The Nanjing Massacre Memorial broke ground for an extension
project yesterday, the 68th anniversary of the start of the
massacre.
Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Memorial Hall for Compatriots
killed in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Forces of Aggression,
said the additions would include a square that would be able to
hold 30,000 people and a 30,000-square-meter park.
Zhu said he hoped the new areas will help the memorial promote
remembrance and peace.
Costing 478 million yuan (US$59 million), it is scheduled for
completion in two years and has been approved by the provincial
development and reform commission.
The total area of the memorial will then reach 7.32 hectares, an
increase of 5.12 hectares.
Japanese troops occupied Nanjing, capital of east China's
Jiangsu Province, on December 13, 1937 and launched a six week long
massacre in which, according to historical records, more than
300,000 disarmed soldiers and civilians were slain.
(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2005)
