As 2017 comes to an end, CGTN has put together a twelve-episode special series "News Map 2017" to review the monthly events of the past year. 

From December 18 to 29, review the year's most stirring events, relive the most touching stories and recall the most influential faces of 2017. 

Here are some faces that grabbed global attention in December.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in December banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics over state-sponsored doping. Russian athletes can compete in the Games but only under a neutral flag. Many Russians were disheartened by the decision.

The 2017 California wildfire season was the most destructive on record. A total of 28 wildfires ignited across the south of the state in early December. Six led to widespread destruction and evacuations. Memories were lost as homes were reduced to ash.

The fires caused traffic disruption, school closures, hazardous air conditions, widespread power outages and forced over 212,000 people to evacuate their homes.

December 13 marked the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. China marked the occasion with a National Memorial Day. A watershed moment in history, the massacre  left generations of Chinese physically and emotionally scarred. Depicting the impact of the atrocity, a bronze statue of Ni Cuiping shows the deep scars Japanese invaders left on her body. The Japanese killed most of her family members in 1937. Although she was lucky to have survived the events of 1937, she was scarred for life. 

"The truth remains unchanged. Both my scar and the way they killed my parents are the truth. Even if I die someday, the statue will be standing here forever," Ni said.

Ni is just one of more than 300,000 Nanjing massacre victims. She passed away on October 1, 2011 but the truth and her story will never be forgotten.