Monument to the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre at Zhongshan Wharf by the Japanese Invading Army

Monument to the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre at Zhongshan Wharf by the Japanese Invading Army

Monument to the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre at Zhongshan Wharf by the Japanese Invading Army — This monument was erected in August 1985 by the Nanjing Municipal People's Government to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and to mourn the victims massacred by the Japanese invading army. It is now a national-level cultural relic protection unit.

The monument is situated near Zhongshan Wharf, adjacent to the riverbank. The main body of the monument stands 465 centimeters tall and is formed by three interconnected, snow-white "human" characters, symbolizing the white bones of the 300,000 victims in Nanjing. The base of the monument is 51.4 centimeters high, consisting of three layers of deep red circular steps, representing the blood of the 300,000 victims. On the front of the monument’s body is a wreath with a diameter of 170 centimeters, inscribed with the name of the monument, the erecting organization, and the year and month, expressing the mourning of the entire city. The total height of the monument is 516.4 centimeters. About several meters behind the main monument, there is a rectangular stone tablet, 89 centimeters wide, 57 centimeters high, and 20 centimeters thick, placed on a 114-centimeter-high pedestal. The front side is engraved with an inscription that briefly describes the tragic massacre of the victims along the riverside near Xiaguan.

Inscription on the monument: Zhongshan Wharf was one of the massacre sites committed by the Japanese invading army. At that time, tens of thousands of young and adult refugees who had taken shelter in the International Safety Zone were brutally slaughtered here. Among them, on the evening of December 16, 1937, the Japanese army rounded up more than 5,000 refugees from the former Overseas Chinese Guesthouse whom they suspected of being "soldiers," brought them here, and massacred them by machine gun before discarding their bodies into the river. On December 18, the Japanese army captured over 4,000 young men from refugees taking shelter in Dafang Lane and also massacred them by machine gun here. Around the same period, the Japanese army also shot and killed over 800 refugees at nearby North Wheat Field on Nantong Road and the riverside of Jiujia Weir. Alas, the wharf instantly turned into a hellish place, and our fellow countrymen suffered wrongful deaths. How tragic and sorrowful it was. Ah, how can a nation be safe when its government is weak? To avoid foreign aggression, we must strive for self-strengthening. Though times have changed, we must still “remember the lessons of history.” Therefore, this monument is erected to encourage future generations: remember history and revitalize China.