On March 29, ahead of the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, and a delegation led by him visited the Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre Victims, and expressed deep condolence for the compatriots who lost their lives in the massacre. The history shall never be forgotten, and Chinese people should be independent and self-reliant so as not to be bullied or trampled on, Ma said in an interview.

At about 9:30 am, Ma arrived at the Memorial Hall and came to a square where the “Catastrophe of War” statue stood. Holding a flower in their hand, Ma and his delegation observed a moment of silence in front of the statue.

The eye-catching sign that reads “300,000 victims” on the memorial wall engraved a collective and painful memory for all the Chinese people. On December 13, 1937, Japanese troops captured Nanjing. Over six weeks, they slaughtered more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers, known as the Nanjing Massacre. This was the final judgment given by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal.

While entering the Memorial Hall, which was built on the site of the Jiangdong Gate mass murder in the Nanjing Massacre and burial site of numerous victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Ma’s face grew solemn. In front of the “Catastrophe of War” statue, Ma and his delegation laid a wreath and paid a silent tribute for the compatriots who lost their lives in the massacre.

Later, Ma and his delegation visited the Nanjing Massacre Exhibit and learned about historical facts including the situation before Nanjing was seized, how Japanese troops invaded Nanjing and the Battle of Nanjing, the atrocities carried out by Japanese troops in Nanjing, humanitarian assistance, Nanjing after the massacre, and post-war investigation and trials.

 “I’ve read some books and pictures about the history of the Nanjing Massacre, but I have never been so shocked as today. The Nanjing Massacre was a brutal slaughter rare in human history, and Chinese people are the biggest victims,” Ma said. Chinese, no matter from which side of the Taiwan Strait, should be independent and self-reliant, and should fight back with courage when bullied and humiliated by foreign powers, Ma said in an interview. During his trip, Ma took some students to the Memorial Hall with him, which Ma said demonstrated his hope that they could learn about things they may not know well in Taiwan and the visit would prompt them to think about their future.

The Memorial Hall was inaugurated and opened to public in August 1985. The Memorial Hall keeps a multitude of valuable cultural relics and historical materials, all of which present indisputable facts about the massacre. Its collection comprises nearly 4,000 photographs, almost 10,000 artifacts, and over 260 pieces of footage. The Memorial Hall is also home to the Site of “Mass Grave of 10,000 Corpses”, as well as the Statues Square, Mourning Square, Memorial Square, Peace Park and Victory Park.

For years, the Memorial Hall has carried out cross-Strait exchanges, holding activities such as the Fourth Academic Symposium on the History of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression across the Taiwan Strait and video communication over the 75th anniversary of Taiwan’s recovery from Japanese occupation. In 2018, the Memorial Hall held an exhibition in Taiwan on the Battle of Nanjing and historical materials related to the Nanjing Massacre. To commemorate victims of the Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese invaders, a memorial ceremony was held at Hobe Fort, an ancient military stronghold in New Taipei City.

Source: Xinhua News Agency