one of china's most significant cities
and at one point in history the largest
city in the world
a beautiful modern city with an ugly
history
this is nanjing the atrocities committed
during world war ii
the nanjing massacre stands out in its
scope and brutality
yet most of us have no knowledge of it
on december 13th 1937 the japanese
troops captured nanjing
in the following six weeks they tortured
and slaughtered more than 300
000 chinese civilians and unarmed
soldiers
nanjing was home to many westerners as
the japanese approach
most fled but few stayed behind john
rabe is a household name in nanjing
he was a german businessman and nazi
party member best known for his effort
to stop
atrocities and his work to protect and
help chinese civilians
during the massacre that ensued rape was
a business representative of siemens
he risked his life to save local
residents who were unable
to save themselves he and a dozen other
foreigners
had set up the nanjing safety zone
roughly the size of new york's
central park taking in and saving more
than 200 000
chinese during the massacre by invading
japanese troops
this was the darkest and one of the most
barbaric episodes in world war ii
known as the nanjing massacre burning
large parts of the city
to the ground the cruelty inflicted on
nanjing citizens over this period defies
comprehension
leaving deep scars
[Music]
in 1946 nanjing war crimes tribunal was
established on november 12
1948 seven class a war criminals
were convicted by international military
tribunal
and sentenced to death by hanging
nanjing or otherwise known as nan king
then the capital of the nationalistic
china was left
in ruins abandoned as the national
capital in 1949
for beijing it grew into a modern
industrial city
during the communist period and today is
the home to many of china's largest
state-owned firms
today nanjing has developed into a major
cultural arts and education hub of china
despite being a metropolis of more than
10 million people
life moves at a more leisurely pace in
nanjing
than it would in other major cities in
china with its compelling contrast of
ancient pagodas and sparkling
skyscrapers
nanjing's feet are proudly planted in
both its past
and its future nanjing is a mega city of
manufacturing
with a strong traditional industrial
foundation and booming new industries
hexy new district of nanjing city
occupies a land area
of approximately 168 thousand
square meters it is composed of three
48-story
office towers this is the nanjing
zendey himalaya center building the
multi-use development has an overall
building area
of approximately 560 000 square meters
comprised of commercial hotel office and
residential programs
nanjing international youth cultural
center comprising of two towers built
within a seven year period
a cultural center with conference
facilities an urban plaza
office and mixed use areas the
development initially provided
accommodation for the 2014 youth olympic
games
tower 1 is 314 meters tall and tower 2
is 255 meters rising from a bustling
intersection within the city's
cbd this 89 story triangular super tall
skyscraper
is the tallest building in the city and
the seventh tallest building
in the world zfang tower completed in
2010
with over five years of construction it
comprises a retail
office space hotel and numerous
restaurants and
a public observatory on the 72nd floor
today nanjing is a comprehensive
transportation hub
spanning aviation shipping rail road and
pipelines
[Music]
it is an important gateway in china's
yangtze river delta
to develop central and western regions
of the country
nanjing has flourished to become a
contemporary trendy city
with world famous architects designing
everything
from community and convention centers to
museum
towers exhibition halls and train
stations
the nanjing massacre memorial hall was
constructed in 1985
on the original site of one of the
massacres burial grounds
marking undoubtably the darkest chapter
in the city's history
its historical documents were inscribed
into the unesco world heritage memory
of the world register in 2015.
the nanjing yangtze river bridge was
completed in 1968
at more than 4.5 kilometers in length
the double deck road rail bridge
quickly became a national symbol of
technological
achievement today nanjing has another
modern day hero
the angel of nanjing volunteer chancey
helping more than 400 people step back
from the brink of death
the bridge spanning over the yangtze
river is believed to be the scene
of the most suicides in the world
[Music]
nanjing at night is truly magical
china's cities of heroes
lights up the skies
[Music]
the restaurant bars and theaters
awakened to entertain
all visitors while today this is a
prosperous vibrant city
in a sense the entire city of nanjing is
a memorial
to the massacre and a tribute to the
survivors
in the face of unimaginable tragedy
[Music]
nanjing is committed to build an
international city
based on the principles of peace
spreading harmony from china to the
world
in 2017 nanjing officially became
the 169th international peace
city
[Music]
if you enjoyed today's video please
leave a comment below
please subscribe to our channel thanks
for watching reportify media
[Music]
i dedicate this video to the heroes of
nanjing
please take a moment to read and
commemorate the names and heroes
and angels of nanjing
[Music]
you