China Focus: Another 10 Nanjing Massacre survivors ID'ed in China

NANJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Another ten living survivors of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre have been identified in China, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall confirmed on Saturday.

They received certificates on Saturday and their experiences will be recorded for inclusion in the permanent collection of the memorial hall, said Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Aged 76 to 92, the ten survivors were located and identified after a year-long investigation process that included interviews, testimony and questioning by experts since June 2012.

The strict process stipulated three requirements: all identified survivors had to be in Nanjing at the time of the massacre; their recollections of historical facts had to be clear and accurate; they should still have some injuries or scarring.

Zhu said they are the living witnesses of the Nanjing Massacre. Their oral history is powerful testimony and a rebuttal to Japanese right-wing forces who attempt to deny the history of the massacre.

At least 300,000 Chinese were killed over the course of six weeks by Japanese invaders who occupied the city of Nanjing starting on Dec. 13, 1937.

Today, there are less than 200 living survivors of the Nanjing Massacre.

For years, survivors of the massacre told the world about the heinous crimes conducted by the Japanese invaders, and they have struggled against those who deny the historical facts, said Zhu.

"That was such a nightmare and the pain can never be cured," said Cen Honggui, an 89-year-old Nanjing Massacre survivor who escaped from a large fire during the massacre.

"My brother was burnt by the Japanese soldiers and I was also put into the fire, with my legs burned," Cen said, adding that he would like to tell more people about the events.

The youngest of the ten recently identified survivors, 76-year-old Ruan Dingdong was a baby when he escaped the slaughter in the embrace of his grandfather, who died of a serious wound inflicted by Japanese soldiers.

According to Ruan, the last words that his grandfather once asked somebody else to say were, "Must tell about the Japanese invaders' outrageous actions in the future."

"My testimony will be more powerful after being identified as a Nanjing Massacre survivor," said Ruan.

In recent years, the memorial hall and the aid association for survivors of the Nanjing Massacre began looking for and identifying more living survivors, said Zhu.

"All survivors of the catastrophic massacre are expected to restore the historical truth and work to prevent similar tragedies," said She Ziqing, an 81-year-old survivor.