Around 130 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre are still alive today. When they remember Japan's surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, their feelings are still vivid and strong.

In December 1937, 13-year-old Wu Zhengxi took shelter in a safety zone with the rest of his family. Sadly, his grandfather, uncle and three brothers were nevertheless killed by Japanese soldiers. Wu remembers that on Aug. 15, 1945 he was working in the boiler room that he owned and operated. As he worked, he heard a man reading Japanese in a slow intonation over the radio. At first he paid little attention, but then he noticed Japanese shop owners kneeling in their shopfronts. Wu walked outside and saw Japanese soldiers on their knees in the street. Some were even crying.

Now, 92-year-old Wu still lives in Nanjing.

"I hope I can witness a sincere apology made by Japan's government in my remaining years," Wu said. "Instead, they twist and deny the facts over and over."

Japan's surrender

Another survivor, 89-year-old Yu Changxiang, recalls that his family hid in a tunnel to survive the massacre. However, his father didn't manage to escape, and his foster father was stabbed seven times. Even after the massacre, survivors were bullied.

"We were forced to bow when meeting Japanese soldiers. Otherwise they would slap us across the face," Yu said.

Recalling the surrender, everything is still vivid in Yu's mind.

"I came home and heard about it on the radio. We went out to spread the news. Soon the whole street was cheering. I walked around with my neighbors and saw the citizens hailed for their great victory, as we would never have to endure slaughter by the Japanese."

Citizens hailed for the great victory

Cen Honggui, 92, recalls that his home was set on fire when Japanese troops occupied and attacked Nanjing in December 1937. While Cen managed to escape the fire, his younger brother, not yet 2, burned to death in the conflagration. Cen heard the news of surrender from an acquaintance who had become a soldier. In that moment, he thought about his brother.

In 2013, Cen was invited by the Japan-China Friendship Association to speak in Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Fukuoka.

"Apart from the diehards, the general public is friendly. I hope that more people can visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial to pay their respects to the dead," Cen said.