The Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders launched on Sunday morning a hiking activity to the mass grave sites as part of the annual Tomb Sweeping ceremony. This year marks the 86th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.
86 Chinese and expatriates, including descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors, Zijin grass volunteers, Zijin grass girls, and students of Nanjing, walked 12.13 kilometers to lay flowers to the three mass grave sites at Nanjing Zhongshan Wharf, Caosha Gorge, and Yanziji.
According to incomplete statistics, during the Nanjing Massacre, more than 50 thousand refugees and disarmed Chinese soldiers who were unable to cross the Yangtze River were slaughtered at Yanziji alone.
“When I was in Germany, I learned a little about the history of the Nanjing Massacre. I think learning history is very important, and world peace is very important. I am now in China, and if I return to Germany in the future, I can share it with my German friends, because perhaps in Germany they do not particularly understand the history of the Nanjing Massacre,” said Robin, Zijin Grass International Volunteer.
“Because our parents are gradually getting older, we need to pass on the memory and truth of history from generation to generation. This event has attracted many young people, and I think this is a particularly gratifying thing,” said Ruan Hongyan, inheritor of the Historical Memory of the Nanjing Massacre, daughter of Ruan Dingdong, survivor of the Nanjing Massacre.
When passing through Wumadu Square, students of Nanjing and the Zijin Grass International Volunteers jointly read aloud a passage from The Rape of Nanking–The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II written by Chinese American writer Iris Chang.
“I will use my strength to spread peace. I have served as a volunteer many times at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. I write my wishes on the wall and hope that there will be no more wars in the world,” said Li Anran, a Zijin Grass Girl.
