STORY: New evidence of Nanjing Massacre donated to memorial hall
SHOOTING TIME: May 27, 2024
DATELINE: May 29, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:44
LOCATION: NANJING, China
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders
2. various of the donation ceremony
3. various of the historical materials donated to the memorial hall
4. various of the Order of Brilliant Jade
5. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHRIS HANKIN, Great-grandson of Charles Henry Riggs
6. various of the copy of a letter that Riggs wrote to his wife
7. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CHRIS HANKIN, Great-grandson of Charles Henry Riggs

STORYLINE:

Historical materials were donated to a Chinese memorial hall on Monday as new evidence of war crimes related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre perpetrated by the invading Japanese troops.

The descendants of an American named Charles Henry Riggs made a special trip to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders to donate eight sets of valuable relics and historical materials, including the Order of Brilliant Jade that Riggs received from the then Chinese government.

This medal was conferred upon the individuals who formed the International Committee for the Nanjing Safety Zone in recognition of the services they performed in protecting Chinese civilians during the Japanese army's occupation of Nanjing.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHRIS HANKIN, Great-grandson of Charles Henry Riggs
"I think one of the points of value of studying this history closely is that we can see examples of when people throughout history acted really bravely in spite of the fact that there was great personal risk to them and that those examples can inspire us."

Riggs' descendants also donated to the memorial a copy of a letter that Riggs wrote to his wife. In this letter, he detailed the atrocities of the Japanese invaders in China and the struggles of the refugees, which are valuable historical materials supporting the history of the Nanjing Massacre.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CHRIS HANKIN, Great-grandson of Charles Henry Riggs
"I think that the opinion I have about the Nanjing Massacre is that it's an extremely sad piece of history that we need to study very very closely in order to ensure that something like this never happens again.
I think peace is first of all essential, but second of all very very precious and it really cannot be taken for granted. It's not something that necessarily comes about naturally. It's something that comes about as a product of our hard work across cultures."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanjing, China.
(XHTV)