In 1937, Japanese troops captured the city of Nanjing and went on a six-week campaign of slaughter. The Nanjing Massacre is now considered one of the worst atrocities in modern times. It's estimated that between 250,000 and 300,000 people were killed, mostly women and children. Here's a preview of the first episode from the Nanjing Massacre archives.

The Nanjing Massacre is now considered one of the worst atrocities in modern times. It's estimated that between 250,000 and 300,000 people were killed, mostly women and children.

Luo Jin, an apprentice in a photo studio in Nanjing, received film shot by a Japanese officer. They contained photos of Japanese soldiers killing Chinese civilians. He kept sixteen photographs and hid them in a monastery. After the war, the photos were transferred to a military court in Nanjing .

"It was 1938. I think Spring Festival hadn't come yet. A Japanese military officer came to the photo studio and wanted two rolls of film developed. When I developed them, for the first time I found three photos," Luo said.

Evidence was also provided by a Christian missionary, John Magee, who witnessed the atrocities by Japanese troops. He took many photos as well as videos, and travelled to Shanghai.

These copies were later carried to the United States, Britain, Germany and reproduced as still photographs.

In 1946, John Magee appeared at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East as eyewitness. He described Japanese soldiers as killing not only every prisoner they could find, but also a vast number of civilians of all ages.

"The killing began immediately, in several ways. Upon by individual Japanese soldiers, then up to 30 soldiers together. Each one seeming to have the power to have life or death. And then soon, there was an organized killing of great bodies of men. These people were being killed by rifle fire and machine guns principlely, also we knew a groups of several hundred being buried to death," he said.

The slaugher is over, but China will never forget those who were killed.

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