The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders is a thematic memorial hall built on the site of the Jiangdongmen mass massacre in the Nanjing Massacre. It was officially completed and opened on August 15, 1985. After more than 30 years of construction and development, it has grown into a national first-class museum in China with high international popularity. At present, the memorial hall includes three basic exhibitions: the historical exhibition of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese invaders, the theme exhibition of ‘Three Certain Victories’, and the exhibition of ‘Sex Slaves in World War II – The Japanese Army’s ‘Comfort Women’ System and Its Crimes’. These exhibitions show the history of the Nanjing Massacre, the Japanese army’s ‘comfort women’ system, and the great victory of the Chinese people’s Anti-Japanese War. Nearly 4,000 photos, 9,992 cultural relics of various kinds, and 262 video materials are exhibited, expressing the five themes of atrocities, resistance, victory, trial, and peace wisely and seriously. Among them, the camera and video materials used by American pastor John Magee to film the historical images of the Nanjing Massacre have been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. There are currently three ‘mass graves’ sites of the Nanjing Massacre in the memorial hall, which respectively display the remains of the victims discovered in 1984, 1998-1999, and 2006. In December 2015, after the completion of the new exhibition hall of ‘Three Certain Victories’ and the branch exhibition hall at the former site of the Lijixiang comfort station in Nanjing, the total area of the memorial hall is 103,000 square meters, the building area is 57,000 square meters, and the exhibition area is 20,000 square meters. There are seven squares, 23 individual sculptures and a large combined sculpture, eight walls of various forms, and 17 steles of various shapes. The memorial hall is a comprehensive museum on the history of the Nanjing Massacre, the Japanese army’s ‘comfort women’ system, and the victory of the world anti-fascist war. A large number of cultural relics, photos, historical testimonies, video materials, archives, and sites have made a complete exposition of historical truth. Every year, funds are invested to provide assistance to groups such as survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, victims of the ‘comfort women’ system, and veterans of the Anti-Japanese War.
Opening hours: Open from Tuesday to Sunday throughout the year from 08:30 to 17:00; closed all day on Monday throughout the year; open from 08:30 to 17:00 on New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day. Must-see tips: 1. Visitors are requested to keep quiet and solemn and not make noise or frolic; take good care of historical relics and not desecrate or damage national public memorial facilities; dress appropriately and not wear or adorn clothing or icons that are inconsistent with the environment and atmosphere of the facilities; obey organizational guidance and not disrupt public order. 2. To maintain solemnity and a clean environment, unauthorized setting up of stalls, sales, amusement activities, performances, begging, and other behaviors that damage the environment and atmosphere of the venue and violate public order and good customs are prohibited in the museum area.III. It is prohibited to bring flammable, explosive, toxic, radioactive, corrosive, and other dangerous items that may endanger personal and property safety into the memorial area.
IV. For exhibitions, performances, film and television shooting, live broadcasting on the internet, interviews, and other activities conducted in the memorial area, the consent of the memorial hall must be obtained. V. No unit or individual is allowed to distort or deny the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre, insult or defame the victims and survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, fabricate or disseminate speech or information containing the above content that damages national and ethnic dignity and hurts the feelings of the people, or infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of the names, portraits, and reputation of the victims and survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. VI. The use of military uniforms, flags, icons, or related props with symbolic significance of Japanese militarism in the memorial area is prohibited, as well as photographing, recording videos, or publicly disseminating the above behaviors through the internet. VII. Anyone who violates the above regulations may be dissuaded and stopped by the memorial hall. In serious cases, they will be reported to the public security organs for legal handling.
