Nanjing Memorial Hall

The Memorial Hall for Compatriots in Nanjing

In 1937, the Japanese army invaded and occupied Nanjing, which was then the capital of China. It is recognized that an often systematic, brutal Nanking massacre was carried out by the Japanese army in the city.

The total death tolls could not be confirmed, since no official records were kept, but most estimates put the number of dead at more than 300,000.

The Memorial Hall for Compatriots killed 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.

Occupying an area of about 28,000 square meters, 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.