Nanjing Massacre Survivors commemorate victims at the "Wailing Wall"

Ahead of the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims, the annual family commemoration ceremony was held on November 30 at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Eighty-eight years on, memories remain

Often referred to as the "Wailing Wall", the wall of victims' names records the identities of individuals who lost their lives in the Nanjing Massacre and reflects the suffering of countless families. Each year, people visit the site to pay respects, reflect on the past, and reaffirm the importance of remembering history and upholding peace.

Facing the gray stone surface, where chrysanthemums and evergreen branches formed the character "奠 (in remembrance)", participants bowed three times in tribute to the victims.

Supported by family members, 96-year-old Xia Shuqin and 91-year-old Liu Minsheng walked slowly to the wall. Behind them stood the inheritors of historical memories, including Xia Yuan, Hu Jingya, and Zhang Qing.

Xia Shuqin, now 96, became emotional as she recalled her family's experience. "You cannot imagine how many died. I was stabbed three times, and I still have a large scar on the back of my head." Her granddaughter Xia Yuan retraced the engraved names of their relatives on the wall.

Liu Minsheng also shared his recollections. He was three years old during the Nanjing Massacre, when his family sought refuge at the Jinling Women's College. "My father held me, and my mother carried my sister. We were outside in the cold, and I cried. A Japanese soldier approached with a bayonet and stabbed my leg. The scar is still on my right leg. My father was taken away and never returned." He said the Massacre defined the rest of his life. "I hope more people learn about the Nanjing Massacre so that history does not repeat itself."

Passing historical memory to the next generation

Three hundred thousand victims. No words in Chinese, English, or Japanese can heal a mother's wound…

Historical memory inheritors Li Yuhan and Hu Jingya, descendants of victims Dong Shenxi, and Zijin Grass volunteers recited the poem Mother and the Wall by Feng Yitong in tribute to the victims.

As time passes, Nanjing Massacre survivors continue to pass away. To preserve historical truth, the Memorial Hall has, since 2022, granted official status to historical memory inheritors. To date, 38 individuals have been recognized, including descendants of survivors, descendants of international friends who assisted Chinese civilians, descendants of Chinese compatriots who provided shelter, and descendants of witnesses who preserved evidence.

More young people have also joined these efforts. During the ceremony, descendants of survivors and student representatives carefully traced the engraved names on the wall, symbolically renewing and continuing the preservation of memory.

Among them is Hu Jingya, granddaughter of the late survivor Liu Guixiang and a member of the fourth batch of inheritors recognized in August. As an art teacher at the Yuhuatai Branch of Langya Road Primary School in Nanjing, she has incorporated her grandfather's testimony into teaching, guiding students to reflect on history and express their hopes for peace through their artwork—planting in the next generation the enduring commitment to remembering history and cherishing peace.

Source and photos: The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders