NANJING, Oct. 8 -- The Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders saw a record high in visitor arrivals during the weeklong National Day holiday that ended Monday.

Nearly 560,000 visitors visited the memorial hall in east China's Jiangsu Province over the past week starting from Oct. 1, 100,000 more than the previous year, data from the hall showed.

The single-day passenger flow reached a record 133,000 on Oct. 3, with long queues forming at the entrance every morning before 8 a.m., half an hour prior to the hall's opening.

Apart from local citizens, students, tourists and delegations from all over the world came to pay tribute to the victims and left messages during the holiday.

"I wish for world peace and a brighter future for my country," reads a message on the guestbook. Staff at the hall said they went through nearly 1,000 sheets of paper and eight pens every day during the holiday.

Zhang Jianjun, director of the hall, said that tests on a ticket-booking system are underway, and the system is expected to be put into trial operation within the year.

The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the city on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

Opened in August 1985, the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders is the first memorial hall in the country to mourn the victims of Japan's invasion of China.