Macao SAR holds commemoration for Nanjing Massacre victims

People attend a ceremony to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre, in south China's Macao, Dec. 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

MACAO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) held a ceremony on Tuesday to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Ho Hau Wah, Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, and Head of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR Zheng Xincong attended the ceremony together with around 300 government officials and people from different walks of life in Macao.

They sang the national anthem, observed a moment of silence and laid wreaths to mourn the Nanjing Massacre victims.

Students attending the ceremony said they will always remember this part of the history, carry on the tradition of being patriotic, and contribute to the country's overall development.

In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as the national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

The Nanjing Massacre took place after the 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.