China holds national commemoration for Nanjing Massacre victims

NANJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The people of Nanjing observed a moment of silence, and sirens were heard across the city as China held a memorial ceremony on Wednesday to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Despite the winter chill, thousands of people, dressed in dark attire, attended the 10th national memorial ceremony for the victims in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, with white flowers pinned to their chests.

China's national flag was flown at half-mast in front of the crowd, which included massacre survivors, local students and foreign friends.

At 10:01 a.m., sirens began to blare. Drivers in the downtown area stopped their cars and honked, while pedestrians paused for a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims.

More than 80 young people read aloud a declaration of peace, and citizen representatives struck the Bell of Peace. White doves, symbolizing hope for peace, were released to fly over the square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as the national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, which took place when Japanese troops captured the city on Dec. 13, 1937. The Japanese invaders brutally killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in over six weeks, marking one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

As of this year, the number of registered Nanjing Massacre survivors has dwindled to just 38.