Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre

» Nanjing, Jiang Su

Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information

The Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Forces of Aggression is located in the southwestern corner of Nanjing known as Jiangdongmen, which used to be one of the execution grounds and mass burial places of the cruel holocaust. It has become an important site for international communities to pray for peace as well as a site for historical and cultural exchanges. In China, it is also a "national demonstrative educational base for patriotism."

Covering an area about 28,000 square meters (302,400 square feet) with a floor space of 3,000, it was built in 1985 in memory of the 300,000 victims in the event. Later, in 1995 it was enlarged and renovated. The buildings in the complex are fashioned out of black and white granite blocks, looking spectacular and magnificent, rendering a feeling of solemnity and reverence. It is an exhibition site with historical records and objects as well as architecture, sculptures and video and film projections to unfold a specific chapter of history concerning one of the ugliest experiences forced on mankind.

Inhumane disgrace

On Dec 13, 1937, the Japanese army occupied Nanjing and during the following six weeks bore witness to the inhumane disgrace and bloody massacre exerted on the city. No less than 300,000 innocent civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers were brutally slaughtered in mass and individual beheadings, burying alive, burning, and killing races. More than 20,000 women were raped and many were then killed. A third of the architectures together with their contents were damaged by fire and countless shops, stores and residences were looted and sacked. Corpses were seen floating on rivers and littered the streets and lanes. Whether they were children or the aged, from residents to nuns, few could escape from the savage atrocity.

What to visit

The buildings in the complex are fashioned out of black and white granite blocks, looking spectacular and magnificent, rendering a feeling of solemnity and reverence. It is an exhibition site with historical records and objects as well as architecture, sculptures and video and film projections to unfold a specific chapter of history concerning one of the ugliest experiences forced on mankind.

Three parts

The memorial is composed of three parts: the outdoor exhibits, the remaining bones of the killed and the museum for historical material displaying.

Outdoor sector

In the outdoor sector, group sculptures, full-length statues, relief carvings, signboards, monuments, redeeming and repentant tablets, withered trees and broken walls as well as a wall carved with the names of part of the victims so far that have been located cluster together with green shrubs and lawns to suggest a graveyard-style architecture with the themes of life and death, grief and indignation.

Remaining bones of the victims

A building shaped like a coffin is to shelter some of the victims' bones excavated from the "pits of thousands of bodies" right in the site when the memorial was in construction-an iron evidence for the bloody crimes committed by the aggressive Japanese troops.

The museum

The museum lies half buried in the ground like a colossal tomb. Inside, an immense collection of pictures, objects, charts and photographs relate the horror of the Rape of Nanjing. Through a versatility of means for exhibitions such as lighted cabinets, sand trays, clay moldings, oil paintings, micro-computers appliances, documentary shows and so on, the tragedy of the cruel holocaust in Nanjing and the beastly atrocities of the Japanese militarists are pictured and recounted.

The meaning of the Memorial Hall

Experiences of the past, if not forgotten, are a guide for the future. The attribution of blame for war and its consequences serves to sustain hatred. The hall was not built as a sign of indignation but a lasting memorial to the victims and a warning of history. The memorial hall and the historical materials it contains present themselves as iron proofs on the inhuman crimes the Japanese troops ever committed. Such behaviors as altering textbooks and fabricating lies to distort the history sound ridiculous and finally will be proved futile. The memorial hall presents 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.

When to visit

• Opening Hours: 8:30a.m. - 16:30p.m. (Closed on Monday)

Getting there

No. 7, 23, 37, 39, 57, 82, 92, 312

Attractions around » Nanjing, Jiang Su

Natural Scene

• Lake Xuanwuhu
• Qinhuai River

Historical Site

• Ming Xiaoling Tomb
• Confucius Temple
• Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Tomb
• Presidential Palace
• Yuhuatai Martyrs' Cemetery
• Linggu Temple
• Zhonghua Gate

Cultural Site

• Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre
• Nanjing Museum
• Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre Highlights

Museum in Great China

• Forbidden City
• Terracotta Warriors and Horses
• Shaanxi Provincial History Museum
• Sanxingdui Ruins
• Dunhuang Museum
• National Museum of China
• Shanghai Museum
• Weijin Art Gallery
• Gansu Provincial Museum
• Xi'an Banpo Museum
• Dinosaur Museum
• Han Yang Ling Museum
• Forest of Stone Steles Museum
• Tibet Museum
• Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum
• Dongba Museum
• Chongqing Three Gorges Museum
• Hubei Provincial Museum
• Shanghai History Museum
• Great Wall Museum
• Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre
• Han Dynasty Tomb Museum
• Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
• Xianyang Museum
• Shandong Provincial Museum
• Nanjing Museum
• Meteorite Museum
• Salt History Museum
• Inner Mongolia Museum
• Hunan Provincial Museum
• National Tea Museum
• China National Silk Museum
• Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Luoyang Museum
• Chen Family Temple

Educational Site in Great China

• Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre
• Beijing Shichahai Sports School
• Nuclear City

Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre FAQ & Travelers's Tips

  Weather

1. When to go

  Shopping

1. Where to exchange money?

  Customs

1. What are some interesting festivals?

  Other Hints

1. Health and Security
2. Useful numbers

• When to go

  Known as one of the three hottest cities in China, Nanjing's scorching summer period is to be avoided.

  The short and comfortable autumn time from October to mid-November is the best travel period for the city.

  Unlike other southern cities in China, in December, it sometimes snows in the city. If fortunately, you will have an opportunity to appreciate the enthralling white snow world of Nanjing. In the coldest month - January, the temperature could be as low as -7C (19F).

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• What are some interesting festivals?

  Jinling Lanterns Fair
  It was said that the first lantern fair was held in this region in the reign of Hong Wu in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a spring lantern fair to be held to celebrate both the coming new year and prosperity of the country. This tradition was passed down from generation to generation and reached its height in the Ming and Qing periods. Each year from the first day of the lunar January the lantern fair celebration is held in the area surrounding Fuzimiao.
  Period: 1st, Jan - 15th, Jan depending on lunar calendar

  Nanjing Int'l Plum Festival (Plum Hill)
  In the early spring between February and March, Nanjing International Plum Festival opens as the first ceremonial tourist event of the year. The meeting place is chosen on Plum Hill. Reputed as the First Plum Hill under Heaven, it is one of the eight plum appreciation sights having the most variety, longest history and being the largest in the country. Because the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year always falls in this period, spectacular celebrations of blossom appreciation, show performances, cultural exhibitions and bazaar shopping are be held.
  Period: Feb. - Mar. (the one in 2005 began on Feb. 10th and ended on Mar. 15th)

  Cherry Blossom Festival
  In late March, Xuanwu Park becomes a sea of cherry blossom and photography lovers and tourists throng to see the charming scenery.

  Yuhuashi (Rain Flower Pebbles) Art Festival
  Yuhuashi, a kind of rain-flower pattern agate, is a very popular tourist souvenir. Each year in September, an art and cultural festival is held in Yuhuatai (Rain Flower Terrace) Scenic Area. Exhibition of precious agate stones and performances will be presented.
  Period: September

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• Where to exchange money?

  You can exchange money at Lu Kou International Airport, branch offices of the Bank of China at Zhongshan Donglu, just east of Xinjiekou traffic circle and most hotels in the city.

  Rates at hotels may be a little higher than those in the Bank of China. Some hotels only exchange currency for their own guests.

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• Health and Security

  The health and security of the guests coming to Nanjing is a prime concern among the authorities.

  There are adequate number of police stations where the guests report to in case they face any kind of a problem.

  There are also many hospitals in Nanjing where the tourists can go in case any emergency arises.

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• Useful numbers

  Tourist Hotline: 5261179
  Ambulance: 120, 7213460
  Emergencies: 110 (foreigner's section 552729)
  Fire: 119
  Tel No. Enquiry: 114
  Police: 110
  Foreign Affairs Office of Police: 7216795

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