BEIJING, Nov. 3 -- Zuo Hongsong, a veteran of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, passed away on October 30, 2023, in Chengdu at the age of 102.
On 18th September 1931, the Japanese army launched the September 18th Incident and attacked Shenyang City, initiating a full-scale invasion of northeast China. Thus China's 14-year-long war against Japanese aggression began.
Zuo Hongsong was born in Renshou County of southwest China's Sichuan Province on August 29, 1922. After graduating from junior high school, Zuo determined to fight against the Japanese aggressor and serve his country. In 1943, when the army was recruiting soldiers in Chengdu, he enrolled as a soldier in the Chinese Expeditionary Force without his family's knowledge.
After three months of training, Zuo was deployed with other 27 recruits to the military depot at Dinjan Town in India and took part in military training there. After three months of training, he was assigned to fight against the Japanese troops in the Battle of Myitkyina. In July 1945, Zuo came back to China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zuo worked for the Sichuan Petroleum Company.
