Tower, stone witness China's sovereignty

They still stand. Weathered and baked by the sun, certainly, but they stand as icons of defiance. When people visit China's Yongxing Island in the South China Sea for the first time, residents proudly point out these symbols of China's sovereignty: a three-story gun tower and a 1-meter-tall stone with red lettering that marks the return of the island to Chinese sovereignty after the war against occupying Japanese forces.

The gun tower, now empty of weapons and refurbished was built by Japanese imperial forces after their occupation began in 1939. Its square openings allowed gun crews to train their fire on the South China Sea.

Both are located on the western part of one of China's Xisha Islands.