REST IN PEACE: Mourners light candles at the scene of the terrorist attack at the Kunming Railway Station on March 4 (CFP)

Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, is known as Spring City for its favorable year-round weather. It has long been regarded as a peaceful and idyllic retreat due to its moderate climate and picturesque scenery. But in an instant, the city's sense of tranquility and peace was left shattered and broken.

The unexpected violence happened on the night of March 1 at the Kunming Railway Station at around 9:20 p.m. The station square was busy with people arriving and departing and the ticket hall was packed with ticket buyers. Meanwhile, a group of people dressed in black and holding long-bladed knives approached and suddenly began slashing and stabbing frantically and indiscriminately at the crowd.

After realizing what was going on, innocent bystanders screamed and scattered in horror. Bodies littered the ground and the smell of blood filled the air.

"At first I thought it was just someone fighting, but then I saw blood and heard people scream, and I just ran," said Liu Chen, a 19-year-old student from Wuhan, Hubei Province, who was at the railway station with his friends buying train tickets.

People swarmed into the shops and restaurants around the station square for shelter. Within 10 minutes, armed special police officers arrived and engaged the attackers, killing four on the scene and detaining one female.

The attack lasted for 25 minutes and 29 people were confirmed dead and an additional 143 injured.

A total of 27 medical experts from 12 hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and other cities, were being dispatched to Kunming on March 2, helping to treat the wounded and provide psychological assistance.

Over 1,000 civilians, officers and soldiers also volunteered to donate blood in Kunming.

Act of terror

Soon after the terrorist attack, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered law enforcement agencies to strike out and bring those accountable to swift justice.

Premier Li Keqiang also asked relevant departments to catch and punish the terrorists, and for police authorities at all levels to strengthen prevention and control measures to guarantee safety in public places.

On March 2, the brutal attack was defined by the authorities as an organized, premeditated violent terrorist attack orchestrated by separatist forces from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The three of the group that had been at large were captured one day later and the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement that a terrorist organization led by Abdurehim Kurban was responsible for the attack.

"Some flags belonging to 'East Turkistan' forces were discovered at the site, according to the initial findings of the police. An investigation of the terrorist attack is still under way," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a daily news briefing on March 3.

The "East Turkistan" forces, among which the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a major organization, are one of the primary sources of increasing terrorist attacks in China, particularly in Xinjiang.

"Why are the terrorists so cruel?" cried 50-year-old Chen Guizhen, whose husband, Xiong Wenguang, was killed in the attack.