Black and white boards are seen erected around the Nanjing Massacre Memorial today in Nanjing city, east China's Jiangsu Province, as other public memorial ceremonies are underway one week ahead of the fifth National Public Memorial day of Nanjing Massacre on December 13. /VCG Photo

In the events known as Nanjing Massacre, 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed during six weeks of destruction, pillage, rape and slaughter, when Japanese troops captured the city on December 13, 1937. /VCG Photo

Early December, two of the massacre survivors have reportedly passed away in the days leading up to this year's memorial ceremony, according to Xinhua. In 2018, a total of 20 registered survivors have passed away, official data shows. /VCG Photo