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‘Not a peaceful night’: Chinese state media urge citizens to remember Christmas Eve for Korean war battle victory
- Viral videos about Battle of Lake Changjin, also known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, stir patriotism on social media
- The battle, which ended on December 24, 1950, pushed US-allied troops back to 38th parallel and is considered a pivotal moment in Korean conflict
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While many around the world celebrated Christmas Eve, Chinese state media urged citizens to remember December 24 as the anniversary of a key Chinese military victory against American forces in the Korean war.
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“December 24 is not ‘a peaceful night’, it’s the victory day of the Battle of Lake Changjin,” the government-owned Beijing Radio and Television Station said in a Weibo post on Sunday.
The text, which accompanied a video that went viral, contained a bit of wordplay, as the Chinese name for Christmas Eve translates to “peaceful night”.
“[The soldiers] fought for nights of peace for the new China, with their blood and their lives,” the post said.
The 12-second video included clips from the 2021 domestic film The Battle of Lake Changjin, which depicts a pivotal Korean war battle, also known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
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The battle took place about a month after China entered the war in 1950. The Chinese forces, sent to aid North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, surprised United Nations troops led by the US in the northeastern part of North Korea and fought in freezing weather for weeks.
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