Another survivor of Nanjing Massacre passes away, only 54 still alive

NANJING -- Xiang Yuansong, who survived the Nanjing Massacre, passed away in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, on Monday at the age of 94.

Xiang's death reduced the total number of registered survivors to 54, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

The Nanjing Massacre took place 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.

Xiang's brother and uncle were killed by Japanese invaders. On the way to retrieve the bodies of his family, Xiang saw corpses piled up on the river beach, and men, women, and children lying in blood. He survived as he had escaped to a refugee area.

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

The Chinese government has preserved the survivors' testimonies, recorded in written documents and video footage. These records of the massacre were listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register in 2015.