BEIJING: Chinese diplomats in India swept graves of Chinese soldiers killed in the World War-II during the just concluded Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese festival to honour the deceased.
Cai Zhifeng, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Kolkata, made a special trip to the Chinese Anti-Japanese Aggression Expeditionary Force Cemetery in Ramgarh in Jharkhand during the Chinese festival which was held yesterday, the state media reported.
Cai and his party first presented flower baskets to the monument and placed white carnations in front of each martyr's tomb, the Chinese military online news reported. Chinese diplomats and representatives from Chinese-funded enterprises then lined up and made three bows to the monument to honour the Chinese soldiers.
The Chinese Expeditionary Force was established in 1941 and fought against Japanese invaders in India and Myanmar from 1942 to 1945, the number of casualties was nearly 67,000.
At present, there is a total of three famous cemeteries of Chinese Expeditionary Force in India. The cemetery in Ramgarh was used to bury the fallen soldiers of the Chinese anti-Japanese aggression expeditionary forces from 1942 to 1945. Among the existing 667 tombs, only 40 have names, the report said.