Many believe it to have been the true beginning of the Second World War, while the 85th anniversary of that day has been marked in Nanjing in another solemn ceremony that reminds of our city’s unique place in 20th century history.
许多人认为这是第二次世界大战的真正开始，而南京也举行了另一场庄严的纪念仪式来纪念这一天，以纪念我们的城市在 20 世纪历史中的独特地位。
On 7 July, 1937, gunfire broke out between Chinese and Japanese troops station at Lugou Bridge, also known as the Marco Polo Bridge, in today’s Beijing. Unlike previous skirmishes, this one did not dissipate. It marked the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and a little over 2 years later, almost the entire world was embroiled in armed conflict.
1937年7月7日，中日两国驻扎在卢沟桥（今北京）的驻地发生枪战。与之前的冲突不同，这次的冲突并没有平息。这标志着第二次中日战争的开始，两年多后，几乎整个世界都卷入了武装冲突。
The 85th anniversary of this day was marked yesterday at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, when at 10:00 the nation’s flag was raised, while all assembled removed their hats and saluted, before singing the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China.
昨天，南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆迎来了85周年纪念日，上午10:00，国旗升起，全体与会者脱帽致敬，随后高唱中华人民共和国国歌。
As a ceremony, yesterday’s event has much in common with the annual commemoration of the start of the Nanjing Massacre on 13 December. Both are held in the Memorial and feature many of the same proceedings, such as a presentation of flowers by the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Guard of Honour to the revolutionary martyrs and national heroes who gave their lives in the name of their ultimate victory.
作为一个仪式，昨天的活动与每年 12 月 13 日南京大屠杀爆发的纪念活动有很多共同之处。这两场活动都在南京大屠杀纪念馆举行，并有许多相同的活动，例如南京大屠杀纪念馆仪仗队向为最终胜利而献出生命的革命烈士和民族英雄敬献鲜花。
With representatives of Nanjing’s youth and descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors present, among others, yesterday’s ceremony was also broadcast live by CCTV, reports Nanjing Daily.
据《南京日报》报道，昨天的仪式还由南京市青少年代表、南京大屠杀幸存者后裔等代表参加，中央电视台还对仪式进行了现场直播。
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident
卢沟桥事件
Japan had mounted a full-out invasion of then Manchuria (now Northeastern China) in 1931, but tensions had been high since the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, when Japan was granted control over several parts of the China Far East Railway.
1931 年，日本全面入侵当时的满洲里（现中国东北），但自 1904 年至 1905 年日俄战争（当时日本获得了对中国远东铁路的多个部分的控制权）以来，紧张局势一直处于高度紧张状态。
On 7 July, 1937, after Japanese Army Private, Shimura Kikujiroan, failed to return to his post at Wanping on one side of the Lugou Bridge, an exchange of fire followed. According to “History of the 20th Century” (Purnell), “How the fighting started and who began it are questions to which no satisfactory answer can be given”.
1937年7月7日，日本陆军二等兵志村菊次郎庵未能返回卢沟桥一侧宛平的岗位，随后发生交火。根据《20世纪历史》（普内尔）的说法，“战斗是如何开始的以及是谁开始的，这些问题都无法给出令人满意的答案”。
Escalating into full-scale combat, the decision was taken here in the then capital of Nanjing to dispatch four army divisions northward. In a public speech, Chiang Kai-shek declared, “If we allow one more inch of our territory to be lost, we shall be guilty of an unpardonable crime against our race”.
战斗升级为全面战争，在当时的首都南京这里决定派遣四个军师北上。蒋介石在一次公开讲话中宣称：“如果我们再损失一寸领土，我们就对我们的种族犯下了不可饶恕的罪行”。
As such, the Marco Polo Incident began to be regarded as the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. But many think it was an event even more significant.
因此，马可波罗事件开始被视为第二次中日战争的开始。但许多人认为这是一个更重要的事件。
As far back as 1901, in the interests of protecting trade, China had allowed countries with legations in Beijing to station guards along the railways linking it with coastal Tianjin.
早在 1901 年，为了保护贸易，中国就允许驻北京的国家在连接中国和沿海天津的铁路沿线驻守警卫。
The aggressive Japanese advances upon those representatives of many nations are one key to the argument that World War II began here in China and not in Europe. There too, Adolf Hitler endorsed the opinion of Germany’s then-new Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, that Japan’s friendship was worth more than China’s. And hence Germany proceeded to recognise the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo.
日本对许多国家代表的侵略性进攻，是第二次世界大战始于中国而不是欧洲的论点的关键之一。在那里，阿道夫·希特勒也赞同德国新任外交部长约阿希姆·冯·里宾特洛甫的观点，即日本的友谊比中国的友谊更有价值。因此，德国开始承认日本伪满洲国。
As the latter part of 1937 played out, Japanese troops advanced across the Yangtze River Delta from Shanghai to Nanjing, leading to the Nanjing Massacre and, 85 years later, to the memorial held in our city yesterday morning.
1937年下半年，日军从上海跨越长江三角洲挺进南京，导致了南京大屠杀，85年后，又来到了昨天上午在我市举行的公祭。
