Echoes of a century-long struggle: The path to national liberation

by Junying Xue, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Grenada

As Grenada solemnly observes Emancipation Day, China is commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war.

These two historic milestones, separated by a century, represent profound chapters in humanity’s collective struggle against oppression and share remarkable parallels in their struggles against oppression, processes of national liberation, socioeconomic development, international impact, and contemporary commemoration, forming a crucial chapter in the worldwide resistance to colonialism.

First, both events reflect the awakening and resistance of oppressed peoples, linking together as key moments in the Global South’s defiance against colonial hegemony. Grenada was occupied by Britain in 1762, with its colonial status formally confirmed by the 1783 Treaty of Versailles. On 1 August 1838, with the abolition of slavery across the British Empire, Grenada achieved legal emancipation, marking a milestone in the Caribbean’s anti-colonial struggle. Meanwhile, China endured a similar fate: after the Opium War of 1840, a series of unequal treaties gradually reduced China to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society. The founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921 brought new hope to the suffering Chinese people. The 1 August 1927 Nanchang Uprising marked the CPC’s independent leadership of armed struggle to seize power by force, later commemorated as the founding day of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began with the 18 September Incident in 1931, and culminated in victory on 3 September 1945, a date now commemorated annually as Victory Memorial Day.

While Grenada took its first step toward liberation through abolition, China achieved full independence through armed struggle under CPC leadership. Both struggles embody the relentless fight of oppressed peoples for dignity and freedom.

Second, both nations experienced protracted journeys from legal emancipation to full independence. Britain’s 1833 Slavery Abolition Act stipulated the abolition of slavery effective 1 August 1834, but imposed a 4-year “apprenticeship system” as a transition. Under widespread resistance, Grenada finally abolished slavery in 1838. However, it remained under British colonial rule for another 136 years, achieving full independence in 1974, with racial and economic inequalities from slavery endured. China’s struggle lasted 109 years from the Opium War to the 1949 founding of New China. After victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression, China still faced civil war and reconstruction challenges, ultimately establishing the People’s Republic of China in 1949 to achieve national independence and completely break free from semi-colonial status.

Notably, 1938 marked the 100th anniversary of Grenada’s emancipation, coinciding with a critical phase of China’s total resistance against Japanese aggression by the whole nation. After arduous struggle, the Chinese people ultimately defeated Japanese militarist aggression and won national independence. In 1983, as Grenada faced US intervention, China was embarking on reform and opening-up. Though at different development stages, both nations confronted the common challenge of pursuing modernisation while safeguarding national sovereignty.

Third, after initial liberation, both societies underwent profound yet difficult socioeconomic transformations. After emancipation, Grenada’s economic structure long remained trapped in the colonial monoculture plantation model. After exploring socialist experiments from 1979 to 1983 and enduring the pains of market reforms, significant change came in the late 20th century with the rise of tourism.

Similarly, China’s traditional agricultural economy gradually disintegrated under the impact of Western industrial civilisation. After 1945, Chinese society experienced more revolutionary transformations: land reform completely eradicated the feudal economic foundation, a new national economic system was established, which laid the institutional foundation for subsequent industrialisation. The 1978 reform and opening-up policy facilitated China’s transition from planned economy to socialist market economy, achieving an economic miracle that has riveted the attention of the world. This has enabled China to achieve a historic leap from a traditional agricultural society to the world’s largest manufacturing nation, and the country is now going all out to build a great modern socialist country and achieve the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by pursuing Chinese modernisation.

Fourth, both struggles constitute the historical narrative of global oppressed peoples fighting for freedom. The historical significance of Grenada’s 1838 emancipation transcended a single event, becoming an important chapter in the 19th-century global abolitionist movement, while China’s revolution established new paradigms for 20th-century anti-colonial resistance. The Nanchang Uprising of 1927 pioneered bottom-up armed struggle against imperialism, and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, as the main theatre in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, underscored collective defiance against fascism. Thus, Grenada’s Emancipation Day epitomises 19th-century abolitionism, while China’s PLA Day and Victory Memorial Day for the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression symbolise 20th-century anti-imperialist struggle.

Today, Emancipation Day, PLA Day, and Victory Memorial Day resonate deeply, continuing to play key roles in shaping national identity. Emancipation Day celebrations not only commemorate abolition but also emphasise its WWII anti-fascist contributions — Grenadian soldiers fought in European and Pacific theatres. China’s PLA Day marks the birth of the people’s army that safeguards national sovereignty and people’s interests. The two “1 August” observances both carry national memory, yet both emphasise freedom, independence and national dignity.

Victory Memorial Day for the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression commemorates China’s pivotal contribution to the Allied victory in WWII. This observance underscores the CPC’s leading role as the cornerstone, China’s unwavering commitment to preserving WWII outcomes and international justice, and its proactive efforts in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

At this historic moment commemorating both the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and Grenada’s Emancipation Day, we are reminded that the remembrance serves not only to honour history but to shape a more peaceful future. Let us remember the past, empower the future, promote friendship and build a community with a shared future for mankind together.