Gratitude activity ideas for the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (27/7/1947 – 27/7/2027)

The meaning of the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day

War Invalids and Martyrs Day originated on 27 July 1947. 27 July 2027 marks its 80th anniversary, an occasion for every school and locality to express gratitude to heroic martyrs, war invalids, sick soldiers and families who served the revolution.

Gratitude is not limited to one day. An anniversary is meaningful when its activities help young people understand their forebears' sacrifice, and when local stories are recorded and kept for future generations.

Traditional gratitude activities around 27 July

These are the core, close-to-home and practical activities every unit can do:

• Visiting families of war invalids and martyrs

  Visit, talk with and bring gifts to war invalids, sick soldiers and martyrs' relatives; listen and ask about the family's real needs.

• Tending martyrs' cemeteries

  Clean, sweep, plant flowers and care for graves at martyrs' cemeteries and memorial steles in the area.

• Incense and candle offerings

  Hold incense and candle-lighting ceremonies at cemeteries and memorials in a solemn atmosphere.

• Meetings and storytelling

  Invite veterans, war invalids and martyrs' relatives to share their stories with students and members.

• Regular care

  Adopt a family of a war invalid or martyr, or a person of merit living alone, with monthly visits, not only around 27 July.

Digital activities with lasting value

Alongside traditional activities, digital products keep local stories and images for the long term and reach more people, especially the young:

• Digital memory room, 3D exhibition

  A virtual space presenting the locality's martyrs and war invalids with photos, keepsakes and stories, viewable on phones.

• Digital map of cemeteries and memorials

  The locations of martyrs' cemeteries, memorial steles and monuments in the commune or ward, with photos, information and directions.

• QR codes at memorials

  Scan to read or hear the story of the events and people linked to the memorial.

• Audiobooks of veterans' stories

  Record veterans' accounts and edit them into audiobooks that students and residents can replay at any time.

• Oral-history video collection

  Interview witnesses, veterans and martyrs' relatives and keep the videos as a themed collection.

• Online knowledge quiz

  Questions on local traditions and on War Invalids and Martyrs Day for students and Youth Union members.

Ideas for schools

• Heritage lessons

  Bring local martyrs' stories into history and local studies lessons and the flag ceremony at the start of the school year.

• Students interview grandparents

  Students talk with relatives and local veterans, write up the stories and add them to the school's digital memory room.

• Adopting graves

  Each class, with teachers, cares for one area of graves at a martyrs' cemetery near the school.

• Exhibition of gratitude drawings and writing

  Display drawings and letters to the heroic martyrs, digitized into an online exhibition.

• Heritage review quiz

  A discovery game on a projector or phones during a school festival.

Ideas for Youth Unions

• Youth project digitizing martyrs' cemeteries

  Members photograph and note the public information on steles and build a digital map and lookup page, with the managing body's consent.

• “Remember the source” journey

  Follow a route of red addresses, cemeteries and memorials, with a QR code for narration at each point.

• Recording witnesses' accounts

  A team of members records audio and video of veterans and edits them into audiobooks and short videos.

• Candle-lighting of gratitude

  Light candles at the martyrs' cemetery around 27 July, solemnly and safely, and clean up afterwards.

• Digital skills for families of people of merit

  Help people of merit and martyrs' relatives use phones and video-call family members far away.

Ideas for communes, wards and veterans' associations

• The commune's or ward's digital memory room

  Photos, keepsakes and stories of the locality's martyrs and war invalids, updated year by year.

• Digital map of local memorial sites

  Cemeteries, memorial steles, monuments and revolutionary sites of the commune or ward on one shared map.

• Veterans tell their stories

  Each member tells one story, recorded as an audiobook and used in sessions with young people.

• QR boards at martyrs' cemeteries

  Linking to a page about the cemetery, local history and how to find grave areas.

• Meeting of generations

  A meeting of veterans, families of people of merit, members and students, filmed for safekeeping.

Respecting the names, photos and stories of martyrs and war invalids

This information is sacred to each family. When putting it online, take great care:

• Ask the family

  Before posting photos, stories or keepsakes, ask the relatives and respect the family's wishes.

• Check names and hometowns

  Verify full names, hometowns, units and dates of death against gravestones and local records; never guess.

• Use dignified photos

  Prefer portraits provided by the family; do not crop, colorize or retouch in ways that distort them.

• Measured wording

  Write simply and sincerely; avoid exaggeration and never use images of sacrifice to shock.

• Offer a way to correct

  State clearly how families and residents can comment, add information or request corrections.

Planning the 80th anniversary: preparing before 27 July 2027

Digital products need time to collect materials, so start early. A suggested timeline:

• Early on: choose ideas and assign tasks

  Agree on the main activities, the digital products to build, who is in charge and partner units.

• A few months before: collect materials

  Meet families and veterans, record audio, take photos and survey cemeteries and memorials.

• About a month before: build the digital products

  Edit content and build the digital memory room, digital map, audiobooks and QR codes; invite families to review them.

• Around 27 July 2027: launch with the gratitude activities

  Present the digital products at the incense offering or meeting; place QR codes at memorials.

• After the anniversary: maintain and expand

  Keep adding new stories and use the products throughout the school year and in Youth Union and Pioneer activities.