Memorial hall receives more massacre proof
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-07 08:38

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall collected more historical documents that shed light on the murder of hundreds of thousands of people in the city during the Japanese invasion to China in World War II recently.

Residents in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province, strike the Peace Bell installed in the city on December 12, 2003, the day before the 66th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre, in which 300,000 people were killed by the Japanese invaders. [newsphoto.com.cn]

The latest collection of over 400 items, which include photographs, letters and videos, came from domestic and overseas collectors. Most of them will be available to the public for the first time.

A letter written by a Japanese soldier in 1937, records the Japanese troops' occupation of Nanjing and the ensuing killings.

The materials collected will be shown when the new exhibition rooms open.

Zhu Chengshan, curator of Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, said: "More than 60 years ago, these items recorded the Nanjing massacre. They have now come out to prove history."

The documents were very valuable in countering Japan's denial of World War II reality and its distortion of history, said Zhu.

The memorial hall launched a 540 million yuan (US$65.3 million) expansion project to renovate the older sections and add new display areas.