At 8:30 am on July 18, the Memorial Hall held a mourning ceremony to honor five survivors of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year. The lightboxes of commemorating Cheng Fubao, Chen Guixiang, Liu Suzhen, Gao Ruqin, and Shi Xiuying were turned off as a mark of respect.

Cheng Fubao passed away on January 30 at the age of 91.

Chen Guixiangpassed away on March 5 at the age of 99.

Liu Suzhen passed away on April 21 at the age of 93.

Gao Ruqin passed away on May 23 at the age of 90.

Shi Xiuying passed away on July 12 at the age of 98.

Inside the Prologue of Nanjing Massacre Exhibit, the entire wall is adorned with photographs of 1,213 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, collectively composing a scene called “The Gaze of History.” Directly across from this installation is a wall featuring 100 symmetrically arranged color photographs of living survivors registered by the end of September 30, 2017. Whenever a survivor passes away, the corresponding lightbox on the photo wall is extinguished. As the ceremony commenced, participants, each holding a white chrysanthemum, solemnly watched as five more faces on the Memorial Hall’s photo wall turned black and white. The attendees paid their final respects to the late survivors with three reverent bows towards their images. Thereafter, they sequentially presented flowers as an act of remembrance and tribute.

Jiang Bingchun, great-grandson of the late Chen Guixiang, delivered a poignant speech, stating,“My great-grandmother was a victim of the Nanjing Massacre, and also a witness to history. She endured a dark chapter and saw the country's transformation, witnessing a triumphant epoch through the efforts of the Chinese government and people. She was deeply aware of the importance of having a strong motherland. Prior to her demise, my great-grandmother had participated in numerous witness assemblies organized by the Memorial Hall. In 2011, she journeyed to Hiroshima, Japan to narrate her personal experiences to the Japanese public. Though my great-grandmother has left us, her memories and spirit will live on forever. As her descendant, I am committed to preserving the collective memory of our family and nation, which must never be forgotten, and to upholding the spirit of unyielding national strength. We will always remember her.”

Gao Ruqin, a Nanjing Massacre survivor, passed away this year. Her son (L) donated dozens of items left behind by her, including an advanced worker certificate she received while working at Nanjing Pharmaceutical Factory, as well as the Memorial Certificate for Voluntary Body Donation and the Certificate of Honor for Body Donation issued by the Red Cross Society of China Nanjing branch, to the Memorial Hall.

Xiang Jun, son of the late Gao Ruqin, attended the ceremony. Overwhelmed with emotion as he witnessed the extinguishing of his mother’s lightbox, he was momentarily at a loss for words.“My mother led an arduous life. Before she passed away, she decided to donate her body to the Red Cross Society of China’s Nanjing branch as a way to give back to society. She was eager to contribute to the advancement of China’s healthcare cause. I will honor and miss her forever,” he stated.

Wang Xianghong, daughter of the late Liu Suzhen, shared her mother’s story: “My mother was merely six years old at the time of the Nanjing Massacre. Her father had passed away earlier when she was three, leaving her in the care of her grandparents. During the massacre, she suffered severe burns on her right arm from scalding water inflicted by the Japanese invaders. My mother had always educated us about the importance of recalling the hardships of the past and the lessons etched in blood, while cherishing the joyous life we lead in the present.”

To date, the average age of China’s survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, registered with the Nanjing Aid Association for the Victims of Atrocities by Japanese Invaders, exceeds 94 years. As these survivors grow older, their descendants are taking up the mantle to preserve and pass on these crucial historical memories.

Although more than eight decades have elapsed since the massacre, the ironclad evidence will endure indefinitely.As the survivors' light gradually fades, they ascend to the stars, eternally accompanying us as we move forward into the future.