History and Today — — Cultural Policy Behind the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders
On December 13, 1937, the six-week brutal massacre by the invading Japanese troops in Nanjing left 300,000 unarmed Chinese civilians and captives collapsed on land they were all familiar with. As one of the most severe atrocities committed during the Second World War, the Nanjing Massacre has made countless Chinese people unforgettable for the painful years of ethnic hatred.
In 1985, the Nanjing Municipal Government built the Memorial Hall of the Victims of Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders to commemorate the victims and remind people not to forget the history. This memorial hall is close to where thousands of corpses are buried. Also combined with various uses such as historical relics display, sculpture, architecture, photography, and documents, which vividly showed the atrocities of the Japanese invaders and the remains of innocent Chinese people to the visitors.
In 2014, China’s top legislature designated December 13 as the National Memorial Day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. It was held at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. During the national anthem and the silence ceremony, Chinese people from all walks of life came to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall together, constantly remembering and cherishing the painful history.
Compared with other memorial halls in China, since its opening on August 15, 1985, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall has received more than 60 million visitors from the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, and other countries worldwide. On October 9, 2015, UNESCO declared the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall and ten other archives of the Nanjing Massacre as the Memory of the World Register.
The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall consists of four functional areas: Outdoor Exhibition, Jiangdongmen Site Square, Museum, and Peace Park.
Outdoor Exhibition: The area featuring monuments, art sculptures, and victims presents a Chinese cemetery with themes of life, death, and grief. People can hold events in memory of the victims in the outdoor plaza, giving people who know more or try to understand history a more solemn and immersive experience.
Jiangdongmen Site Square: This square was built on the original site where the Japanese invaders massacred and buried Chinese prisoners and civilians in 1937. By exhibiting the skeletons of some victims found under the scene’s surface, its visual impact makes people feel the horror and sadness of war more intuitively.
Museum: More than 200,000 cultural relics, documents and old photos related to the Nanjing Massacre are displayed in the museum. This tomb-like war memorial hall is a constant reminder of the lessons that should be remembered behind the painful history and the purpose of a strong nation.
Peace Park: This area is a peace-themed park for people and communities worldwide to communicate and pray for world peace. The peace sculpture supported by white marble carries people’s memory of the deceased and their good wishes for world peace.
The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall has become a cultural and political symbol with special significance. It is also declaring to the world that history cannot be covered up, much less profaned.The Japanese government may not admit the heinous crimes committed in Nanjing, but the Chinese government and Chinese people will not forget it. Let all peace-loving people learn from history and create a better and peaceful future together.