Three survivors of Nanjing Massacre pass away -- only 51 still alive

China holds its ninth national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2022.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

NANJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Since Dec. 24, three survivors of the Nanjing Massacre have passed away in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

Their deaths reduced the total number of registered survivors to 51, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Yuan Guilong died at the age of 88 early on Wednesday morning. Yuan's father and uncle were killed by Japanese invaders. Survivor Zhang Shixiang died on Tuesday at the age of 92, and Wang Jin died on Dec. 24 at the age of 91.

The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as the national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.