The Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre Victims by Japanese Invaders was built on the original site where the remains of the victims of the Nanjing Massacre were found and opened to the public on August 15, 1985. It is designated as a national key cultural relics protection unit, a national-level patriotic education demonstration base, a national first-class museum, a cross-strait exchange base, and a national defense education base. It was also included in the first batch of the "National Memorial Facilities and Sites of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression." Since 2014, it has been the venue for the national memorial ceremony for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, as stipulated in the Nanjing National Memorial Ceremony Safeguarding Ordinance.

The memorial hall covers a total area of 103,000 square meters, with an exhibition area of nearly 20,000 square meters. It features various sections, including the Statues Square, Public Memorial Square, Historical Materials Exhibit Hall, Mourning Square, Cemetery Square, Site of "Mass Grave of 10,000 Corpses," Memorial Square, Meditation Hall, and Peace Park. It also manages the Nanjing Museum of the Site of Liji LaneSex SlavesStation. Thememorial hall hosts permanent exhibitions such as the "Nanjing Massacre Exhibit", thematic exhibitions like "Justice Will Prevail, Peace Will Prevail, the People Will Prevail—Exhibition on the Victory of the Anti-Fascist War in the China Theater and the Trial of Japanese War Criminals," and a special exhibition on the victims of comfort women titled "Sex Slaves in World War II—Japanese"Comfort Women”SystemandCrimes Exhibition." These exhibitions aim to guide the public to remember history, cherish peace, and create a better future.

The Memorial Hall is a cultural and museum institution dedicated to collecting, researching, and exhibiting cultural relics and historical materials related to the Nanjing Massacre and the Japanese invasion of China. It also conducts historical education initiatives. It has successively established the "Research Society of Nanjing Massacre History" and the think tank "Institute of National Heritage & International Peace." It has been selected as one of the first batch of Jiangsu Provincial Key High-End Think Tanks and included in the first batch of source think tanks of the China Think Tank Index (CTTI) by Nanjing University. The Memorial Hall founded the journal Journal of Japanese Invasion of China and Nanjing Massacre, which has been selected as a "Source Journal of Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI)," a "Core Journal in the AMI Comprehensive Evaluation of New Journals of Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences," an "Important Reprint Source Journal of Copied Newspapers and Periodicals," one of the "Most Popular Journals of the National Center for Philosophy and Social Sciences Documentation," and one of the "First Batch of Young Scholar-Friendly Journals." Furthermore, the Memorial Hall has deeply implemented ceremonial, targeted, and immersive patriotic education programs, which have been selected as exemplary resources for the national "Great Ideological and Political Curriculum" themed on revolutionary cultural relics. It has established the Zijin Cao Volunteer Service Team, founded the Zijin Cao Art Troupe, cared for the survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, and carried out initiatives to pass down historical memory. Through volunteer services and social education, it promotes the intergenerational transmission of historical memory.

The Memorial Hall actively engages in international peace exchange activities, having welcomed billions of visitors from over 100 countries and regions. It promotes multilingual books in English, Japanese, French, and other languages worldwide. The journal Journal of Japanese Invasion of China and Nanjing Massacrehas been distributed overseas to universities, libraries, research institutions, and memorial sites in more than 50 countries and regions, forming a series of achievements in the translation, overseas exhibition, and international dissemination of historical materials. The Nanjing Massacre Exhibit has been held in over 30 cities across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, conveying the message of remembering history and safeguarding peace through the Nanjing Massacre archives inscribed in the Memory of the WorldRegister. The Memorial Hall has established the Zijin Cao International Volunteer Team and launched the "Zijin Cao International Peace School" international youth exchange program, which was selected as one of the 2023 Global World Heritage Education Innovative Cases. Through international peace education, it promotes the global dissemination of the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre and contributes to building a community with a shared future for humanity.