Nanjing Massacre survivor passes away at 100

NANJING -- Pu Yeliang, a Nanjing Massacre survivor, passed away on Monday at the age of 100.

Pu's death reduced the total number of registered survivors to 59, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the east China city on Dec 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed about 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

Pu's two cousins were killed during the massacre, and Pu was caught by the invaders and forced to do hard labor for them. He later escaped and survived the massacre.

"Last May, we visited Pu at his home to film a documentary on him. We agreed to join him for his 100th birthday celebration this year," said a staff member of the memorial hall.

Pu was the second Nanjing Massacre survivor to die this year. On Feb 24, Zhu Zaiqiang, who witnessed and survived the atrocities, passed away at the age of 90.

The Chinese government has preserved the survivors' testimonies, recorded in both written documents and video footage. These records of the massacre were listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register in 2015.