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

Editor's note:

The Nanjing Massacre, one of the darkest chapters in human history, took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, the Japanese troops killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

Japanese historical revisionists have attempted to downplay the appalling atrocities, but the historical truth regarding the 1937 Nanjing Massacre is undeniable. People's Daily Online has gathered testimonials from 10 victims of the Nanjing Massacre, with all texts and photographs provided by The Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Only by remembering the past can we hope to achieve a peaceful future.

Testimony of Cen Honggui

-"My third younger brother, who was not yet 2 years old, was burned alive by the Japanese troops."

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

In 1930, my father, Ceng Xiulou, and my mother, Mrs. Cen Gao, took me, my second younger sister, Ceng Honglan, my second younger brother, Cen Hongzhen, and my third younger brother and fled famine in our hometown, Pixian County in east China's Jiangsu Province, now Balu town of Pizhou city. We settled near the city wall on Beihuachang Street outside Nanjing's Hanzhong Gate and made a living through hard labor.

In December 1937, Japanese troops burned down the straw houses at the foot of the city wall outside Hanzhong Gate. My parents took me, my second younger sister, and my second younger brother and fled the fire. At that time, my third younger brother, who was not yet 2 years old, was sleeping in the house. The Japanese army stopped my parents from returning inside to rescue him, and my poor younger brother was burned alive.

I was 13 years old at that time, the Japanese soldiers shouted, "Child, child, good boy!" and they pushed me into the fire. My trouser legs were set on fire and my legs got burnt, and the scars still remain visible today. The Japanese army shot at my father, who was holding my second younger sister. The bullet passed between the two and grazed my second younger sister's jaw, which immediately began to bleed. Then, the Japanese army took my father and several other men away, asking them to find "flower girls" (beautiful women). I took my wounded second younger sister, my mother and second younger brother to take refuge in a bomb shelter near the city wall. Fortunately, my father survived and found us in the shelter at Hanzhong Gate.

In order to survive, our family fled overnight to the riverside in Xiaguan. With the help of my father's friends, we crossed the river. We fled to Pukou in the north of the Yangtze River and walked along the fields for more than 10 days, finally returning to our hometown of Pixian County.