Survivors of Nanjing’s massacre tell their stories

Progress has been made collecting the oral histories of survivors of the Nanjing massacre, which was committed by Japanese soldiers during World War II according to the Nanjing-based Memorial Hall to the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre (MHVNM).

The latest survey of survivors which began in April, 2011 is in accordance with international standards for the collection of oral histories. The survey is not only recording survivors' terrifying struggles during the massacre but also covering their lives before and after the massacre, which is a major difference from previous surveys, Zhu Chengshan, the curator of MHVNM told the Global Times on Sunday.

"The experts have made a detailed survey plan for interviews with survivors. In addition, the information such as the chronology of events in survivors' lives, family genealogy, domestic and foreign media reports of the massacre, eyewitness testimony and different kinds of photos have been gathered and studied," said Zhu.

The survey of the first group of survivors is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013, said Zhu.

With around 100 survivors still living, Zhu said the survey is urgent and will provide further proof of the atrocities committed during the Japanese invasion. More than 300,000 mostly civilians were murdered during the six-week killing spree.

Thursday is the 75th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, a period of mass murder, looting and rape after the Japanese army invaded Nanjing on December 13, 1937.