NANJING, April 11 -- Gazing at the martyrs' names engraved on a wall in the anti-Japanese aviation martyr cemetery in Nanjing City, Lee Chi-ming, retired major general from Taiwan, was lost in memories.

The 87-year-old Lee was born in Gaomi City in east China's Shandong Province. During the anti-Japanese war that lasted from 1937 to 1945, he first joined the guerrilla forces and then the troops of the Kuomintang, or the Nationalist Party, to fight against the Japanese invaders.

"That is a history that should always be remembered by all Chinese people," he said.

Lee is among a delegation formed by retired generals and colonels from Taiwan who are visiting Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, in order to pay respect to the anti-Japanese war martyrs and promote research on the history of the war. The visit is scheduled to last from Wednesday to Saturday.

Nanjing was the site of an infamous World War II massacre. On Dec. 13, 1937, invading Japanese troops occupied the city, which was the capital of the Kuomintang government at the time, and launched a six-week massacre. Chinese records show more than 300,000 people, including disarmed soldiers and civilians, were murdered.

Retired Taiwan general Wang Wen-shieh said visiting the cemetery gave him a thorough understanding of the sacrifice made by the aviation soldiers during the war for the first time.

Research on the history of the war should be deepened and more people should draw lessons from that history, he said.

In February, China's top legislature approved two new national days, one to mark victory in the anti-Japanese war and the other to commemorate Nanjing Massacre victims and all those killed during Japanese aggression against China.

The retired soldiers said the move is of great significance and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should hold public memorial ceremonies together on the national days.

"The visit has a special meaning in commemorating the victory, honoring the martyrs and tracing the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China during the war," said Yang Xining, legal representative of the Nanjing Laoshan exchange center for anti-Japanese war victory, which organized the event.

Retired Taiwan general Chi Ling-lien said both the mainland and Taiwan should further their research into the history of the war, and communication between the two sides on the subject should be enhanced.