The 9.18 Historical Museum

The 9.18 Historical Museum
沈阳“九一八”历史博物馆

Address: 46 South Wanghua Street, Dadong district, Shenyang, Liaoning province
Hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (May 1 – Sept 30, no entry after 16:30),
9:00 - 16:30 (Oct 1 – April 30, no entry after 16:00)
Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
E-mail: 918bgs@163.com
General admission: Free (passport required for entry)

The 9.18 Historical Museum is located on the site where the groundbreaking September 18th Incident (also known as the Mukden Incident or Manchuria Incident) broke out on Sept 18, 1931 and is the only museum anywhere in the world having Mukden Incident-themed exhibits.

The museum was founded in 1991 and covers 35,000 square meters. It focuses on the collection, exhibition and study of cultural heritage and historical data and items related to the Mukden Incident. There are more than 7,000 pieces in the museum.

The rich variety of cultural relics, historical photos and various modern displays offers a truthful account of the Japanese militarists’ choreographing and starting the September 18th Incident, as well as the history of humiliation to which Northeast China was subjected under their brutal colonial rule. It vividly illustrates the historic struggles of people in Northeast China to ultimately achieve a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on 1945, Aug 15 through determination and sacrifice, together with the help of their compatriots under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Over the past 20 years, the 9.18 Historical Museum has received tens of millions of visitors, with annual visitations of over one million. It has become an important venue for Chinese public patriotic education and major commemorative activities dedicated to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Since 1999, the “Bell-sounding Ceremony Commemorating the September 18th Incident” has been held at the museum every Sept 18. During the activity, air-raid sirens are sounded across the entire city together with an alarm bell being rung 14 times to remind people of the national humiliation and the September 18th Incident.