Photo: CCTV

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

China held a solemn burial ceremony in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Saturday for 30 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers who lost their lives during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), after their remains were returned to China on Friday from South Korea, carried by a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Y-20 transport aircraft.

Videos from official media showed that the honor guard fired 12 shots, the highest ceremonial salute, to pay tribute to the martyrs at the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang. The military band played The Song of Remembrance, and under the armed escort of PLA soldiers, the honor guard solemnly escorted the coffins of the martyrs into the site. 

The Chinese national anthem was played to pay tribute to the returning martyrs.

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. 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 the Shenyang cemetery, photos from the September 3 V-Day military parade, showcasing the latest equipment and air formations, are seen placed in front of the tombs of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army martyrs. Visitors paying their respects say they want to show the "China of today" to the "grandpas" of the Volunteer Army, media reported.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the CPV participation in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Over 7 decades ago, the CPV soldiers shouldered the trust of the people and the expectations of the country. With great valor and spirit, they crossed the Yalu River, embodying profound patriotism and revolutionary heroism.

Fighting alongside the Korean people and army, they endured two years and nine months of arduous and bloody battles, ultimately securing a great victory in the war, and forging the enduring spirit of that war.

Global Times