Country for PR: China
Contributor: Xinhua News Agency
Thursday, November 02 2023 - 18:37
AsiaNet
When Nanjing meets Madrid: a meeting of peaceful visions
BUDAPEST, Nov. 2, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

On October 26 and 30, the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by 
Japanese Invaders held the "World Memory, Peaceful Vision - Exhibition on the 
Historical Facts of the Nanjing Massacre" in Madrid, Spain and Budapest, 
Hungary. This exhibition, expressing a collective human voice for peace, 
unveiled itself to the Spanish public.

In the 1930s, the world was gradually enveloped by the shadows of the World War 
II. Both Spain and China had undergone arduous struggles against fascism. In 
that year, Durango and Guernica in Spain suffered devastating attacks by the 
Nazi German, while Nanjing in China faced "indiscriminate bombings" by the 
Japanese army. On December 13 of 1937, the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, 
committing atrocities including a six-week massacre, looting, sexual violence, 
and destruction. These actions resulted in the death of over 300,000 Chinese 
people. The killing competition carried out by the Japanese army in Nanjing was 
exposed to the world by Spain's "El Diluvio" newspaper.

On May 16, 1938, the American magazine "Life" featured a famous cover, 
showcasing a young and fearless Chinese soldier captured by the renowned 
Hungarian photographer Robert Capa in Hankou, China. Robert Capa arrived in 
China in 1938 and documented the Chinese resistance against the Japanese 
invasion and the wartime lives of the people, bringing international attention 
to the Chinese battlefield. 

This exhibition, with the theme "World Memory and Peaceful Vision", consists of 
three parts: "The Calamity in Nanjing", "Justice Trial", and "The City of 
Peace", narrating the historical facts of the Japanese army's atrocities in 
Nanjing and the international tribunal's prosecution of Japanese war criminals. 
It showcases the peaceful development of Nanjing as an "International City of 
Peace" and conveys the Chinese people's aspirations to remember history, 
cherish peace, and create a better future to the international community.

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy said in his speech: "Such an 
exhibition allows young people to learn about peace and living together. I 
would like to express my gratitude to the Chinese government and the historical 
exhibition for coming here and showing it to us."

More than 80 people attended the opening ceremony, including Mr. Zhou Feng, 
Director of the Memorial Hall; He Yong, Minister-counselor for Cultural Affairs 
of the Chinese Embassy in Spain; Marcelo Munoz, Honorary Chairman of the 
Spanish Confucius Institute; and representatives of various sectors in Spain 
and the media.

Zhou Feng said, "War is like a mirror, allowing people to better understand the 
value of peace. The theme of this exhibition aims to rekindle people's yearning 
and commitment to peace through the memory of history. We hope that this 
exhibition can help the people of Spain understand the vision of the Chinese 
people in building a community with a shared future for humankind and connect 
the historical memories and common future of the people of China and Spain."

Marcelo Munoz, Honorary Chairman and Founder of the Catedra China, stated in 
his speech, "China made significant sacrifices and contributions to the world's 
victory against fascism. While commemorating the end of World War II, we have 
neglected the deep suffering brought by this war in Asia as well. I hope to do 
my best to eliminate this historical injustice and pay tribute to the millions 
of Asian victims, especially the victims of the Nanjing Massacre."

On October 9, 2015, the Nanjing Massacre Archives were included in the UNESCO 
Memory of the World. To date, the Memorial Hall has organized exhibitions in 
cities such as Los Angeles in the United States, Moscow in Russia, Florence in 
Italy, Manila in the Philippines, Chateaubriant in France, Minsk in Belarus, 
Prague in the Czech Republic, Aarhus in Denmark, and more.

Source: The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese 
Invaders

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   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=442996

   Caption: Former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy gave a speech.

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Translations

Spanish (European)

Korean