Annual family commemoration for Nanjing Massacre victims launched in east China

The family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre is held in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

NANJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre was launched on Sunday in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

It came less than a fortnight before China's national memorial day on Dec. 13, which was inaugurated ten years ago.

Families of the victims paid tribute to their loved ones in front of a "wailing wall" outside the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. This wall has the names of 10,665 victims killed 87 years ago engraved on it.

On Dec. 13, 1937, invading Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then the Chinese capital. Over a period of six weeks, these invaders killed more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.

Among the mourners was 95-year-old Xia Shuqin. "I will come as long as my health permits. It's hard not to be here," she said.

On Dec. 13, 1937, then eight-year-old Xia narrowly survived the brutal killing spree, with seven out of nine members of her immediate family slaughtered.

Her father knelt down and begged them not to hurt civilians, but was shot dead.

Her mother and one-year-old sister, who hid beneath a table, were pulled out by the invaders. They dashed the baby to the ground and stabbed her to death. Later, Japanese soldiers raped her mother and killed her.

Xia's grandparents were also murdered by the invaders, while her two elder sisters were raped and killed. She hid in a quilt and lost consciousness after being stabbed three times.

Xia is among the 32 registered Nanjing Massacre survivors -- with an average age of over 94.

The Chinese government has preserved survivors' testimonies in both written documents and video footage. These records of the massacre were listed by UNESCO on the Memory of the World Register in 2015.

However, as the survivors are getting old and dying, their descendants are recognized as important for passing on memories and telling the truth about the atrocities.

Chang Xiaomei carefully traced the names of her family on the "wailing wall" with a black pen, murmuring "this is my grandpa, this is my grandma..."

Her dad Chang Zhiqiang, who has passed away, used to see the memorial hall as his "second home," because "the names of his missed ones are all on this wall," said Xiaomei.

"He told me to come here not just to mourn our dead relatives, but also to commemorate our tens of thousands of compatriots," she continued.

Chang Zhiqiang witnessed six of his family members tortured and killed in the Nanjing Massacre -- including his youngest brother who was then still a baby in arms and was tossed into the air by Japanese soldiers using a bayonet.

Xiaomei has documented his father's life in a book to show the impact the nightmare had on him. This book was published in Chinese, English and Japanese. "With my efforts I hope that more people can come to know and remember that history, understand the value of peace, and cherish the life that we have today," she said.

"Inheritors are the main force in passing on historical memory, and they have a deeper understanding of the mission and various ways of doing it," said Zhou Feng, curator of the memorial hall, noting that more people will be granted the status of official inheritor of historical memories regarding the Nanjing Massacre.

After the commemoration ceremony, Xia bade farewell to her fellow survivors. Before she left, she gazed attentively at the names of her family on the "wailing wall." "I am already 95, but I am still waiting," she said emotionally. "I am waiting for the day that the Japanese government formally admits to the crime that it had committed, and apologizes to us."

Staff members present a flower basket during the family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Nanjing Massacre survivor Xia Shuqin attends the family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Nanjing Massacre survivor Liu Minsheng (front) attends the family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Students use black pens to renew the names on the "wailing wall" outside the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Nanjing Massacre survivors Ai Yiying, Liu Minsheng, Xia Shuqin (from L to R, front) with their families attend the family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Nanjing Massacre survivors Ai Yiying (2nd R) searches for the names of her relatives, the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, in front of the "wailing wall" outside the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

A representative uses black pens to renew the names on the "wailing wall" outside the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Staff members present flower baskets during the family commemoration for victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 1, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)