(Photo/Zhang Nan)

Zhao Long is a former member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, and also former vice director of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress. At the third session of the 10th CPPCC National Committee on March 9, 2005, he submitted a handwritten proposal, less than 700 Chinese characters, advocating for a national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

“In order to better demonstrate the stance of the Chinese government and people of opposing war and safeguarding peace and human dignity, and to educate future generations and make them remain vigilant, the annual memorial ceremony is suggested to be held at the site of the massacre on December 13. This should become regular through law or institutions, so that the Chinese people and the world will never forget the history," the proposal reads.

He cited three primary reasons for the proposal of the national memorial day, which was adopted by China's top legislature in 2014.

“The three reasons are the conscience of a Chinese citizen, the responsibility of a CPPCC member, and the importance of respecting life,” according to Zhao.

He said he was also inspired by pioneers such as Zhu Chengshan, the former curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. During a visit to Japan in 1994 with a survivor of the massacre, Zhu was moved by the high-profile memorial ceremony in Hiroshima, attended by the Japanese prime minister.

In Jiangsu, local memorial ceremonies for the massacre’s victims have been held on December 13 since 1994, but the impact was limited.

As a Nanjing-based member of the CPPCC National Committee, Zhao believed it was also his responsibility to promote wider recognition of this tragedy. Zhao explained that the Japanese troops captured Nanjing on December 13, 1937 and then brutally murdered 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers. “Nanjing Massacre is the pain of the nation, and as a Chinese with a conscience, I feel compelled to take the action.”

“Furthermore, out of respect for people and life, the local memorial should be elevated to reflect its historical significance and modern values,” he added.

Zhao said 49 CPPCC members co-signed the proposal after his update in a group meeting, and the proposal later received extensive media attention.

It was approved by the seventh session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress, formally establishing December 13 as the national memorial day for the Nanjing Massacre victims.