Nanjing Massacre undeniabl: Xi
14 Dec 2014 11:28 PM GMT
State media estimated 10,000 people attended a ceremony in Nanjing to mark the 77th anniversary of the massacre, including ageing survivors, some in their 90s, of the Japanese invasion of the eastern city on December 13, 1937.
The crowd sang a boisterous rendition of China’s national anthem at the ceremony broadcast live on CCTV state television, followed by a moment of silence, as a siren symbolising grief blared and the Chinese flag flew at half-mast under clear skies.
“Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not be allowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, 1.3 billion Chinese people and all people loving peace and justice in the world,” Xi said in a speech at the ceremony, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC and foreign minister Wang Yi were among Chinese dignitaries who attended
Before the ceremony, CCTV showed black and white still and filmed images from the period, including scenes of Japanese soldiers occupying Nanjing and photos of dead Chinese, some in the streets and some along a river bank. Xi also appeared to hold out an olive branch to Japan, emphasising the need for Chinese and Japanese to live in friendship, stressing that it was “militarists” who were responsible for the massacre.
“We should not bear hatred against an entire nation just because a small minority of militarists
launched aggressive wars,” Xi said, according to Xinhua.
“The responsibilities for war crimes lie with a few militarists, but not the people,” he added, though also emphasised that “severe crimes committed by aggressors” cannot be forgotten.
Later 3,000 doves symbolising peace were released into the skies in memory of the victims, Xinhua said. In February, China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s Communist Party-controlled legislature, made the anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre an official day of remembrance, along with September 3 to mark the country’s victory against Japan in 1945, as tensions with Japan over a maritime territorial dispute and rows over history intensified.
The crowd sang a boisterous rendition of China’s national anthem at the ceremony broadcast live on CCTV state television, followed by a moment of silence, as a siren symbolising grief blared and the Chinese flag flew at half-mast under clear skies.
“Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not be allowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, 1.3 billion Chinese people and all people loving peace and justice in the world,” Xi said in a speech at the ceremony, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC and foreign minister Wang Yi were among Chinese dignitaries who attended
Before the ceremony, CCTV showed black and white still and filmed images from the period, including scenes of Japanese soldiers occupying Nanjing and photos of dead Chinese, some in the streets and some along a river bank. Xi also appeared to hold out an olive branch to Japan, emphasising the need for Chinese and Japanese to live in friendship, stressing that it was “militarists” who were responsible for the massacre.
“We should not bear hatred against an entire nation just because a small minority of militarists
launched aggressive wars,” Xi said, according to Xinhua.
“The responsibilities for war crimes lie with a few militarists, but not the people,” he added, though also emphasised that “severe crimes committed by aggressors” cannot be forgotten.
Later 3,000 doves symbolising peace were released into the skies in memory of the victims, Xinhua said. In February, China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s Communist Party-controlled legislature, made the anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre an official day of remembrance, along with September 3 to mark the country’s victory against Japan in 1945, as tensions with Japan over a maritime territorial dispute and rows over history intensified.
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