China mourns thousands killed in Nanking massacre ahead of World War II

China marked the 85th anniversary of the Nanking massacre in the lead-up to World War II, with a national memorial ceremony on December 13, 2022. In 1937, Japanese troops invaded the city of Nanking, now known as Nanjing. For over six weeks, nearly 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were murdered, according to statistics maintained by Beijing, although Tokyo has disputed that death toll.