Mourning ceremony held for deceased Nanjing Massacre victims

People mourn during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

NANJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

The "lights out" ceremony was held at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming, and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57.

Family members laid flowers and bowed low to say their farewells.

"Although my father underwent the cruelty of wars, he also witnessed the rapid development of the new China. He was a veteran and a college student. He is the pride of our family," said Zhu Xiaoliang, son of Zhu Zaiqiang, who passed away at 90.

The senior Zhu was only a 5-year-old and saw many people shot dead by the Japanese invaders in a paddy field in west Nanjing. His family fled from their home in December 1937 when the city was captured, and the notorious massacre took place.

Family members donated victims' items, including some documents, to the memorial hall after the ceremony.

"Memories of the Nanjing Massacre never belong only to the survivors but also need to be engraved on everyone's mind and should be remembered by the whole country," said Zhou Feng, curator of the memorial hall.

"We have the responsibility to take over the baton of survivors' memories and pass it on from generation to generation," Zhou added.

The Nanjing Massacre occurred when Japanese troops captured the city on Dec. 13, 1937. They killed about 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in just over six weeks in one of the most brutal episodes of World War II. 

A family member of Zhu Zaiqiang lays a flower to bid his farewell during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

A family member of Pu Yeliang lays a flower to bid his farewell during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Photo taken on April 13, 2022 shows the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng, the four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year (bottom, L to R), at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Photo taken on April 13, 2022 shows the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng, the four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year (L to R), at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

A family member of Wang Heng lays a flower to bid her farewell during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

People mourn during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Family members of Wang Suming lay a flower to bid their farewells during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

People mourn during the "lights out" ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 13, 2022.

A mourning ceremony for four victims of the Nanjing Massacre who passed away this year was held Wednesday in Nanjing.

Among the photo wall composed of 100 survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, the lightboxes of Zhu Zaiqiang, Pu Yeliang, Wang Suming and Wang Heng were turned off in a few seconds, and their colored photos then turned to black and white.

The loss of the four survivors has reduced the number of registered survivors to 57. (Xinhua/Li Bo)