A huge bell was formally installed at the Memorial Hall for
Compatriots Killed in the Nanjing Massacre, on Friday afternoon,
the day before the 66th anniversary of the massacre. Nanjing is the
capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.
Named the "Peace bell," it was made possible by a donation of
500,000 yuan (US$60,000) from 14 overseas Chinese from Japan.
"We are Chinese living in Japan, and we have family members,
relatives and many intimate friends both in China and Japan," said
Lin Boyao, one of the donors. "The peoples of both countries should
unite to prevent any kind of war, and that is one of the most
important things that we want to tell the world through the
bell."
More than 300 people came to the inauguration ceremony of the
bell, including survivors of the massacre and family members of the
victims who died in the massacre.
"I struck the bell three times," said Wang Jin, a middle school
student. "The first was in mourning for the people who died in the
massacre, the second, to remember past lessons and the third, to
urge for the preservation of peace today."
Designed by the Nanjing Jinling Ancient Art Bronze Research
Institute, the bell is three metres high, and is a symbol
representing the 300,000 compatriots who were kill in the Nanjing
Massacre. It weighs 6.6 tons, representing the 66th anniversary of
the massacre.
People have been using different ways to remember the
compatriots killed by Japanese invaders in the massacre.
Some university students are asking people to sign their names
on a several-metre-long banner in the downtown area of the
city.
Many citizens have carefully written down their names in
remembrance of the painful past. A lot of people spontaneously
gathered at the memorial hall, including both local citizens and
visitors from places far away.
(China Daily December 13, 2003)