#NeverForgetNanjing: The forgotten holocaust of WWII
Today marks the 78th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre in China during World War II. The atrocity began in December 13, 1937 and lasted for about six weeks. In the Japanese Army's reign of terror, approximately 300,000 victims were violently murdered, raped, and tortured. This death toll of Chinese civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers exceed that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.
The tragic event is otherwise known as the "Rape of Nanking." Renowned author and activist Iris Chang wrote a book called exactly that, "The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II." She relentlessly sought to spread awareness of the Nanjing Massacre until her suicide in 2004. The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in Nanjing, China created a statue in her memory.
The National People's Congress in China marked the December 13 anniversary an official day of remembrance in 2014, called National Memorial Day. This Sunday was the second year that the Communist Party of China held a memorial for the Nanjing Massacre victims in the eastern city of Nanjing.
The Nanjing Masscre Memorial Hall for the victims was built in 1985, and was expanded and renovated in 1995. This year on Dec. 7, a new section of the memorial hall opened, featuring 1,100 photos and 6,000 items of relics.
I hope to visit the memorial one day.
Photos: Courtesy of Flickr Images/Creative Commons. Click pictures for links to individuals sources.
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