Xinhua Times: Don't be a bystander of history

Xinhua News Agency, Nanjing, December 13 Title: Do not be a bystander of history

Xinhua News Agency reporters Jiang Fang and Qiu Bingqing

This is the scene of the national memorial ceremony for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, which was filmed on December 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bo

Nanjing has entered a "historical moment". The sound of a mournful siren rings in the ears, reminding people of the human tragedy created by the Japanese invaders in the city 84 years ago.

History has never gone far. The 300,000 victims are not just a cold number, but a living life with a name, a family, and a dream. The 61 survivors are not just "alive", and whenever they recall the blood-stained childhood nightmares, some people still cry.

History, Yin Jian is not far away. As Sino-Japanese relations return to the right track, there are always people who want to cover up the old scars, but "not knowing," "not acknowledging," and "not mentioning" are precisely the attitudes of some Japanese politicians toward the Nanjing Massacre.

Someone always asks: What does the Nanjing Massacre have to do with me? In fact, this period of history is not just a good friday in one city and one place, it is linked to your and my past and future. It tells us how we went from yesterday to today, and how we can move to the future in grasping the present.

It is precisely the poverty and weakness of China in modern times that have led to the trampling of rivers and mountains and the destruction of lives. Today's remembrance is not only the sorrow of the nation, but also the admonition that the weak will be deceived. Peace needs to be fought for, peace needs to be maintained, the road determines destiny, and development can strengthen itself, which is a profound enlightenment left by the history of suffering.

The water has waves and its flow, and the car has rutted and then can follow. Individuals who have lost their memories are bound to be confused, and countries and nations that have forgotten history will not have a future. The scars left by the disaster of 1937 to Nanjing and to China cannot be covered, but can only be faced squarely! The National Festival is not only a mourning, but also a wake-up call!

Today, we have built a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, historically solved the problem of absolute poverty, and are marching with vigor toward the second centenary goal of comprehensively building a socialist modern power. On the new journey, our generation should consciously shoulder the heavy trust of history, firmly absorb the strength of forging ahead, and introspect, stand on our own, and strengthen ourselves, so that the fate of the Chinese will be firmly in our own hands, and the historical footsteps of the Chinese nation toward great rejuvenation will certainly be unstoppable.