Deaths of two Nanjing Massacre survivors leave just 28 living witnesses

NANJING -- Two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre passed away on Saturday, bringing the number of living registered survivors to 28, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on Sunday.

Yi Lanying, who died at the age of 99, had a front tooth knocked out by a Japanese officer during the massacre. She also witnessed a Japanese soldier stab to death with his bayonet a young man who had been eating breakfast, as well as a group of Japanese soldiers searching homes and abducting more than 70 young men.

These traumatic experiences left her with deep fear that led to panic attacks, heart palpitations and tinnitus. During her life, she expressed her hope that future generations would never forget the innocent lives that were lost in the massacre.

Tao Chengyi, who died at the age of 89, lost his father, uncle and cousin at the hands of the Japanese invaders. "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 said.

The Nanjing Massacre occurred when Japanese troops captured the then Chinese capital on Dec 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec 13 as a national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.