On the 10th National Memorial Day for the Nanjing Massacre Victims on December 13, Xinhua Daily and Jiaohuidian news app reported on the historical tour of Chris Hankin, an American student at the Johns Hopkins University–Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, who also goes by his Chinese name Lin Kui.
The report has garnered comments from numerous people online, including Chris Magee, grandson of John Magee, an American missionary who secretly filmed the massacre by Japanese troops, French painter Christian Poirot, and a teacher from the University of Notre Dame.
As the report continues to attract attention both in China and internationally, Chris Hankin has found that many of his friends are interested in the history of his great-grandfather, Charles Henry Riggs, and the massacre that resulted in the deaths of approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers by Japanese invaders.
“In addition to history, my Chinese friends talked about their impression of the United States, and I shared my thoughts on China. These discussions brought us closer and enhanced our understanding of both countries,” he said.
Riggs served as the Housing Commissioner of the International Committee for the Nanjing Safety Zone. The university where Chris Hankin now studies was once part of this safety zone. This special connection has struck a deep chord with his American friends.
'My family was moved to see my great-grandfather's story being told again, especially my great-aunt, who is Riggs’ second daughter and was born in Nanjing, so she has a special fondness for the city,” he said.
He noted that many Americans are not familiar with the history of WWII in the Asian Theatre, so the report is significant in bringing this history back into the spotlight.
Following the report, the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders invited Chris Hankin and his family to visit next year. He expressed his gratitude for the invitation and said his parents would definitely be willing to visit. His cousin, an artist, also hopes to join the trip, and she has created an artwork themed around Riggs' wife, Grace, after learning about the massacre history.
Chris Hankin mentioned that his great-grandmother Grace wrote a memoir detailing her life in Nanjing. On the eve of the massacre, Grace returned to the United States, while Riggs stayed in the city. In January 1938, Riggs wrote to Grace about his horrific experiences during the massacre.
“This memoir has been with our family for a long time. Recently, I received an electronic version of it from my great-aunt, and I plan to share it with scholars studying the Nanjing Massacre to contribute to their research,” he said.
“My family is very glad to contribute to the research and dissemination of the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre. We will also collect related materials of Riggs. Should we find any, we plan to donate them to the memorial hall next year,” he added.
