Soldiers attend an arrival ceremony for the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, September 12, 2025. The billboard behind the soldiers reads "The heroes return". Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The remains of 30 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers who lost their lives during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, carried by a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Y-20 transport aircraft, were returned to China on Friday from South Korea.

The repatriation and burial of the remains of CPV martyrs from South Korea has become a vivid practice of patriotic education for the whole of society, as the Global Times reporters witnessed firsthand at the scene how various sectors of society are carrying forward the spirit of the heroes.

On Friday morning, the remains of 30 CPV martyrs, along with 267 items of related artifacts, were transported back to China by a PLA Air Force aircraft from South Korea and escorted to Shenyang, Liaoning Province. From 2014 to 2025, China and South Korea have successfully conducted 12 consecutive handovers, covering the remains of 1,011 CPV martyrs and their belongings. 

At 10:57 am, the PLA Air Force Y-20 transport aircraft landed at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport. Upon entering Chinese airspace, the plane was escorted by four J-20 fighter jets, which also flew over the airport in formation. The rare scene of the Y-20 and J-20 "together in the frame" paid solemn tribute to the martyrs. The airport greeted the returning heroes with a "water salute," the highest honor in civil aviation.

At 11:25 am, the welcome ceremony began. The atmosphere was solemn and dignified. Each casket, draped in the bright red national flag, was received by PLA honor guards standing in full dress uniform, rifles in hand.

Following the ceremony, a convoy of 70 police motorcycles escorted the caskets to a martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang.

"As young men they departed, as heroes they return." These ceremonies symbolized the nation's highest respect and deep reverence for the fallen heroes.

Honor heroes 

Since 2020, China's domestically developed Y-20 transport aircraft has been tasked with repatriating the remains of CPV martyrs. In 2022, J-20 fighter jets were assigned to escort the mission for the first time, and this year the escort formation was expanded to four aircraft.

"We honor the CPV martyrs with the achievements of the People's Air Force. The motherland is strong now, and so is the Air Force," said military expert Wang Mingzhi. 

Around 1,500 people attended the ceremony welcoming back the remains of CPV martyrs from South Korea. During the live broadcast on China Central Television, an elderly CPV veteran, with his chest covered with military medals, was seen weeping in the front row, wiping his tears again and again. 

After the ceremony, a Global Times reporter interviewed the veteran, who was still visibly emotional. "I missed them. They have finally come back, back into the embrace of the motherland," he said.

The veteran is named He Lindi. According to the oral history documentary Remembering, He left home at an early age and joined the CPV at 13 as a young acrobat. 

Wherever the army and the frontline were, he would go, performing despite danger and hardship. His troupe often faced enemy bombings, narrowly escaping death many times. In recent years, He has always stood in the welcoming crowd whenever CPV martyrs' remains were brought home, recalling the comrades who fell on the Korean battlefield.

"We must forever carry on their spirit and build our country even stronger," He told the Global Times on Friday. 

At the scene, the Global Times reporter deeply felt how the heroes' legacy is being passed down across generations. 

Zhang Yibin, squad leader of the PLA Air Force's Huang Jiguang Squad under the "model paratroopers" unit, said: "These martyrs who returned today were revolutionary forebears who sacrificed their lives on the Korean battlefield. Under such harsh conditions back then, they defended the motherland with their blood and lives."

"As someone born after 2000, I often ask myself: if I were in their place, could I be fearless of sacrifice for victory? Every time I see the resolute gaze of Huang Jiguang's statue, every time we respond 'Here!' when his name is called, I firmly tell myself: 'The blood of heroes runs through my soul. I am Huang Jiguang'," Zhang said. Huang Jiguang, a CPV member who blocked the enemy's bullet hole with his body, sacrificed his life in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. 

Ma Mengyuan, a senior at Eastern Liaoning University, has been taking part in a long-running campus program to interview CPV veterans since her freshman year. She recalled one veteran once telling her, "We are not the real heroes. The real heroes are the comrades who stayed on the battlefield and never returned." Those words left a deep mark on her heart.

At Friday's ceremony, Ma said: "Today is the day when that veteran's comrades finally come home." At that moment, she said she felt a profound connection between history, the present, and the future. As a soon-to-be teacher, Ma said she is deeply aware of her responsibility. 

"Today we are here to welcome the heroes home so that history will be remembered. In the future, I will tell my students their stories, so they will learn to cherish and love peace," Ma told the Global Times on Friday. 

Cherish peace 

On Friday afternoon, student representatives from Hong Kong Pui Kiu Middle School, along with some student representatives from Taiwan compatriots' families, participated in the repatriation ceremony. 

They visited the martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, where they attentively listened to the guide's narration of the heroic deeds of martyrs such as Yang Gensi, Huang Jiguang, and Sun Zhanyuan. The students paid their respects by observing a moment of silence and laying flowers at the martyr's memorial. 

The students from Hong Kong Pui Kiu Middle School also displayed a five-star red flag, which had once flown over Tian'anmen Square, a gift from the Administration of Tian'anmen Area of Beijing Municipal People's Government. 

During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese people made significant sacrifices and contributions to oppose foreign invasion. In the Korean War, we made tremendous efforts to defend our country, with the CPV joining forces to defy the invasion and expansion of imperialism and safeguard the security of New China, Song Zhongping, a military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Friday. 

These brave soldiers and martyrs are our nation's heroes and steadfast defenders of our security. The return of these heroes has been a long-awaited hope for several generations, Song noted. 

"This moment not only honors their sacrifice but also teaches us to cherish the peaceful environment we have today. We must remember that this peace was hard-earned by countless heroes who sacrificed their lives. As we commemorate the past and honor the heroes, we must also value the present and the society we live in today," Song said.