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July 7 marked the 86th anniversary of the beginning of China’s whole-nation resistance war against Japanese aggression. On the morning of July 7, the Memorial Hall held an educational event at the Public Memorial Square to mark the anniversary and also to remind Chinese people of the importance of remembering history and cherishing peace while creating a better future. Some descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors, members of the Chinese Young Pioneers (CYP) organization in Nanjing, some visitors, and Memorial Hall staff attended the event.

Remember history, cherish peace, create a better future

The national flag-raising ceremony started at 10 am. All the attendees stood facing the national flag to express their reverence, with those in hat taking off their hats, and looked up in a salute to the flag while the Young Pioneers saluted the flag in their own way. The attendees also sang the national anthem together.

Youth representatives of Nanjing and students from Nanjing Fangcaoyuan Primary School recite Immortal, a poem written for heroes during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Memorial Hall staff presented flower baskets to the innocent victims during the Nanjing Massacre, Chinese compatriots killed by Japanese invaders, revolutionary martyrs and national heroes who sacrificed their lives for the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and international fighters and friends who laid down their lives in fighting the Japanese aggression together with Chinese people. Then all the attendees offered floral tributes one by one.

Descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors pass on historical memories

The survivors of the Nanjing Massacre are witness to history. By sharing their painful experiences, they not only spread and maintain the truth behind history, but also play an important role in educating the public about the importance of cherishing hard-won peace. Today, as those survivors get older, their descendants become the main force in passing on relevant historical memories.

The descendants of Ma Xiuying, Li Gaoshan and Zhou Wenbin, three survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, came to the Memorial Hall to attend the event. In 1937, 13-year-old Li Gaoshan joined the battle to defend Nanjing. He was arrested twice by the Japanese soldiers after they captured the city but survived luckily. After Li Gaoshan passed away in 2018, Li Zhenming took over the baton of his father’s memories, joining the first group of inheritors of Nanjing Massacre memory and becoming a Zijin Cao volunteer. “As a descendant of Nanjing Massacre survivors, I have the responsibility to tell my father’s experiences to future generations. The purpose of spreading stories of history is not to remember hatred, but to tell Chinese people that a backward country will be beaten, so we must safeguard our home and never let history repeat itself,” he said.

After the ceremony started, the visitors stopped and lined up at the Public Memorial Square.

Mr Hu and his seven-year-old son were among the visitors attending the ceremony. They took a high-speed train from Anqing in east China’s Anhui Province to Nanjing on the morning of July 7 and headed to the Memorial Hall as soon as they got off the train. “Visiting the Memorial Hall on this special day is very meaningful. It’s a good opportunity for my child to get patriotic education. This helps him develop an awareness of remembering history and cherishing peace from a young age,” Mr Hu said.

Xia Kexin, a little peace ambassador, is one of the students reciting the poem at the ceremony. Xia has taken part in Memorial Hall activities many times. “I love reciting, and in the future, I will continue to do what I’m good at and play a part in helping more people understand history and cherish peace.”

Young people in Nanjing tell history to the world

Li Linwan, a student and a volunteer at the Memorial Hall, recited excerpts from the diaries of Minnie Vautrin (a US missionary renowned for saving the lives of many women at a girls’ college in Nanjing during the massacre) in front of her statue. Last year Li took part in “A Lesson Before Going Abroad” activity at the Memorial Hall before going to university in Canada, and has planned to become a Zijin Cao volunteer since then. “I signed up to be a volunteer immediately after I returned to China during the summer vacation. I will also tell this history to foreigners while I’m studying in Canada,” she said. Ma Haoyuan, a student from Nanjing Foreign Language School and another volunteer, recited excerpts from the diaries of John Rabe (Rabe and several other foreigners established an international safety zone to save Chinese people during the massacre) in front of his statue.

Contact Us | The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders