Children Caught in the Crossfire
Witnessing Innocence Lost in the Nanjing Massacre
When Nanjing fell to the Japanese army, the city descended into terror. Children, alongside disarmed Chinese soldiers and civilians, became targets of violence. Many were mistakenly accused of being combatants and executed. Others witnessed the brutal killing of their families or were left orphaned in the chaos. Japanese troops swept through neighbourhoods, carrying out random massacres that spared no one, leaving behind a city where even the youngest lives were torn apart by war.
Begging for Mercy: A Child’s Fate in the Shadows of War
On December 16, 1937, Shanghai Road, Nanjing. Chinese women kneeled down in front of some Japanese soldiers, begging them not to kill their sons and husbands who were suspected of being soldiers and ruthlessly tied together. Thousands of civilians were also tied up with ropes this way, driven to the riverside, ponds or open space and massacred.
An Orphan: The house was burned down and parents were killed by Japanese invaders
Yang Pinxian's Witness Facts in Registration Form
"I had a younger brother. I saw the Japanese take him away and beat him to death. His body was tossed into a pile of corpses. We lived at No. 6 Xiao Cang Alley. The Japanese took away three people from our household and never returned. We lost all contact, and I have no idea whether they survived.
I witnessed corpses piled along Shanghai Road, with Japanese soldiers laughing beside them, and bodies scattered on the ground, too many to count."
The boy was captured by Japanese soldiers in Changzhou and forced to work for them. He was stabbed with bayonets and beaten with iron bars.
The picture shows the boy receiving treatment in University Hospital.
Shooting: A three year old child shot by Japanese invaders.
A 7-year-old boy with five knife wounds was sent to University Hospital, where he died three days later.
Testimony of History
Every life is unique and every testimony is precious. Here are several testimonies made by survivors and invaders of the Nanjing Massacre, all to prove the one and only true story. Although survivors of the tragedy were taken away from us one by one, history will never be forgotten.