July 7 this year marked the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of the War of Resistance. In the morning, the Memorial Hall held a theme educational activity "Commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Nationwide War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression" in the Public Memorial Square to remember history and cherish peace. Representatives of Nanjing teenagers, descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors and staff representatives of the Memorial Hall attended the ceremony.

At 10 a.m., the flag-raising ceremony began. Every one stood in salute to the flag and sang the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. Afterwards, baskets of flowers were laid to the revolutionary martyrs and national heroes who gave their lives for the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, to all the compatriots killed by the Japanese invaders, and to the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Later, representatives of descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors, Xia Yuan and Li Yuhan, granddaughter and great-grandson of survivor Xia Shuqin, Wang Li, staff representative of the Memorial Hall and tour guide Wang Bei relayed on telling the historical story.

In the Memorial Hall’s "Exhibition of Historical Facts on the Nanjing Massacre", there is a photo wall of Xia Shuqin's family. Due to the hot weather in Nanjing, Xia Shuqin did not come to the ceremony. Xia Yuan told the story of her grandmother's family's misfortune during the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. She said, "My grandmother is old. Every time we go to see her, she will tell us about the past and always tells us to cherish the life we have now." Pointing to the family photo on the wall, she added, "Although my grandmother now has many children and grandchildren, she still hopes to see the Japanese government acknowledge the history of the Nanjing Massacre in her lifetime."