The museum is named after the date when Shenyang was captured by the Janpanese in 1931. Exhibits in the museum include over 800 photographs which reveal the Janpanese occupation of northeast China during the World War Two. Be forewarned, there are some gruesome displays in the museum which is not suitable for the faint-hearted. English captions are avaibale for foreigners to have an overview of the place.

The 18 incident makred the start of Janpeanse occupation of China. In the night of September 18th, 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army provocatively sabotaged a section of Nanman railway around the Wicker Lake which they had controlled and blamed the Chinese army for having done it.