The Nanjing Massacre was a horrific massacre of civilians by the Japanese army during a six-week period from December 1937 to January 1938 after the occupation of Nanjing, the then capital of the Republic of China. In flagrant violation of international conventions and fundamental moral codes, the occupying forces committed countless atrocities in the form of slaughter, rape, plunder, arson and destruction. After the surrender of Japan, the massacre was investigated by a special war crimes tribunal. This revealed that Japanese troops had committed 28 mass slaughters. A total of over 300,000 Chinese lost their lives. Inaugurated on 15 August 1985, the Memorial Hall is located on the site of the massacre and burial of 10,000 of the dead. Expanded and enlarged between 1994 and 2007, the Memorial Hall was re-opened on 13 December 2007, the 70th anniversary of the massacre. The Memorial Hall provides incontrovertible physical evidence of the crimes in a spirit of mourning, commemoration and reconciliation between all parties. AUTHOR: Zhu Cheng Shan is Director of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. SELLING POINTS: ?A dignified witness to one of the great crimes of the twentieth century ?Official guide book published in cooperation with the Memorial Hall, featuring authoritative text written by its director 175 colour illustrations
