24 urns containing the ashes of the Chinese Expeditionary Force soldiers were sent to Tengchong County of southwest China's Yunnan province on Thursday to be kept at the county's national martyr's cemetery, reports state.

The 24 urns are representative of the estimated 600 Chinese soldiers believed to have been buried at the Yunnan - Myanmar border after dying in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, which lasted from 1942 - 1945.

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During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggressions, around 300,000 Chinese soldiers fought to defend Myanmar, which at the time was a British colony, against Japanese invasion.

Myanmar, otherwise known as Burma, was key to China's success against Japan during WWII as the Burma Road was the only land route by which the Allied forces could send supplies to the Nationalist Chinese Army. As a result, three Chinese armies were rushed immediately to Myanmar in 1942 in order to fend off Japanese aggression.

Guards stood with serious faces during the ceremony on Thursday, 24 of which held one urn each. The return of the 24 soldiers holds great significance for the nation as it is a physical representation of the soldiers which gave their lives during the conflict having finally been returned to their rightful place.

In traditional Chinese form, fruit was offered and incense was burned out of respect for the dead as the urns were removed from a local pagoda in Tengchong, Yunnan province at around 9 a.m. on Thursday.

One by one, the urns containing the ashes were passed to guards who, led by trumpeters playing a funeral song, escorted the remains of the fallen soldiers to the national cemetery.

Surrounded by crowds of mourners come to pay their respects, the 24 containers were transported and deposited in their final resting place as people saluted the ashes and bowed their heads in deference.

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