“The Gaze of History,” themed video of the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre was released

On the eve of the 9th National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, a short video “The Gaze of History” was released on multiple platforms on December 12.

The video was supported by the Publicity Department of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee, and produced by Nanjing Newspaper Media Group, the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, School of Foreign Studies of Nanjing University, John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall of Nanjing University, and Longhoo.net.

The video takes Ma Wenqian, an inheritor of historical memories regarding Nanjing Massacre, and Zhang Yanyang, a student at Nanjing University, as the main perspectives. Ma Wenqian’s great-grandmother, Ma Xiuying, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, passed away on October 19 last year at the age of 99. When the Japanese invaders entered the city in 1937, Ma Xiuying lost her third brother. During college, Ma Wenqian served as a volunteer docent at the Memorial Hall. On August 15, 2022, the 77th anniversary of Japan’s announcement of its unconditional surrender, she and 12 other descendants of survivors of the Nanjing Massacre became the first group of inheritors of historical memories of the tragedy.

The former residence of John Rabe is the place where he rescued Nanjing refugees, and the place he witnessed the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders and wrote The Diaries of John Rabe. In 2021, the “The Diaries of John Rabe and Cities of Peace” team led by Nanjing University set off. For more than a year, the team has traveled to 6 cities, forming a 110,000-word research report through peace education courses and activities.

The video used 400 hand-drawn drafts, 1,200 hand flips, and 2,000 freeze-frame photos. The team presented it after more than 200 hours of hard work. Ma Wenqian and Zhang Yanyang, who participated in the filming, said that as the young generation, they will never forget those who lost their lives in the war and those who have contributed to peace, protect and inherit the unforgettable memory and defend the undeniable historical truth to maintain the peace.

For more details, please visit http://news.longhoo.net/2022/njxw_1212/613329.html?commt=1

Source: The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders