Chinese soldiers prepare to carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Sept. 27, 2020. The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were returned to China on Sunday from the ROK. It is the seventh such repatriation following a handover agreement signed by the two countries. (Xinhua/Wang Jingqiang)

The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers who were killed in the Korean War (1950-53) arrived in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Sunday, and were received by the country's highest greeting ceremony.

The remains were transported via the domestically developed strategic cargo plane Y-20, reflecting the country's unprecedented respect for martyrs. 

This is the first time China has sent a Y-20 transport aircraft to repatriate Chinese People's Volunteers' (CPV) Army martyrs' remains, China Central Television reported on Sunday, noting that the serial number "01" on the aircraft is an indication of the highest respect to the martyrs.

When the plane arrived, it was welcomed by two firefighter cars that sprayed water to form an arch, a symbol of "washing all the dust off from a trip."

Previously, the remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the war were usually transported via the Russian-made Ilyushin-76.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the CPV's participation in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

On October 19, 1950, at the request of North Korea, the CPV crossed the Yalu River, the border between China and North Korea, to battle the US-led UN forces in North Korea. Chinese forces drove the US back to the 38th Parallel at the cost of at least 190,000 Chinese lives.

China and South Korea have successfully completed the handover of the remains of 599 CPV martyrs for six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

On September 19, a Memorial Hall of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in border city Dandong, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, had been reopened after renovation. 

Global Times