Wang Wei, is 70 years old and from Guizhou. As a child, his grandmother told him about his grandfather, who was an officer who died fighting the Japanese in Shanghai and was buried at Yuhuatai in Nanjing. However, Wang Wei was puzzled: his grandfather’s surname was Yang, yet his own was Wang. He later learned that he was adopted by his uncle due to the large number of children in the family.
In 1987, Wang Wei stumbled upon a book about the Battle of Shanghai in a bookstore in Guiyang. Inside was a photo with the caption: “Yang Jie, Deputy Commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Army, who died at Xitang Bridge.”
That moment awakened his childhood memories. Wang Wei began to frantically search for evidence: old family photos, negatives, pension certificates from the Nationalist Government, and testimonials from his classmates from the Huangpu Military Academy. In 1993, 62 years after the Battle of Shanghai, Wang Wei finally obtained his grandfather’s certificate of being a “martyr.”
Key Point: If the story ended here, it would just be a touching family story. But Wang Wei discovered a more cruel reality: before and after his grandfather, there were thousands of others named Yang Jie who died in battle, yet their names were never recorded, let alone their martyr certificates.
This sense of being forgotten motivated Wang Wei to seek justice not just for his family but for all the unnamed heroes. This is the original purpose of the list: not for statistics, but to restore the dignity of those lost in the river of history.
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II. The Process: A Five-Year “Data Cleaning” Marathon
How were 700,000 clues reduced to 320,000 confirmed facts?
Many think compiling a list is just about copying names, but it’s actually like a challenging “data detective” task.
1. Chaotic Sources, High Barriers:
The team initially collected over 700,000 pieces of information from various sources, including professional websites like “China Martyrs Network,” local chronicles, library archives, and names engraved on martyrs’ monuments.
- Challenge: Many institutions only allowed viewing, not borrowing; some lists were only on walls without electronic copies. Wang Wei had to take photos and manually enter the data.
2. Verifying Accuracy, Expert Review:
Among the 700,000 pieces of information, there were duplicates, errors (such as including non-war-related sacrifices), and many that could not be verified due to lack of evidence.
Then, historian Pei Yuan joined the project. With his remarkable memory and knowledge of the war, he could identify the truth like a “sharp eye.”
- Result: After rigorous screening, the number was reduced to 321,500. Each name that remained was verified multiple times.
3. Technical Challenges: The Complexity of Chinese Characters:
The war took place during the Republic of China era, using traditional Chinese characters. For example, the surname “Xiao” is simplified to “Xiao” today, and some rare characters like “Cuan” were unknown.
The team had to convert between simplified and traditional characters, identify variant forms, and convert the Republican era dates to the Gregorian calendar, as well as rename places like “Zhili Province” to “Hebei Province.”
This was both a physical and mental task.
Key Point: This process demonstrates the importance of rigor. In an era of information overload, we often rely on quick, fragmented information. But this list shows that true historical records require patience, verification, and responsibility for every name.
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III. The Details: The Human Faces Behind the Data
What does the list of 320,000 names reveal about society?
After organizing the data, the team didn’t stop at just listing names; they analyzed them in depth. These details are more touching than grand narratives.
1. Female Heroes: The Overlooked 353 “Women of Strength”:
The original records rarely indicated gender. The team found 353 women through keywords like “Women’s Rescue Association,” “nurses,” and “girl teams.”
- Most Shocking Case: Wang Huimin, who was only 13 when she died. She and seven comrades drowned themselves in the Wusihun River in Heilongjiang, known as the “Eight Women Who Drowned.”
- Interpretation: War was not just a man’s domain; women also sacrificed their youth and lives. This list brings them out of the shadows.
2. Surname Distribution: A “Genetic Map” of the Nation’s Resistance:
The list includes 1,459 surnames.
- Common Surnames: The top ten surnames (Li, Wang, Zhang, etc.) account for 44%, reflecting the majority Han population.
- Rare and Minority Surnames: Surnames from ethnic minorities like Sha, Su, Lan, Cun, and Cuan, as well as compound surnames like Shangguan and Shentu, and even 48 foreign surnames, were included.
- Interpretation: This proves that the “nation-wide resistance” was not just a slogan but a reality. Everyone, regardless of ethnicity, stood together.
3. Sorting Logic: Why by the Number of Strokes?
Other information (place of birth, age, time of death) was missing. Sorting by time or place was incomplete. The team chose to sort by the number of strokes in the names.
- Interpretation: This shows a sense of equality. Regardless of rank or origin, everyone is equal in death. Sorting by strokes emphasizes that everyone’s contribution is valued equally.
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IV. The Extension: From a List to a Family Shrine, Emotions Taken to Reality
Why would someone pay to include a single surname in the list?
After completing the list, the team found that many wanted to keep it in their family shrines for future generations to remember their ancestors. They started compiling lists for individual surnames.
Here’s a particularly touching example:
- The Persistence of the Cuan Surname:
In 2021, someone contacted the team to donate for the Cuan surname list. Their grandfather was a war hero, but the name was uncertain.
The database showed:
- “Cui” surname: 0 people
- “Cuan” surname: 1 person
- “Cun” surname: 41 people
Logically, only the Cun surname should be included. But the donor insisted on the Cuan surname, even if it meant only one person.
Wang Wei said, “Even if a surname has only one person, we must include it.”
- Interpretation: This reflects the importance of family memory. For ordinary people, family history is part of national history. Even if only one ancestor sacrificed, it’s a significant event. The list becomes a bridge between the past and the present, making heroes tangible.
To date, the team has completed 85 individual surname lists and invited people with those surnames to write prefaces. One preface says, “Let future generations feel proud of their ancestors”; another says, “We prefer not to have heroes at all”; another says, “Recording names is the best anti-war gesture.”
These words are more powerful than any grand slogan.
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V. The Meaning: At Nanjing University, Young Students Read the Names
What does this list mean for today?
On September 16, 2026, Wang Wei spoke at the School of Journalism and Communication at Nanjing University about “Family and National History.”
The students read the names aloud in a solemn atmosphere. No one spoke; only the names echoed in the air.
At that moment, history came to life.
1. Fighting Against Oblivion:
Ninety-five years ago, the September 18th Incident began, and the 14-year war resulted in 35 million casualties. Numbers are cold, but names are warm. When students read names like Yang Jie and Wang Huimin, they were not just reciting history; they were connecting with the souls from 95 years ago.
2. Reconstructing the Image of Heroes:
We often imagine heroes as fearless superheroes. But the list shows that heroes were ordinary people with families and children, who also faced fear and death. They became heroes because they chose to stand firm in the face of it.
3. The Foundation of Public Memory:
This list is a digital “monument of spirit.” It belongs to the entire nation, not to any one person. It reminds us that peace is not a given; it was earned with the lives of 321,500 people.
In Conclusion:
Wang Wei is 70 years old, and Pei Yuan works as a docent at the Jianchuan Museum. Their bodies may age, but their work keeps history alive.
The “List of Martyrs in the War of Resistance” is more than a book; it’s a reconstruction of collective memory. It shows that every individual’s life deserves respect and remembrance.
The names of 321,500 people are forever etched in the monument of history. Our task is to remember them and tell our children: who they were, what they did, and why we can live in peace today.