On the evening of December 13, a candlelight vigil was held in the Memorial to commemorate the victims in the Nanjing Massacre and to send the voice of peace to the world.

It was the sixth peaceful night of the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. The vigil was observed by 300 mourners gathered at the Memorial Hall, including the director of Cities of Peace Frederick Arment, curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders Zhang Jianjun and deputy curators Ling Xi and Shi Pengcheng, the survivors of the Nanjing Massacre Ruan Dingdong and Shi Xiuying, descendants of martyr and judges, international friends, domestic directors of the anti-war themed memorial halls, domestic representatives of relevant higher-educational institutes and think-tanks, student representatives, and as well as Japanese representatives from friendship communities and religious circles.

The vigil began with a sentimental melody "Memory of Nanjing" by a trumpet player.

Li Zhenming, son of one of the Nanjing Massacre survivors Li Gaoshan, read the article A Letter to Father as a representative of the survivors’ descendants.

This year is the 17th time that Yayoko Yamauchi comes to Nanjing for the memorial. She said: "The war is over, but the trauma left by the war is long-lasting. Only integrity can be the foundation of peace, and only peace can be our road to prosperity."

Richard Brady was a surgeon of the Drum Tower Hospital during the Nanjing Massacre that had treated many of the refugees. His grandson Steven Brady spoke at the vigil as a representative of descendent of foreign friends, and his daughter Megan Brady came to sing the song Mercy. The

Zhang Jianjun, curator of the Memorial Hall, delivered a speech calling on more and more social organizations and individuals to devote themselves to the cause of maintaining peace. May candlelight go through the darkness to comfort the dead and warm the living. May people of all countries join hands to create a better world of dignity and peace for all.