National Military History Museum in Beijing, China

Last Saturday I went to the National Military Museum near Fuxingmen station. It's only 10 yuan for a "student". Upon entering there is a giant statue of Mao, which is fitting I suppose because the museum mainly focuses on the weaponry and history about the war for liberation and anti-Japanese war, as it is known here, and he plays a huge role in that.
The displays of weaponry mainly came from the WWII era, but there were also a some modern items such as missile launchers, space rockets, and jet aircraft. However, more than the weaponry I was more impressed by the pictures, paintings, statues, and relics which portrayed the war for liberation and discussion of history.
Also, many things were a show of a great struggle for survival and independence. Obviously, people seemed to believe that they were fighting for a better future and to throw off the shackles of centuries of imperialism and poverty.
As I have seen throughout Beijing historical monuments, the British, French, and other colonial powers, (including the US, I understand) benefited from the opium trade and colonization. At two different times (1860s and early 1900s) they attacked, set fire and destroyed the city's buildings and monuments as punishment to Qing Dynasty rulers for trying to stop them. Several buildings in Yiheyuan and Xiangshan, as well as the entire area of Yuanming was completely destroyed.
So when you go to the military museum's history area, you really sense how people were fighting to get from under the foot of colonialism and imperialism.