Yang Cuiying (left), 90, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, at the front of the Nanjing wailing wall, mourns for relatives that were killed during the bloodshed. The wall is covered with names of the victims. (NJ1937.ORG)

The wailing wall at the Memorial Hall of the Victims for the Nanjing Massacre, densely dotted with the names of casualties, stands as a dark and catastrophic reminder of the lives of the men, women and children that were lost during that notorious time.

Yang Cuiying (left) lays a bouquet for her deceased family members, praying that their souls may rest in peace. (NJ1937.ORG)

 Yang Cuiying, 90, a survivor of the Massacre, grieved over the family members she lost during that time.

After invading Japanese troops had captured Nanjing on December 13, 1937, they started a bloodbath that lasted for more than 40 days--during which the war-time atrocities were committed. More than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed and about 20,000 women were raped during that time, according to official Chinese records. 

 The Memorial Hall of the Victims for the Nanjing Massacre was built in 1985, occupying an area about 28,000 square meters with a floor space of 3,000. Later, in 1995 it was enlarged and renovated.

Yang Cuiying remembers the family members she lost during the Nanjing Massacre, calling on people to cherish peace. (NJ1937.ORG)

 Yang lost her father, uncle and a newborn brother during the Massacre. Her newborn brother was crushed to death by Japanese invaders--simply for crying. She was deeply traumatized by the slaughter. Every time she comes across any scenes of air strikes on TV, Yang is seized with fear and begins to store up grains in preparation for war.

"As long as I'm alive, I will keep sharing my fateful memories with more people, and to advise them to cherish peaceful times and never allow wars like the one that I went through happen again," said Yang.

Copyedited by Bryan Michael Galvan

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