Zhang Tiliu was born in 1925. The China Expeditionary Force veteran participated in almost all the major battles in western Yunnan province, including Gaoligong Mountain, Laifeng Mountain and Tengchong.

Zhang's hometown is in Meishan, Sichuan province, but when he joined in the army in 1941, his unit was deployed to Yunnan.

After the war, he decided not to return to Meishan, preferring instead to stay in Tengchong, the place where he had risked his life and where his close comrades lay buried.

Zhang has clear recollections of the Battle of Gaoligong Mountain.

"We were stationed on the west of the mountain, where there was a Japanese position. Our assignment was to prevent the soldiers there from supporting their comrades on the eastern side of the mountain and sending materials and supplies to the summit," the 90-year-old veteran said.

"We had many skirmishes, but we were short of ammunition and got pinned down by the Japanese. The situation improved a few days later, though, after the local villagers helped to transport ammunition to us and we began mounting stronger attacks," Zhang said, adding that when the enemy soldiers realized the situation had changed, they fled the mountain.

Later, Zhang fought at the Battle of Laifeng Mountain. "I remember the Japanese had established four positions that were extremely difficult to attack from lower down the mountain," he said. "Many of my comrades were killed and I couldn't look at their corpses. I once saw an injured comrade in the hospital and I couldn't help crying - a bullet had entered through his left cheek and exited through the right. His tongue had been severed in two and all his teeth had been shattered."

Zhang still carries a deep scar on the forehead, the result of shrapnel from a Japanese hand grenade.

Since the end of the war, Zhang has lived a simple farmer's life in his rural village. "So many people died, but I am still alive. That's enough," he said.