Another Nanjing Massacre survivor passes away, making number down to 54

Xiang Yuansong, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, passed away on December 5, 2022, at the age of 94, the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre said on Wednesday.

His death has made the total number of officially registered survivors down to 54.

Xiang, who was born into a working family in 1928, lost two family members during the massacre. Japanese soldiers captured his brother and uncle after Nanjing was occupied in 1937. They died along with other victims in a mass shooting. Their bodies were burned by Japanese soldiers, Xiang said in an earlier interview.

The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the city on December 13, 1937. In the first six weeks, nearly 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed by the Japanese invaders, making it one of the most brutal and savage episodes of World War II.

The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, designated December 13 every year as the national day of memorial for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

A national memorial ceremony will be held to mourn the victims in the Memorial Hall in Nanjing at 10pm on December 13. Sirens will blare between 10:01am and 10:02am across the city that day.

Buses, trains and ships shall stop and the drivers sound their horns. Pedestrians and people in public places shall pause for a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims.