On September 18, 1931, Japanese forces, who already occupied parts of Manchuria (present day Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces), blamed Chinese dissidents for the bombing of the Japanese-owned railway. Historians are generally in agreement that Japanese militarists staged the bombing and then blamed the Chinese as a pretext for launching the Second Sino-Japanese War.

It was an incident that would became forever known as the Manchurian Incident or Mukden Incident.

Within the September 18th History Museum (Jiǔ Yī Bā Lìshǐ Bówù Guǎn, 九一八历史博物馆) are photographs and displays depicting the unfathomable atrocities suffered by China at the hands of Japanese soldiers. Much like the Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre, it's a dark and somber atmosphere and not recommended for the faint of heart.

Though some signs are in English, most displays are in Chinese, but their vividness and detail are usually more than sufficient to make the context, if not the content, easy to grasp. Those disturbed by graphic images of war may want to give the museum a pass.

This is, however, an excellent musuem for those interested in this era of Chinese history that is often overlooked in the West, and for anyone seeking insight into modern concepts of Chinese national identity and foreign relations. A visit through the museum will take a good two hours.

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