Some 30.9 percent of Beijing college students are members of student societies, said a staff member of the Beijing College Student Society Federation, which was set up Thursday, in commemoration of the "December 9 Movement" 69 years ago.

The federation says the Chinese capital now has 2,235 registered college student societies, with approximately 170,000 student members, covering 30.9 percent of Beijing college and university students.

The federation charter was adopted at the opening ceremony, andthe head of the federation said his organization will provide opportunities for student society members to carry on theory researches, academic activities, charity fairs, and sports activities.

The historic "December 9 Movement" occurred when students in Beijing (then called Beiping), under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, took to the streets and staged a patriotic demonstration, with such slogans as "Stop the civil war and unite to resist foreign aggression" and "Down with Japanese imperialism."

The movement then spread to elsewhere in China and gained extensive support, but was suppressed by the Kuomintang government at the time.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2004)