TV program honors war heroes

Young people across China are being encouraged to watch a television program to air on China Central Television on Friday that showcases World War II Chinese heroes.

The program, The First Lesson of the New Academic Year, will invite people who lived through the war to share their stories and memories about the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

According to Xu Wenguang, deputy director of CCTV 1, which will broadcast the program, the storytellers will include 93-year-old actress and artist Qin Yi, whose late husband, Jin Yan, was a friend of Nie Er, the composer of China's national anthem. Qin will tell a story about how Nie composed the anthem when he played the piano at Qin and Jin's home.