Published : 2025-12-13
On 13 December 2014, the inaugural National Memorial Ceremony for Nanjing Massacre Victims was held.
To mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre and all Chinese compatriots tragically killed by Japanese aggressors during the Japanese imperialist war of aggression against China, to expose the war crimes of the Japanese aggressors, and to remember the profound disaster that the war of aggression brought upon the Chinese people and even the people of the world, the seventh session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress of China, held on 27 February 2014, passed a decision to establish 13 December of each year as the "National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims".
The establishment of the national memorial day demonstrates the firm stance of the Chinese people in opposing wars of aggression, defending human dignity, and safeguarding world peace.
Starting from 1994, Jiangsu Province and its provincial capital Nanjing had held mourning ceremonies every year on 13 December, including ringing the Peace Bell, laying wreaths, and so on, but these were all at the local level. The passing of the aforementioned resolution elevated the commemoration of the Nanjing Massacre victims to the national level.
