抹不去的真相，不能忘的国殇 | Undeniable facts about Nanjing Massacre

1937年12月13日，日军侵华部队攻占南京，开始了长达40多天的屠杀。

80年前的那个寒冬，曾经繁华优雅的六朝古都南京满目疮痍，３０万生灵毁灭于侵略者的屠刀之下。惨无人道的杀戮，在人类文明史上留下难以愈合的伤疤。

殷忧启圣，多难兴邦。

明天是第四个南京大屠杀死难者国家公祭日。正是在和平安宁的新时代，我们更要铭记历史，反思苦难，负重前行。

Wednesday marks the fourth National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims, a day to mourn over 300,000 Chinese souls at the hands of Japanese invaders 80 years ago.

In 1937, Japan launched a full-scale invasion in China. The capital at the time, Nanjing, in the eastern province of Jiangsu fell to Japanese troops on December 13.

In the 40 days that followed, the invading forces went on a barbaric rampage. They looted the city, butchered its residents and raped its women.

Diaries, photos and testimonies have shown that disarmed soldiers and civilians were shot, beheaded, burned or drowned. The Japanese did not differentiate between children and adults, men and women – they executed everyone in their path after subjecting them to great atrocities.

Although the Nanjing Massacre was one of the deadliest mass killings in human history, the bloody carnage is often overlooked on the international stage in comparison with other atrocious massacres that stained the 20th century, such as the Holocaust.

The Japanese government has to date worked to deny, whitewash or rewrite history. Earlier this year, Japan's Education Ministry approved a new history textbook that downplays the death toll of the Nanjing Massacre.

However, history cannot be changed and facts cannot be erased.

Survivors of the massacre, of whom only 97 had been alive by mid-December this year, have shared their stories and sufferings, recounted the terrors and spelled out the truth. 

Historical evidence – including photos, films, letters, news reports, diary entries and testimonies – by Chinese nationals, Japanese invading forces and foreign witnesses have helped piece the puzzle together. In 2014, China's State Archives Administration (SAA) released a seven-part video series detailing the historical catastrophe.

In February 2014, China's top legislature designated December 13 as the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims to remember those killed by Japanese aggressors and expose the undeniable war crimes committed at the time.

"The purpose of the memorial ceremony for Nanjing Massacre victims is to recall that every good-hearted person yearns for and holds a firm stance of peace, but does not try to prolong hatred,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping during the first state ceremony for the country’s first National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims on December 13, 2014.

In October 2015, Nanjing Massacre historical documents were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The UNESCO archive aims to preserve and document records of important historical events for the benefit of present and future generations. 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. 

In October, two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Manitoba, officially designated December 13 as Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day.