File photo shows soldiers of the No. 29 Nationalists Corps keeping watch on the Japanese soldiers at Wanping town after the "July 7 Incident" in Beijing. China was the first nation to fight against fascist forces. The struggle started on September 18, 1931, when Japanese troops began their invasion of northeast China. It was intensified when Japan's full-scale invasion began after a crucial access point to Beijing, Lugou Bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, was attacked by Japanese troops on July 7, 1937. (Xinhua)