People commemorate the perished soldiers of the New Fourth Army.

A memorial event commemorating revolutionary heroes of the New Fourth Army was held in Qingpu District on Wednesday, to mark the founding of the army 85 years ago.

The New Fourth Army was founded on October 12, 1937. It was the day when former soldiers of the army, their children, and the general public gathered at the New Fourth Army Square inside the Fushouyuan Cemetery to cherish history.

Built in 2005, the New Fourth Army Square is a "red" tourism base in the city that receives over 400,000 visits annually.

Over 1,800 soldiers have been laid to rest at the square.

People laid flowers and mourned the revolutionary heroes at the tomb.

People lay flowers.

Chen Haosu, former president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and son of Chen Yi, wrote a poem for the memorial event.

Liu Sumin, director of the Shanghai New Fourth Army History Research Association, shared the revolutionary spirit, noble sentiments and original aspiration of soldiers of the New Fourth Army.

"These are all precious spiritual legacies left to their children", said Liu.

Liu Peng, 96, a former soldier of the army who participated in several air battles during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, attended the memorial.

"Even today, my mind still flashes back to scenes of fighting which occurred long ago. It makes me cherish peaceful days more when I think of my peers who sacrificed their lives", he said.

A fund was established to spread stories about revolutionary heroes and collect historic material related to the city's revolutionary history and heroes from the public last month.