An exhibition on the Nanjing Massacre of 1937 was opened in Beijing yesterday to mark the end of World War II and encourage young people to remember the atrocities of the Japanese army.

"This year is the 60th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. We're holding the exhibition to ensure young people remember this painful part of history," said Zhou Lei, an official with the Jiangsu provincial government and a member of the exhibition's organizing committee.

More than 300,000 Nanjing inhabitants were killed after the city fell to invading Japanese troops on December 13, 1937.

The 20-day exhibition at the National Museum in Beijing is sponsored by the provincial government of Jiangsu, of which Nanjing is the capital city, and displays over 600 pictures and 753 objects. According to Zhou, 80 percent of the materials are being shown to the public for the first time.

More than 400 people from home and abroad penned their thoughts on paper doves and stuck them on a wall at the exhibition, many reading "Never forget history" and "Let's pray for world peace."

(China Daily August 11, 2005)