2022,
The 85th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.
in 1937,
The Nanjing Massacre caused by the Japanese invaders,
A dark page in human history,
It is filled with the memories of Nanjing,
China's death, the world's death.
12.13
How to stick to the precious peace?
On the eve of the Ninth National Memorial Day,
They are here across time and space,
Cherish history and watch for peace.
Nanjing Massacre survivors Xia Shuqin (first from right), Ge Daorong (second from right), and Ai Yiying (third from right) presented the certificate of "Inheritor of Historical Memory of Nanjing Massacre" to representatives of descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors.
Photo by Yang Bo
Li Zhenming
"My father (Li Gaoshan) has passed away. I will pass on this history on his behalf, not to let people remember hatred, but to inspire future generations to contribute to world peace."
Li Gaoshan (left), Li Zhenming (right).
(Collage photo) Photo by Yang Bo
Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders,
There was a conversation like this.
The son of a Japanese soldier who invaded China,
Come and apologize on behalf of your father.
Veterans of Nanjing Defense War,
Li Gaoshan, survivor of the Nanjing Massacre,
He told him about the atrocities he witnessed the massacre of the city by the Japanese invaders,
Twice narrow escapes from massacres.
Subsequently,
The descendants of this Japanese veteran asked:
"If my father could come here,
What is your attitude towards him?
"
think for a moment,
Li Zhenming, the son of Li Gaoshan, replied:
"Your father was also a victim of Japanese militarism.
if he comes,
It shows that he is a person with a sense of justice now,
It is because of the atrocities committed against China that year,
I can forgive him.
"
Li Zhenming inherited his father's behest and became a Zijincao volunteer who delivered the voice of peace.
Photo by Shen Ran
In December 1937, Li Gaoshan, who was only 13 years old, participated in the defense of Nanjing.
His company was assigned to guard the Yijiangmen tower.
On December 13, 1937, the Japanese invaders surrounded Yijiangmen.
After disarming and being captured, Li Gaoshan and other Chinese soldiers were taken to a bungalow by the Japanese army, where they were shot by Japanese machine guns.
Because of his short stature, Li Gaoshan was blocked by the people in front and escaped the massacre by the Japanese army by chance.
At that time, he stepped on the body and ran to the second floor. The Japanese army poured gasoline and set fire to the body of the victim. The fire and smoke rushed upstairs. He escaped from the balcony.
Afterwards, Li Gaoshan and his entourage hid on the roof of a building and were discovered by Japanese soldiers. The six were tied up behind their backs with ropes and escorted to the edge of a pool to kill them collectively.
The small Li Gaoshan stood at the end. He ran back as soon as the gun was fired, and escaped by hiding under the bed of a family.
In 2018,
Li Zhenming participated in the Zijincao Volunteer Service Team of the Memorial Hall,
Do voluntary lectures for visitors and elementary and middle school students.
in the hall,
What he talked about most was "peace is hard-won".
After my father passed away,
Li Zhenming deeply felt,
The responsibility of being a narrator is even greater.
Ruan Dingdong
"We survivors bear witness to the history of the Nanjing Massacre, hoping to remind people to learn from history and cherish peace."
Ruan Dingdong and his son.
Photo by Yang Bo
When the Japanese army invaded Nanjing in December 1937,
Ruan Dingdong's grandfather Ruan Jiatian's house,
bombed by Japanese planes,
The family of six fled to their hometown in Jiangbei.
Grandpa walked slowly with him in his arms,
Couldn't get on the boat with the whole family.
"When I fled to the Yanziji River,
In order to protect me in my arms, grandpa,
He was stabbed and seriously injured by Japanese soldiers.
after,
He was carried back to Liuhe's home by his family members.
died 3 days later,
Only 47 years old.
"
Ruan Dingdong in front of the Nanjing Massacre Victims List Wall at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
Photo by Yang Bo
this past,
It has become the pain of the old man's life.
He also made up his mind,
Tell more people about Grandpa's experience.
He went to the memorial,
tells the story of the family in 1937,
What happened when the Japanese army massacred the city.
After his grandson Ruan Jie graduated from university,
Join the Zijincao Volunteer Service Team of the Memorial Hall,
Tell the story of the family to domestic and foreign visitors.
I went to the riverside many times to retrace the escape route,
Send grandson to peace rally...
Ruan Dingdong, who is already an octogenarian, did not stop.
He firmly believes that historical facts cannot be distorted.
Justice will never be late, and inheritance will never be absent.
summer trip
"In the future, as family members of survivors, we will also tell foreign friends and overseas Chinese about this history overseas, so that more people can understand the truth of the Nanjing Massacre and convey the voice of peace to the world."
The Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese Invaders held a light-off ceremony for Wang Suming, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, to commemorate the deceased.
Photo by Yang Bo
On August 15 this year,
The first batch of 13,
Inheritor of the historical memory of the Nanjing Massacre,
Formal work.
Summer trip is one of them.
He volunteered at the memorial,
To visitors from home and abroad,
Tell about the experience of mother-in-law Wang Suming.
Wang Suming (left), Xia Xing (right).
(Collage photo) Photo by Yang Bo
Wang Suming's original surname was Yang.
In the winter of 1937, when the Japanese invaders captured Nanjing, Wang Suming's father was teaching in the Yaohuamen area of Nanjing. He was arrested by the Japanese army as a "sabotage element" and killed soon after.
Later, because the mother was unable to support her children, she gave all four of her children to other families for adoption.
She was adopted by a family surnamed Wang, and she changed her name to Wang Suming from then on.
Although Wang Suming's childhood was a dark time, she was enthusiastic about public welfare all her life.
After retirement, Wang Suming has volunteered in the community for more than 20 years.
She used to be the oldest Nanjing Youth Olympic Games volunteer in Qinhuai District, Nanjing, and was affectionately called "Grandma Lime".
On March 23, 2022, the old man passed away at the age of 87.
Wang Suming participated in the launching ceremony of the family memorial service for the bereaved families of the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
(File photo) Photo by Yang Bo
Summer trip through self-study English,
This period of history is often mentioned to foreign friends.
"Learn a foreign language well,
Let more people know about the Nanjing Massacre,
Explain the truth of this period of history clearly and clearly.
"
Chang Xiaomei
"As a descendant of a survivor, I have an obligation to pass on this family memory and record the shame and pain that the war against humanity brought to the Chinese nation. As a son and daughter of the Chinese nation, I am even more obliged to pass on this national memory...More I hope that more people will not forget that period of history because of the long time, keep in mind the shame and suffering of the past, and shoulder the important task of building a country."
Among the sculptures at the entrance of the memorial hall,
There is such a group of sculptures:
The stabbed mother in the chest,
struggling for toddlers,
Died after feeding the last mouthful of milk.
In front of the sculpture "Mother's Last Milk" at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, Chang Zhiqiang fell into memories.
Photo courtesy of Chang Xiaomei
This group of sculptures is based on Chang Xiaomei's father,
Nanjing Massacre survivor Chang Zhiqiang,
The tragic experience of a family is the prototype.
Chang Xiaomei introduced: "On December 13, 1937, Nanjing fell, and bad luck came to our family. A Japanese soldier stabbed my grandmother's chest with a bayonet, and blood poured out immediately. My father's youngest brother was thrown to the ground. Shouting loudly, the Japanese soldier picked up the bayonet, pointed it at him, picked it up, threw it a few feet away, and mercilessly stabbed the other three young children."
"When the father brought his little brother to my grandmother, the grandmother struggled to give the youngest child another sip of milk. At this time, the grandmother could no longer speak and gradually lowered her head. At that time, my father was only 9 years old. "Chang Xiaomei said.
"Every time I see that statue,
I couldn't contain the grief in my heart.
"
In 2019,
Chang Xiaomei described her father's "micro history",
into a book,
At present, it has been published in three versions, Chinese, English and Japanese.
Chang Xiaomei (left), Chang Zhiqiang (right).
(Combined photo) Photo courtesy of Chang Xiaomei
Chang Xiaomei told reporters from Chinanews.com,
She sorted out a lot of content at night.
In the dead of night,
When she read these dictations,
Tears could not stop flowing down.
"Often I can't write,
The depression and discomfort in my heart,
It's hard to put into words.
"
Ma Tingbao
"I hope that the Japanese right wing can stop distorting the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre; I also hope that future generations can remember history and cherish peace."
Nanjing Massacre survivor Ma Tingbao and his daughter Ma Minglan.
Photo by Yang Bo
When relatives such as father and uncle,
When being strafed by the Japanese invaders,
Nanjing Massacre survivor Ma Tingbao,
Still a babbling 2-year-old.
then,
Ma Tingbao doesn't understand what war is,
I don't know what the loss of a loved one is,
I don't even know what this means to me.
When I grow up,
Ma Tingbao gradually understood,
own destiny,
with this family affair,
City mourning and national calamity are closely linked.
He used his life to prove:
In the face of history,
Everyone should not stay out of it.
Ma Tingbao, who has been living under the same roof for four generations, decided,
The important task of inheriting the memory of the Nanjing Massacre,
Handed over to daughter Ma Minglan,
In the hands of Ma Minghong,
I hope this family memory,
Passed on from generation to generation.
Ai Yiying
"I hope that future generations will remember the suffering that the Nanjing Massacre brought to the common people. But more importantly, tell them to study hard, work hard, and do their best to contribute to the country."
December 13, 1937
The Japanese invaders were in Nanjing and its surrounding areas,
A six-week bloody rampage began.
Although the Ai family was poor, but happy little days,
It came to an abrupt end.
Ai Yiying's father, Ai Renyin,
Two uncles, Ai Renbing and Ai Renlin,
Two cousins Ai Yisheng and Ai Yirong,
Both father and son were taken away by the Japanese army.
Pictured is Ai Yiying (right) participating in the memorial service for the families of victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Photo by Yang Bo
"I remember hugging my daddy's leg and saying, 'Dad, you can't go, what will I do if you go away.' Dad turned around and said, 'Hey, daddy will be right back.' That was the last thing daddy said to me talk."
Among the 7 relatives who were arrested,
Only Ai Yiying's cousin,
Ai Yirong was rescued and returned.
The other 6 were killed by the Japanese army.
Nanjing Massacre survivor Ai Yiying and her son Huang Xinghua.
Photo by Yang Bo
The smoke of war is far away,
Witnesses, as the years go by,
Keep dying.
descendants of survivors,
Inheritor of the historical memory of the Nanjing Massacre,
It is becoming the backbone of spreading the truth.
these years,
Ai Yiying's son Huang Xinghua,
Always with my mother,
Participate in various commemorative activities,
Testimony assembly.
"I often come to the memorial hall,
For young students visiting and studying,
Including some foreign tourists,
Introducing this history,
Also put my mother's tragic experience,
Tell everyone.
I hope that my meager power,
Let more people remember history,
cherish peace,
Stay away from war.
"Huang Xinghua said.
The children who survived the catastrophe,
It is now an octogenarian.
Time has aged people's faces,
But it will not change the historical truth,
Does not wear down people's courage.
Picture Nanjing elementary school students ringing the peace bell.
Photo by Yang Bo
This paragraph bears the pain of the family,
The memory of the world of national mourning,
Passed down from generation to generation,
voice of justice,
The voice of peace grows ever stronger.
Reporter: Cheng Li, Tang Juan, Yang Bo, Zhu Xiaoying, Shen Ran, Zhongsheng Yang Yanci, Xu Shanshan