Veteran Xu Qimao, 91, stands on a road at Xujiagou Village of Yuxian County, north China's Shanxi Province, June 6, 2017. Xu, born in 1926, joined the Chinese army in 1944 during the anti-Japanese war. July 7 this year marks the 80th anniversary of the start of China's eight-year resistance against Japanese invasion. China was the first nation to fight against fascist forces. The struggle started on September 18, 1931, when Japanese troops began their invasion of northeast China. It was intensified when Japan's full-scale invasion began after a crucial access point to Beijing, Lugou Bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, was attacked by Japanese troops on July 7, 1937. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)
