Story of a Nanjing Massacre survivor

75 years ago today, Japanese troops occupied Nanjing, in east China's Jiangsu Province and began a six-week massacre. More than 300,000 people - not only unarmed soldiers, but also civilians - were slaughtered. Now, there are less than 200 survivors left. 86-year-old Yu Changxiang is one of them. He told us his story.

Yu Changxiang now lives in this old block in Western Nanjing.

Though suffering from hypertension and high blood sugar, Yu says he feels physically OK.

However, he still feels mentally tormented by the nightmare that happened 75 years ago.

It wasn't until last year that he dared to expose his trauma to the public.

Yu Changxiang, Nanjing Massacre survivor, said,"I often feel sad. When I think of something that really hurts, I just burst into tears. But I don't cry in front of people. As time goes by, I feel a little better, and I can hold the tears back. Besides, how can tears help? It's not like the Japanese people were watching me. "

When the Nanjing Massacre occurred, Yu was only 11 years old. He hid in a cave with his uncle's family. His father chose to stay at home guarding the house. The Japanese troops killed his father ruthlessly.

Yu Changxiang said,"Killings and fires everywhere. The Japanese invaders robbed everything they saw. When there were too many items, they force Chinese to carry them. They dragged my father out of the door to carry the things. When he finished, they killed him immediately. I learned of the tragedy from others."

Yu got married when he was 20.

With stable retirement pay and 3 daughters living in the same city with decent jobs, life now seems pretty carefree.

But decades of peace and cosiness hasn't healed the pain. Yu says he will never forget the bloodshed.

Yu Changxiang said,"How can I stop my hatred? The horrible memories have been engraved in my mind. They won't fade away. They revive every time I see things that remind me of the event."

Now Yu is in Japan at the invitation of Japanese peace organizations for the 1st time. During the 7 day stay, he will tell the Japanese people his story.

Yu Changxiang said,"I want to show the Japanese people our sufferings. I will tell them my own experience and what I've been through. I hope they will unite with us, cherish peace and say no to war."

Yu is not alone. Since 1994, dozens of Nanjing Massacre survivors have been to Japan to talk about the tragedy they experienced. The truth is now spreading to more and more people through their narrations.