East China’s Jiangsu province held a slew of activities Thursday to mourn the Nanjing Massacre victims who were killed by the invading Japanese troops 81 years ago.
The state memorial ceremony to mark the 81st anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre was held Thursday in the square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
The ceremony commenced at 10:00 a.m. with all attendees from all walks of life paying silent tribute during a minute-long air raid siren. Trains, ships and cars in the city also whistled and sounded their horns. Eight wreaths were then laid in front of a wall containing the names of the massacre victims.
As the ceremony started at 10 a.m., they sang the national anthem and then paid silent tribute to the victims. Sirens howled over the city. On the streets, drivers parked their cars and honked; pedestrians paused and observed a moment of silence.
Eight large wreaths were presented to the memorial altar by guards of honor.
Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China gave a brief speech to commemorate victims of war and call on all Chinese not to forget the past and to cherish peace.
Following the speech, 81 teenagers read out a declaration of peace. Six citizen representatives struck the Bell of Peace. A total of 3,000 white doves were released to fly over the memorial square.
Sirens howled over the city and at the 17 locations of the burial sites for the Nanjing Massacre victims. On the streets, drivers parked their cars and honked; pedestrians paused and observed a moment of silence.
Various mourning activities were also held throughout the province to express people’s grief and pray for peace.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, all the boats in the Siyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal came to a standstill to honk for 3 minutes as a sign of mourning the victims killed in the Nanjing Massacre. They boatmen also watched the live broadcast of the state ceremony for the massacre victims through the mobile phones.
In the square of Iris Chang Memorial Hall in Huai’an city, hundreds of teachers and students from the local collegs jointly expressed their condolences to the 300,000 victims killed in the Nanjing Massacre and the great woman who broke the truth with her life.
Nearly 100 officers and soldiers of the 71st group air defense brigade visited the 82 Martyrs Cemetery in Liu Laozhuang, mourning the innocent victims of the Nanjing Massacre, and remembering the revolutionary martyrs and national heroes who sacrificed their lives for the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
People in Changzhou, Jurong County and Guangnan County also held various activities to mourn the massacre victims.
The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the city on December 13, 1937. Over six weeks, the Japanese army killed 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
As a flagrant violation of international laws, the atrocity was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal, which rendered a verdict based on irrefutable evidence.
In February 2014, China's top legislature National People's Congress designated December 13 as the National Memorial Day for victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
The first state commemoration for the National Memorial Day was held on December 13, 2014.
