The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
China held a solemn national memorial ceremony in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Saturday to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre, which took place when Japanese invaders captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec 13, 1937.
The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
In a solemn display of remembrance, the people of Nanjing observed a moment of silence as sirens sounded throughout the city to mark the start of the ceremony at 10 am.
The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
Thousands of people clad in dark attire gathered at the public square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, with white flowers pinned to their chests, for the ceremony. China's national flag was flown at half-mast in front of the crowd, which included survivors of the massacre, local students and international friends.
The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
Eighty-eight youths from Nanjing recited a declaration of peace, while citizen representatives struck the Bell of Peace.
This year's ceremony took place on what is the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and against the backdrop of strained China-Japan ties following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding the Taiwan question.
The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
Addressing the ceremony, Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, said the gathering was an expression of the Chinese people's unwavering commitment to peaceful development while mourning those brutally killed by the Japanese invaders.
The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
Adding that the memories of history are deeply ingrained and the tide of the times surges forward, Shi said that the grand blueprint of Chinese modernization represents an incredibly bright prospect, and that the Chinese nation is marching with unstoppable momentum towards great rejuvenation.
The 12th national memorial day was observed in Nanjing on Saturday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
He called for carrying on the great spirit of resistance against Japanese aggression to work for a strong country and national rejuvenation, as well as the cause of world peace and development.
In 2014, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, designated Dec 13 as National Memorial Day with a view to preserving historical memory and cherishing the hard-won peace.
