San Francisco ceremony recalls Nanking Massacre

On 77th anniversary of atrocities, officials note that history cannot be distorted

The new Chinese consul general in San Francisco said that the "inarguable proofs" of the Nanking Massacre can't be denied during a commemoration at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco.

"With the inarguable proofs, anyone who tries to deny the history of the Nanking Massacre will not be allowed to," said Consul General Luo Linquan on Dec 13.

But the commemoration is to promote peace, not prolong hatred, Luo added.

China observed its first National Memorial Day for the Nanjing Massacre on Dec 13.On the same day, the anniversary of the 1937 massacre, the 77th anniversary was marked bythe Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition, the Chinese American Association of Commerce,the Alliance for Preserving the Truth of the Sino-Japanese War and the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (GA) in San Francisco.

About 400 Chinese from overseas gathered at the event. Luo, San Francisco Supervisors Jane Kim and Eric Mar, Cupertino City Councilman Barry Chang as well as representatives of the Chinese overseas organizations were among those in attendance.

The commemoration has been held since 1996 in the San Francisco Bay Area,

Ding Yuan, the executive vice-president of the GA, told China Daily.

On behalf of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, Luo delivered a brief remark.

"December 13 is an unforgettable day for the Chinese all around the world. 77 years ago, Japanese aggressors raped, tortured and murdered more than 300,000 Chinese in Nanking. The Nanjing Massacre was one of three major massacres during WWII." said Luo.

Until recently, the Japanese government had refused to acknowledge the massacre and apologize.

In February, China announced Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims.

The measure was designed to remember the victims,expose the wartime atrocities of Japanese soldiers andconvey the Chinese people's firm stance of resisting aggression and safeguarding world peace, said Luo.

Ding recognized the efforts made by the Chinese government this year tohold such a high-profile memorial, which gained attention from US mainstream media like The Washington Post.

Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area have done much in the past to educate the Western public about the history of Japan's atrocities during the war, said Ding.

Every summer, led by GA, American and Canadian high school and college teachers go to China to see relics of WWII.

"We want to provide them first-hand experiences of the war's history and hope they can bring it back to Western public education in the US," said Ding.

"I am very glad to see so many young people join us today at the commemoration," said Ding Yuan, the executive vice-president of the GA, who encouraged a new generation of Chinese overseas to understand the massacre.

Chinese Americans in the Bay Area also plan to negotiate with the city government of San Francisco to build a statue dedicated to comfort women at the Portsmouth Square near Chinatown in San Francisco, said Ding. Comfort women were abducted during the World War II era, and forced into prostitution by the Japanese Army.

After the commemoration, attendees visited a photo exhibition on the massacre. Most of the photos were provided by Zhao Sihong, a collector in the San Francisco Bay Area.

zilian@chinadailyusa.com