PR Newswire
A report from CICC: An exhibition on the 1937 Nanjing Massacre opened Thursday in Hall 7 of Athens' Zappeion Hall, marking the first time the Chinese memorial dedicated to the tragedy has brought its archives to Greece. The show will remain on view until September 30.
Titled "World Memory, Vision of Peace — The Path of Peaceful Development in Urban Memory," the exhibition explores how Nanjing and Athens — two ancient cities that endured devastation during World War II — rebuilt in the decades that followed and embraced peace as part of their civic identity.
More than 100 guests attended the opening ceremony, including Chinese Ambassador to Greece Fang Qiu; Deputy Governor of the Attica Region Giorgos Vlachos; Athens Deputy Mayor for Municipal Police and Public Spaces Thomas Georgiadis; Marianthi Kafetzi, Vice President of the Olympia and Bequests Committee Board of Directors of Zappeion Hall; Nikos Koukis, President at Hellenic Foundation for Culture; Chloe Balla, Chair of the Sino-Greek Center for Intercultural Dialogue; Theodora Riga, President of Corfu Port Authority S.A. and President of MedCruise; and George Xiradakis, President of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping.
Songs of Peace
The ceremony opened with performances by children's choirs from both countries. Greek students sang "If All the Children of the World" and "Hands Like These," while the Chinese choir performed "Let the World Be Filled with Love."
Organizers said the performance symbolized the exhibition's theme. "China and Greece are ancient civilizations united by painful memories of war. By remembering history and protecting truth, we can preserve peace and safeguard human civilization."
Leaders Call for Dialogue
In his address, Ambassador Fang described the event as "a dialogue between two great civilizations." He added: "Together we must uphold the truth of history, defend the legacy of peace, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity."
Deputy Governor Giorgos Vlachos, speaking on behalf of Attica Governor Nikos Hardalias, drew parallels between Nanjing's wartime suffering and Greece's own experience during the Axis occupation. "The atrocities of the Nanjing Massacre reveal the depths of human cruelty," he said. "I cannot help but recall the hardships our region endured in 1942. The memory of a city is not only about the past — it also lays the foundation for a future built on dialogue, understanding, and coexistence."
Remembering Atrocities
The Nanjing Massacre occurred after Japanese forces captured the then-capital of China on December 13, 1937. Over six weeks, soldiers killed more than 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war, while tens of thousands of women were subjected to sexual violence.
The exhibition uses more than 170 photographs, 40 artifacts, and multimedia displays to document the events. Rare film footage by American missionary John Magee is shown alongside survivor testimonies and legal documents from post-war tribunals.
The show also highlights the 1943 Kalavryta massacre in Greece, where Nazi forces executed nearly 700 men and boys, underscoring parallels in the wartime experiences of the two nations.
Exhibition Themes
The exhibition is divided into three sections:
- Memories of WWII Trauma — wartime Nanjing, humanitarian rescue, and international documentation.
- Urban Memory After the War — the Tokyo and Nanjing trials of Japanese war criminals, and the city's post-war reconstruction in education, economy, and heritage.
- A Shared Vision of Peace — commemorative traditions in China and Greece, including Greece's "Ohi Day" and China's National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, as well as Nanjing's recognition as China's first "International City of Peace."
Local Reactions
Athens Deputy Mayor Thomas Georgiadis called the event "a powerful exhibition that shows both tragedy and renewal."
Efthymios Tsiknis, Chairman of the Historical Photographic Archive of Modern Greece, said: "Hosting this exhibition in Athens is an honor. The inclusion of the Nanjing Massacre Archives in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register ensures this history will be preserved globally. We would welcome the chance to share Greek WWII exhibitions with audiences in China."
Nikos Kazamias, Musician at Doukas School, added: "This event reminds us of the importance of peace while strengthening cultural ties between our two countries. I am proud our choir conveyed a message of friendship and cooperation."
A Global Journey
Since 2015, when the Nanjing Massacre Archives were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, exhibitions have been staged in cities including Los Angeles, Moscow, Florence, Manila, Caen, Minsk, Prague, Aarhus, Madrid, and Budapest.
The Athens exhibition extends that international journey, offering Greek and global audiences the chance to reflect on wartime history and the universal importance of peace.
The exhibition is jointly organized by the State Council Information Office of China, the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and the Chinese Embassy in Greece, and hosted by cultural associations in Jiangsu and Nanjing, the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, and the China Intercontinental Communication Center, with support from the Hellenic-Chinese Cultural Association.
Shared Memory, Shared Peace
By connecting the histories of Nanjing and Athens, the exhibition underscores a universal lesson: remembrance is not only about honoring the victims of war, but also about building a foundation for dialogue, cooperation, and peace.
"History warns us, but it also guides us," one visitor said. "What unites Athens and Nanjing is not only their pain, but also their resilience and determination to ensure such tragedies never happen again."
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