Testimonies to the truth: Victims of the Nanjing Massacre share their heartbreaking stories with the world (6)

Testimony of Ni Cuiping

-"I will never forget that the Japanese army killed seven people in my family."

Testimony of Ni Cuiping, a victim of the Nanjing Massacre. (Photo by The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders)

My name is Ni Cuiping, and my family lived near Chaotian Palace within the city. Before the Japanese army attacked Nanjing, their planes often dropped bombs over the city. At the time, Babaitang was the place that was most severely bombed. All of the civilians were scared and hid from place to place. Some people hid in the refugee zone, and some fled to the countryside, and others dug themselves dugouts to hide in.

At that time, our family fled to Shangxinhe in the northwest of the city. We were hiding on a small beach, surrounded by water. And we built a hut there for shelter.

One day in December 1937, Japanese soldiers came to the Shangxinhe area. We didn't dare to cook at home, fearing that smoke in the chimney would attract the Japanese soldiers' attention. But several days later, we couldn't bear the hunger anymore and thought that the tensions had eased since the Japanese soldiers had entered the city. My mother then let father go to the river to wash vegetables and rice. However, just as my father arrived at the riverside, five Japanese soldiers fired three times at him. My father was shot and fell to the ground. My poor father died this way.

My poor mother, when she heard the gunshot, ran to my father in a hurry, trying to hold him in her arms. The Japanese soldiers shot at my mother and killed her as well. My poor mother died without saying a word.

I was only 11 years old. I ran out and saw my parents lying on the ground. The Japanese soldiers shot at me and hit me in my shoulder blade. The scar can still be seen today. I fell to the ground bleeding and losing consciousness.

My grandfather was already over 70 years old then. He asked for help to bury my parents. But in the process, they encountered six or seven Japanese soldiers. One of the soldiers hit my grandfather on the head with their gun handle. With his brains bursting forth, my grandfather fell at the riverside and died miserably. The people who helped with carrying my parents' bodies jumped into the river escaping narrowly.

Over 20 days later, my sister-in-law was collecting clothes at home, and she was seen by the Japanese soldiers who immediately came after her. At that time, my sister-in-law had been pregnant for seven months. She kneeled down on the ground, begging for mercy. My grandmother with bound feet also got down on her knees to beg, but my sister-in-law was raped by five Japanese soldiers. As my sister-in-law cried for help, my uncle rushed in and tried to stop them, but was shot dead by a Japanese soldier. That night, my sister-in-law had a fever, her bleeding couldn't be stopped, the foetus was aborted, and she died as well. My grandmother was so scared that she nearly died.

Later, when we went back home near Chaotian Palace, as we passed through Jiangdongmen, we saw a bridge was blown up. Those killed were thrown into the river. The Japanese killed people to fill in the river and the river was full of blood.

After returning to Chaotian Palace, we lived with our uncle and aunt. At that time, my uncle made a living by selling sesame seed cakes. But the good times didn't last long. One month after the Japanese soldiers entered the city, my uncle was taken away by them. There were seven Japanese soldiers. They had a "killing contest" using bayonets during which my uncle was stabbed to death. My aunt was afraid of being raped by Japanese soldiers and she didn't dare to stop them. When the Japanese soldiers tried to catch her, she knocked her head against a wall and died.

My wound went untreated and soon became infected and festering, with worms growing inside. One of my aunts used a vise to remove the bullet, but the infection persisted, and we couldn't afford hospital care. I could only hope to survive.

Since then, I have had a serious sequela. Even eating is difficult for me. I can only do things with one hand, which brings great inconvenience to my life.

The Japanese soldiers killed seven of my family members and raped my pregnant sister-in-law. Such a pain, I will never forget for the rest of my life. The war has brought great pain to our family. I hate Japanese militarism very much. Some Japanese deny the history, and they try to cover up the history, intending to start a second war. We resolutely oppose it and will never allow another war to break out.