China on Saturday took a low-key approach to the 70th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident, which sparked the Sino-Japanese war.
A new exhibit opened at a war memorial near the bridge, but no other official ceremonies were planned and no anti-Japan demonstrations were seen.
About 1,000 people, including soldiers and students, gathered in front of the Anti-Japanese War Memorial Museum in the morning to attend the opening ceremony of the new exhibit.
"We hope that the new generation will continue to remember the history of bloodshed and struggle," Zhao Xuefen, whose father fought in the war, said in a speech.
Chinese and Japanese troops clashed near the bridge on July 7, 1937, with the conflict escalating into a full-scale war that lasted until 1945.
In the morning, hundreds of out-of-town tourists strolled across the bridge, with some stopping to look at a special exhibit of photographs of people who suffered under Japanese aggression.
No signs of anti-Japan demonstrations were seen in Beijing, but security was tighter than usual in the morning at the Japanese Embassy, with several additional police officers guarding the area.
A member of a group that often holds protests in front of the embassy said they had been told to refrain from holding any demonstrations.
Relations between Japan and China have been improving since Prime Minister Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office. His predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, antagonized Beijing with annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
Abe's first overseas trip was to China, and Premier Wen Jiabao visited Japan in April, becoming the first Chinese premier to visit in 6 1/2 years.
