Nanjing Massacre victims mourned

A memorial ceremony is held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Sunday to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre. In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. (Photo by Cui Xiao/For China Daily)

People from all walks of life attended the ceremony for the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims in the city in Jiangsu province on Sunday to mourn the 300,000 people who were killed by Japanese troops after they captured the city on Dec 13, 1937.

Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, said at the ceremony that the Chinese people will firmly keep history in mind, never forget the past, always cherish peace and look to the future.

The Chinese people mourn the victims killed in the massacre, the martyrs sacrificed in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the international friends who fought with the Chinese people during the war, Chen said at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

The suffering in history cannot be forgotten and the pace of progress can never stop, he said, adding that the achievements China has made in national rejuvenation and in fighting against poverty are the best tributes to the martyrs and victims of the war.