10 more Nanjing Massacre survivors discovered

Authorities have confirmed that a further 10 people who lived through the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, and were previously unknown to historians, are still alive.

The identity of the 10 survivors, revealed by Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which has been collecting information about the tragedy, show that they are all in their 80s.

What the survivors experienced and witnessed during the massacre will be compiled and permanently exhibited in the hall, said Zhu Chengshan, head of the hall. The hall has been collecting clues about survivors since 2009 through tip-offs, media and investigations.

Zhu said that the people are the best evidence to refute the claims by some Japanese right wing forces that the massacre never happened, adding that the identification process took one year.

Cen Honggui, 89, who escaped from a fire during the massacre, said it is his responsibility to tell history. "My brother was burned alive by the Japanese invaders and I was also put into the fire, with my legs burned," Cen added.

They will receive life and medical aid from a Nanjing-based non-government organization that helps still-living massacre survivors. The organization has donated 2.04 million yuan ($332,649) to survivors in the seven years following its founding in 2004.

Currently there are some 200 living massacre survivors, aged 80 on average.

A historical relic exhibition of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) was also opened Sunday at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing, in commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937, which marks the start of the war.

Relics in the exhibition, including 51 sets of national Class A heritage from the Sichuan-based private Jianchuan Museum Cluster, range from wartime photos, diaries and letters written by Japanese soldiers, to weapons and military supplies, reflecting the fight by the Chinese army and the living situation of war prisoners.

"We're collecting information about the war for the sake of peace, not hatred. The history makes us reflect upon the reasons why we were invaded, and the Japanese have to reflect on their evil deeds," said Fan Jianchuan, curator of the Jianchuan Museum.