Two Nanjing Massacre survivors die

Two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre died in the eastern Chinese city on Monday, according to the official Sina Weibo of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

One survivor, Gu Xiulan, was born on Nov 10, 1924. The 95-year-old was 13 when Japanese soldiers invaded Nanjing in 1937. She was sent to a refugee camp in Jinling College by her father before the city was occupied. Gu hid inside the camp until February 1938 and survived the six-week massacre that started Dec 13.

The other survivor, Ma Shuqin, was born on July 12, 1927. While three older sisters of the family's seven girls fled to Hankou in Central China's Hubei province to avoid the Japanese army, she stayed in Nanjing with her parents, two other older sisters and one younger sister.

They moved to the Guanjiaqiao area inside the then-Nanjing Safety Zone. One of the family's long-term laborers, nicknamed Ershuanzi, disappeared when he was taken away by Japanese soldiers. Her cousin was shot to death when he protected his wife, according to Ma's testimony.