Two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre passed away on Saturday, reducing the number of living registered survivors to just 28, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
Yi Lanying, who died at the age of 99, endured horrific experiences during the massacre. A Japanese officer knocked out one of her front teeth, and she witnessed a soldier fatally stabbing a young man who was simply eating breakfast. She also saw Japanese soldiers abducting more than 70 young men from their homes. These traumatic events haunted her throughout her life, causing panic attacks, heart palpitations, and tinnitus. Yi often expressed her hope that future generations would remember the innocent lives lost.
Another survivor, 89-year-old Tao Chengyi, lost his father, uncle, and cousin during the invasion. “After my father was killed, my mother struggled to make a living by running a small business with us children. The war destroyed my childhood,” Tao had recounted.
The Nanjing Massacre occurred when Japanese troops captured the then Chinese capital on December 13, 1937. Over six weeks, approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed in one of the most brutal episodes of World War II. In 2014, China’s top legislature designated December 13 as a national memorial day to honor the victims.
