Shanghai residents commemorate victims of Nanjing Massacre
Flowers are placed outside the Sihang Warehouse.
White chrysanthemum flowers were placed by Shanghai residents outside the Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial on Monday to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Today marks China's eighth National Memorial Day for the Nanjing Massacre 84 years ago, known as one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.
It took place when invading Japanese troops captured the city of Nanjing in neighboring Jiangsu Province on December 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they brutally killed about 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
About seven weeks before the massacre, the Sihang Warehouse along Suzhou Creek in Shanghai witnessed one of the bloodiest episodes of the city's wartime history. A battalion of about 420 Chinese soldiers engaged in a fierce four-day fight with the invading Japanese army.
This morning, local residents volunteered to commemorate the victims and pay tribute to Chinese soldiers. Immigration inspection officials also came. They took off their hats and placed white flowers at the site.
"We must come here today. We should remember history and also tell the next generation about it," said visitor Mo Songwei.
Due to the pandemic, the regular memorial ceremony was not held to avoid crowds. But a WeChat mini program for the memorial was launched, allowing people to light a virtual candle online for peace.
In 2014, China's top legislature designated December 13 as National Memorial Day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Also, the Chinese government has preserved the survivors' written and video documentation, which was listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Registry in 2015.
Eleven survivors passed away this year, making the number of officially registered survivors be only 61, with an average age of 91 years old.
