The Memorial of the Nanjing Massacre
Covering a total area of 28000 square meters with 3000 square meters of building floor space, the Nanjing Memorial Hall was built in 1985 by the Nanjing Municipal Government in memory of the 300,000 victims who lost their lives during the Nanjing Massacre. In 1995, it was enlarged and renovated. The memorial exhibits historical records and objects, and uses architecture, sculptures, and videos to illustrate what happened during the Nanjing Massacre.Known as "the Rape of Nanjing", Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall is the biggest official memorial place of the Nanjing Massacre. The Memorial Hall holds museum status and is the first museum in China commemorating the War of Resistance against Japan from 1937 to 1945. The memorial hall and the historical materials it contains present themselves as iron proofs on the inhuman crimes the Japanese troops ever committed. It warms not only to the Chinese but also to successive generations of the Japanese, that only an acceptance and understanding of past wrongs can create a better future for mankind.
There are three parts within the memorial, including the outdoor exhibits, the remaining bones of the killed and the museum for historical material displaying. The outdoor exhibits all vividly represent grief and indignation, life and death. Statues, group sculptures and relief carvings stand solemnly among green pines and cypresses, together with the monument upon which is engraved the dates of the tragic events "1937.12.13 - 1938.1" while two marble walls are engraved with the name of the hall and "300,000 Victims". Three large groups of carved reliefs and seventeen small tablets upon which the major sites and historical facts of the massacre are carved, surrounded by withered trees and cobblestones, the wall upon which the names of the victims are listed and the atonement tablet, together form a permanent and moving record of the bloody tragedy. The remaining bones of victims in the massacre are exhibited in a coffin-shaped display hall. Another tomb-like exhibition hall, which is buried half underground, contains over 1000 items that illustrate the terrible tragedy of Nanjing. Paintings, sculptures and illuminated display cabinets and multi-media screens as well as documentary films all contribute to this reminder of the horrendous crimes perpetrated on the Chinese people. These entire items suggest graveyard-style architecture with the themes of life and death, grief and indignation.
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