Thousands remember Nanjing Massacre victims

Every year on Dec 13 an air-raid siren sounds across Nanjing at 10 am.

In the cold, gloomy morning on Thursday, thousands of people lined up in front of the city's Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese Invaders to pay tribute to the dead.

On Dec 13, 1937, Japanese troops occupied Nanjing - then the capital of China - and killed more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and disarmed soldiers over about six weeks.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the massacre, a series of memorial activities was held in Nanjing, including a candlelight vigil and gatherings in places where group slaughters occurred.

On Thursday morning, nearly 200 monks from China and Japan prayed for world peace. About 9,000 people, including some from the Republic of Korea, India and the United States, then attended a ceremony at the memorial hall.

At the ceremony, wreaths were presented, a moment of silence was observed and every person bowed three times to the victims. Chinese and Japanese choirs then sang three songs about peace.

Yang Weize, Nanjing's Party chief, said at the ceremony that thinking about history makes people value peace more.

"The massacre was one of the darkest periods in the history of modern civilization. It caused unforgettable pain to every Chinese person, and it should not be forgotten by any nation in the world, including the Japanese," Yang said.

A survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, Gu Xiulan, traveled for more than an hour to attend the ceremony at the memorial hall. Her son and daughter accompanied the 88-year-old, who is in a wheelchair.

Gu's son, Long Jinyuan, said that his mother has cried a lot in recent years when she remembers her deceased relatives.

"We know what kind of pain the war can bring," said Long. "As a family member of one of the victims, I hope that Japan will learn from other countries that correctly acknowledged their war crimes."

Lai Wing-kit, a 26-year-old man who led a group of about 500 people from Hong Kong to attend the ceremony, said he was saddened by what he saw.

"The ceremony and the hall make people remember history and think about the crimes that wars can bring," Lai said.

Liu Ke, a middle school teacher from the Sun Fong Chung College in Hong Kong, attended the ceremony with eight students.

Liu, who is in his 20s, was born and raised on the mainland, and received his higher education in Hong Kong. He said many of his students had limited knowledge of the massacre.

"Personally, I feel it's very important for students in Hong Kong to attend this event. It's very important for them to learn about the past," Liu said. "Teenage students in Hong Kong know very little about the Nanjing Massacre."

Tsou Ying-yen, a 16-year-old student at Liu's school, was among the 400 students attending the ceremony.

"I don't know much about the Nanjing Massacre and there was little in the schoolbooks," she said. "But I know that more than 300,000 people were killed, and that 20,000 women were raped."

According to Liu, more than 400 students and teachers from 11 schools in Hong Kong attended the ceremony after being invited by the Nanjing city government.

Students arrived in Nanjing on Wednesday, and will stay on the mainland for a week to attend joint activities with middle schools in Nanjing and Shanghai. The activities will help students learn about the Japanese invasion.

"Seventy-five years have passed, and only about 100 survivors from the massacre are still alive," Liu said. "It's increasingly necessary for the younger generation to learn about the past, so that they can tell their peers and future generations."

Qian Jieyi, a 22-year-old Nanjing resident, said she visits the hall every year on Dec 13.

"We should hope for peace, not hatred. China and Japan need to make a joint effort to reach a good relationship," Qian said.