Born on June 27, 1927, in a village of Liulin county, Shanxi province, 98-year-old veteran Li Qing joined a guerrilla force at 16. He participated in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, the War of Liberation (1946-49), and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53). After transferring to civilian work in 1964, he worked on a section of the Zhongyang Highway in Shanxi until retirement in 1987.

"I became a soldier to resist Japanese aggression and save China. If anyone dares to bully China, we will deal with them," Li said.

In 1942, 15-year-old Li fled across the Yellow River from Linxian county in Shanxi to a village in Shaanxi, working at a textile factory.

Along the way, he witnessed displaced compatriots and heard of horrific atrocities. To escape Japanese troops, villagers hid in cellars or in the mountains, stifling children's cries to avoid detection — sometimes discovering too late that the child had suffocated, he said.

Li recounted the tragedy of his aunt's neighboring village where the residents were discovered hiding in a cave. Japanese soldiers sealed the entrance and pumped in smoke, killing everyone inside.

Driven by oppression and these horrors, Li joined the Eighth Route Army guerrillas, beginning his military career.

As part of the poorly equipped guerrillas, they fought the Japanese under the tactics of "enemy advances, we retreat; enemy retreats, we advance; enemy tires, we fight; enemy flees, we pursue".

He recalled some significant engagements during the war.

During the Guanzhuangyuan Battle in 1943, after intense fighting near a local village, the guerrillas were forced to withdraw.

However, during the Lijiayuan Battle, also in 1943, the guerrillas attacked a Japanese bunker at dusk with only 10 or so defenders. They killed five, captured three and seized weapons. This victory earned recognition from Chairman Mao Zedong, with an art troupe performing for three days in Liulin county to celebrate the victory.