A statue of Yang Jingjuan is seen in Dinghai district, Zhoushan. [Photo/Dinghai District Media Convergence Center]

As today marks the 94th anniversary of the September 18 Incident— the start of China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression, it is worth remembering how teachers in Zhejiang province stood firm in the darkest hour, passing on knowledge and hope with their words, actions, courage, and sacrifice.

Yang Jingjuan (1924-41), a native of Dinghai district in Zhoushan, joined the anti-Japanese resistance shortly after the occupation of her hometown in June 1939. She became the head of a women's literacy night school, traveling across regions to teach while spreading patriotic messages.

In early 1941, she was captured while covering the retreat of fellow resistance members. Tortured and stabbed dozens of times by Japanese soldiers, she died heroically at just 17 years old. Today, a white statue of Yang stands surrounded by flowers in Haishan Park, Ma'ao subdistrict. Locals and tourists gather on special occasions to pay their respects at her memorial.

In Ningbo, Xu Ying (1921-44), born into an ordinary family, witnessed the destruction wrought by repeated bombings from Japanese aircraft. Moved by the suffering of his hometown, he joined the underground resistance.

In February 1942, he founded the Gulin Supplementary School. Officially offering Chinese and arithmetic classes, the school also taught philosophy and political thought. Students trained militarily in the morning and studied by night — many of the 1943 cohort later joined anti-Japanese guerrilla forces.

The school was forced to close in 1944. Xu Ying handed his unfinished manuscript, Outline of Anti-Japanese Public Education, to fellow teachers before being captured and killed later that year, aged just 23.

In Jiaxing, archival records preserve the legacy of Zhang Yintong (1898-1969), headmaster of Jiaxing No 1 High School and a lifelong patriot. After studying in Japan, Zhang returned to China with a firm belief in saving the nation through education. He became headmaster in 1931.

Jiaxing's proximity to the front line exposed schools to frequent air raids. While many institutions shut down, Zhang remained at his post. As the city prepared for occupation in November, he organized the full evacuation of staff and students, relocating the school to today's Bihu town in Lishui.

Between 1941 and 1942, with Japanese forces invading southern Zhejiang, Zhang led the school on another westward migration. The school became a beacon, attracting young people who braved enemy lines in search of an education. Many who studied in exile went on to become national pillars in the postwar era.