Forever Lost: Nanjing massacre survivor recalls brutal experience
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The Nanjing massacre has left people with memories of suffering, and pain that resists healing. Yu Changxiang is one of the survivors of the massacre and he tells us his story.  
Years of living in sorrow, torment, and pain. For 90-year-old Yu Changxiang, his wound is reopened every time the nightmare in Nanjing is mentioned. In 1937, Yu escaped from the massacre after hiding in a cave with his uncle's family. But he didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his father.
YU CHANGXIANG NANJING MASSACRE SURVIVOR "My father didn't run away and chose to stay at home guarding the house. The Japanese invaders broke in and stole everything. They dragged my father outside and forced him to carry the items. When he finished, they killed him immediately."
Yu heard about his father from others, and the childhood tragedy left him with a deep emotional scar that time has refused to heal.
It was not until recent years that he dared talk about it and expose his trauma to the public. Yu says he will never forget the bloodshed.
YU CHANGXIANG NANJING MASSACRE SURVIVOR "I feel that whenever I tell the story, it always strikes a chord within me, because my father was so brutally killed by the Japanese."
YU HUIXIA DAUGHTER OF YU CHANGXIANG "My father never mentioned the Nanjing massacre to me when I was a child. He was unwilling to do so because it made him heartbroken."
Yu Changxiang began to tell his story after staff members from The Memorial Hall of the Victims approached him. They asked him to spread his experience, as a witness of the Japanese aggression.
And several years ago, Yu went to Japan at the invitation of Japanese peace organizations to tell his story to locals in Nagasaki and Fukushima. He was happy to attend such gatherings. However, something he noticed during his visit surprised him.
YU CHANGXIANG NANJING MASSACRE SURVIVOR "When I asked the local children about the massacre, they all shook their heads and said they didn't know anything about it, and nobody had told them the story before."
This made Yu feel it was necessary to continue his efforts, so people wouldn't forget what happened in the past. He also hopes Japanese leaders can respect the history and recognize the facts. Time has passed, but for Yu Changxiang, the history and memories will not fade away. Gary Anglebrandt, CGTN.