Activities were held in various mainland cities on Wednesday in commemoration of the September 18 Incident, which marked the start of Japan's invasion of China leading up to the Second World War.

At the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, a huge bell tolled on the 93rd anniversary of a false-flag attack staged by Japanese soldiers on the capital of Liaoning province.

The bell rang 14 times, representing the 14 years during which the Chinese people fought the invasion.

Scores of people attended the ceremony to commemorate the September 18 Incident and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Sirens also howled and vehicles blew their horns elsewhere in the city.

Similar events were held in other cities in Liaoning, as well as in nearby Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.

People were urged to remember history and treasure peace.

On September 18, 1931, Japanese soldiers blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang and blamed it on Chinese troops as a pretext to invade China.