Event mourns victims of Nanjing Massacre

Solemn ceremony remembers past atrocity with hope of peaceful future

Nanjing, Jiangsu province, was the focal point of a national ceremony commemorating the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Wednesday, the 86th anniversary of the start of the murderous rampage by invading Japanese troops in 1937.

At 8 am, the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders conducted a flag-raising and half-mast ceremony in honor of the victims. At 10:01 am, sirens were heard above the city. Vehicles halted and people on the streets observed a moment of silence.

In the square of the memorial hall, representative citizens struck the Bell of Peace, and white doves were released into the sky. About 8,000 people from many walks of life, dressed in somber, dark attire, looked on.