Thousands of people gathered in Nanjing on Saturday to mourn the 300,000 lives slaughtered by the Japanese troops 71 years ago, and pray for a peaceful world.
Chinese soldiers hold wreaths during a ceremony marking the 71st anniversary of the start of the Nanjing Massacre at the Nanjing Massacre Museum, Jiangsu province December 13, 2008. Several ceremonies were held on December 13 to commemorate the 1937 massacre, when Japanese troops killed more than 300,000 people in the Chinese city. [Agencies]
More than 5,000 mourners, including students, massacre survivors, local officials and people from Japan observed a moment of silence at a square in front of the memorial hall for the victims.
A peace declaration that calls on "building a peaceful and harmonious world" was read out at the gathering.
"I miss my mother who was killed by the Japanese 71 years ago, especially at this moment every year," said She Ziqing, a 76-year-old massacre survivor. "I wish my mother and all the victims peace and rest. The history cannot be forgotten."
Dozens of monks and Buddhist disciples from China and Japan also rallied and held a religious ceremony to lament the massacre victims.
"We commemorate the day to ponder upon the past, to disclose the atrocities of Japanese aggressors, to cherish peace, and to strengthen our will of peaceful development," said Bao Guoxin, vice chairman of Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
The Japanese troops occupied Nanjing, then capital of China, on December 13, 1937, and launched a six-week massacre. More than 300,000 Chinese people, including disarmed soldiers and civilians were slaughtered.
An old woman who lived through the Nanjing Massacre pays tribute to the victims of the Nanjing Massacre during a ceremony marking its 71st anniversary in Nanjing, Jiangsu province December 13, 2008. [Agencies]
A man kneels in front of a pair of footprints of his father, who lived through the Nanjing Massacre and died three years ago, in Nanjing, Jiangsu province December 13, 2008. [Agencies]
Actors dressed as Japanese soldiers and local citizens take part in a performance depicting the Nanjing Massacre during a ceremony marking its 71st anniversary in Nanjing, Jiangsu province December 13, 2008. [Agencies]
Chinese soldiers hold wreaths during a ceremony marking the 71st anniversary of the start of the Nanjing Massacre at the Nanjing Massacre Museum, Jiangsu province December 13, 2008. [Xinhua]
Nanjing Massacre survivors hit a memorial bell in a rally to commemorate the victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, at the square in front of the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, December 13, 2008. [Xinhua]
Delegates of students attend a rally to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, murdered by invading Japanese soldiers 71 years ago, and to wish for eternal peace in the world, at the square in front of the memorial hall for the Chinese victims massacred by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
09
Nanjing massacre survivor Qiu Xiuying attend a rally to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, murdered by invading Japanese soldiers 71 years ago, and to wish for eternal peace in the world, at the square in front of the memorial hall for the Chinese victims massacred by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
Delegates of students present flowers to the victims during a rally to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, murdered by invading Japanese soldiers 71 years ago, and to wish for eternal peace in the world, at the square in front of the memorial hall for the Chinese victims massacred by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
