Nanjing Massacre Museum Facts for Kids

The Nanjing Massacre Museum is a special museum and memorial hall in Nanjing, China. It helps us remember the many Chinese people who were killed during the Nanjing Massacre by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1937 and 1938. It's a place to learn about this important part of history and honor those who suffered.

A Difficult Time in History
What You'll See at the Museum
Planning Your Visit
Images for kids
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A Difficult Time in History

Nanjing was China's capital city in the 1920s and 1930s. Back then, Japan was a powerful empire that included places like Korea and Taiwan. In the 1930s, Japan began the Second Sino-Japanese War, trying to take control of China. This war later became part of World War II.

When the Japanese army reached Nanjing in December 1937 and January 1938, they did more than just fight the Chinese army. They also harmed many people who were not soldiers. Many terrible things happened to the people in the city. It's hard to know the exact number of people killed or hurt because of how badly they were treated. The Chinese government believes about 300,000 people were killed, and even more were injured.

To remember these victims and to challenge those who deny what happened, the city government built the Nanjing Massacre Museum in 1985. In 1995, as China became richer, the museum was made bigger and better.

What You'll See at the Museum

The memorial is made of three main parts. There's a museum building that shows historical records and other items from the massacre. There's also a large outdoor area. Finally, there's a covered area that holds the bones of many people who died during the massacre.

The main building has about 3,000 square meters (or 32,000 square feet) of space inside. The rest of the museum covers another 25,000 square meters (or 6 acres) of land around the building. The memorial uses special architecture, sculptures, and videos to help visitors understand what happened during the Nanjing Massacre.