AstatememorialceremonyfortheNanjingMassacreisheldinNanjing,JiangsuprovinceonSaturday.ThecountrygrievesoverthebrutaltragedythatsawJapaneseinvaderstakemorethan300,000ChineselivesinsixweeksaftertheyoccupiedNanjingonDec13,1937.Duringthe40-minutememorialritual,theaudiencesangthenationalanthem,soldierslaidwreaths,anda85-year-oldrepresentativeofthemassacre'ssurvivorssteppedonstagewithPresidentXiJinpingtopaytributetothevictims.XisaidthattheChinesepeoplewillrememberhistorywhilecherishingpeaceandcreatingabetterfuture.HistoryBackgroundAftertheJuly7thIncidentin1937,Japan’soverallaggressionofChinawasstarted.On13December1937,theJapanesetroopscapturedNanjingCity.WiththeconnivanceofandeventheorderbyIwaneMatsui,CommanderoftheJapaneseCentralChinaAreaArmy,theJapanesetroopscommittedwarcrimesoflargescalemassacre,looting,rapeandarsonagainstunarmedChineseciviliansandsurrenderedChinesesoldiersinNanjingCityandthesurroundingareas.Thesecrimeslastedforoversixweeks.OnFeb27,2014,China'stoplegislatureapprovedtwonewnationaldays,namelytheVictoryDayoftheChinesePeople'sWarofResistanceagainstJapaneseAggressionandtheNationalMemorialDayforNanjingMassacreVictims,tocommemorateNanjingMassacrevictimsandallthosekilledduringJapaneseaggressionagainstChina.VictoryDay:Sept3-thedayafterJapanofficiallysurrenderedin1945;NationalMemorialDay:Dec13–thedayJapanoccupiedNanjingin1937andbeganasix-weekmassacre.ChinesePresidentXiJinpingattendsamemorialceremonyattheNanjingMassacreMuseuminNanjing,JiangsuprovinceDecember13,2014.ChinesePresidentXiJinping(L)attendsamemorialceremonywithNanjingMassacresurvivorXiaShuqin.PeoplewatchpigeonsflyduringamemorialceremonyattheNanjingMassacreMuseum.StudentsatFuyangNormalCollegeinAnhuiprovincelightcandlestomournthevictimsoftheNanjingMassacreonDecember11,2014.ChinesePresidentXiJinping(L)andZhangDejiang(C),chairmanoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople'sCongress,visitanexhibitiononNanjingMassacreatthememorialhallforthemassacrevictimsinNanjingmeetwithsurvivorsandrelativesofvictimsofNanjingMassacreatthememorialhallforthemassacrevictimsHistoricalsignificanceBydesignatingtheNationalMemorialDay,Chinahasnotonlyfollowedaninternationalpractice,butalsopaidtributetothevictimsoftheNanjingMassacre.Andbycommemoratingthedeathofmorethan300,000people,itwantstoreminditspeopleofthepast,andurgeJapan'srightistforcestostopdenyinghistoryhowevershamefulitmightbe.SinceChinahasnointentionofspawninghatredagainstJapanbyremindingitspeopleofthebloodypast,theNationalMemorialDayshouldnotbemerelyseenasawarningtoJapan.Instead,theobservationofthememorialdayreflectsChina'swillingnesstorebuildpublicspiritinEastAsia,becauseregionalprosperitycannotbeachievedwithoutpeacefulco-existenceandfullawarenessofthepast.