On the first day of the Year of the Snake, the Memorial Hall was open to the public and became a must-visit for the visitors on their trip to Nanjing. Visitors immersed themselves in history, took part in interactive educational activities, and experienced traditional culture, gaining both knowledge and emotional resonance from their visit.

Thousands of visitors entered the Memorial Hall at the sound of the New Year's bells.

At 8:30 a.m., the Bell of Peace in the Public Memorial Square rang out the first bell of the New Year. Visitors from China and abroad entered the Memorial Hall on this most significant traditional Chinese festival, connecting with a history inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, as well as with Spring Festival traditions. As the New Year's bell rang, the first group of visitors stood before the camera and expressed their wish in one sentence: May our motherland be prosperous and strong.

Mr. Xing and Ms. Guo from Chongqing visited Nanjing for an independent Spring Festival trip. After attending the Bell Ringing Ceremony at 8:30 am, they visited the exhibition hall for nearly two hours. They shared that the exhibition left them with a heavy heart, reminding them of China's difficult past. Stepping outside and seeing the blue sky and white clouds again, they deeply appreciated how fortunate and happy they are to live in today's China. 

Ms. Wu is a healthcare worker from Nantong. She only had two days off this Spring Festival, but she still arranged her destination on the first Chinese Lunar New Year at the Memorial Hall. When she reached the final exhibition hall, an overwhelming sense of sorrow and heaviness overcame her. Seeing the activity for the interactive recitation of foreign friends' diaries, she immediately raised her hand to go on the stage. By the time she finished reading, tears streamed down her face. Wu described this moment as an emotional release that marked the end of her visit.

Zhou Zhenlong, an international student from Thailand, wrote in the comment book, "Although as a Thai I may not fully grasp the pain endured by my Chinese friends, I can deeply understand immense cruelty and devastation caused by war. I wish for world peace!"

Visitors stepped into the Memorial Hall on the first day of Chinese Spring Festival

Creating Meaningful and Thought-Provoking Experiences for Visitors

This Spring Festival, the Memorial Hall honored the visitors' enthusiasm with a variety of interactive experiences, ensuring that they not only learned but also deeply felt the significance of history.

At 10 a.m., dozens of visitors were watching the documentary series The Nanjing Massacre Through Foreigners' Eyes in Screening Hall II. Through these documentaries, the Memorial Hall systematically introduced the visitors to the stories of international figures John Rabe, John Magee, and Minnie Vautrin.

A mother from Hebei said that this year's Spring Festival vacation was relatively long, so she took this opportunity to take her child out for a walk and watch the documentary. "Watching this documentary will help my child systematically understand that period of history and cultivate a sense of justice," she said.

Meanwhile, in the Memorial Hall’s Epilogue Hall, the melodious sound of music attracted many visitors to stop. Yang Mengxu, a graduate student at the School of Music, Hangzhou Normal University, was playing "A Great River" for the visitors. Yang Mengxu volunteered at the Memorial Hall from the first to the fourth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and she said she wanted to use her musical expertise to serve the visitors and allow music to evoke a deeper emotional connection to that historical period and to their homeland.

Le Xiaoyi, an undergraduate majoring in Economics and Management at Central South University, is a native of Nanjing. She previously served as the co-reciter of the "Declaration for Peace" at the National Memorial Ceremony in 2021 and the lead reciter in 2022, so she has always felt a deep emotional bond with the event. During the Spring Festival, she volunteered at the Memorial Hall for four days as a host for the interactive recitation session "Voices of Memory". The audience always moved her, “An old man with white hair, sat in the last row, listening attentively. At the moment our eyes met, I felt an emotional connection with him—perhaps that wasempathy,” Le said.

Throughout the Spring Festival vacation, volunteers played My Motherland and Me, I Love You China, and As I Wish with the piano, violin, flute, and other instruments, and the audience was able to participate in interactive recitations of "The Diaries of Rabe," "The Diaries of Vautrin," "The Diaries of Wilson," and anti-war poetry.

Experiencing Traditional Culture Through Interaction

This Spring Festival, the Memorial Hall carefully planned two interactive workshops on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, inviting professional instructors to guide visitors in dough sculpture and velvet flower making.

Teacher Qian Cuifang, a renowned inheritor of Nanjing dough sculpture, said, "The dove of peace symbolizes peace, friendship, unity, and purity. That’s why we chose to create dough sculptures of doves and olive branches this Spring Festival." She added, "Through the hands-on experience, visitors not only engaged with traditional Chinese culture but also reflected on the profound significance of peace."

There were also some enthusiastic global visitors who were excited to participate in the making of the dough sculptures.

Jahan, an international student from Pakistan, first learned the basics of traditional dough sculpture under Teacher Qian’s guidance, mastering essential techniques.When making the dove's head and body, he carefully pinched the dough into drop shape, round shape and triangle shape, and finally made a fat and lovely dove of peace. He said he was honored to come to the Memorial Hall to make this traditional handicraft on this most important day for Chinese people. In the joyful atmosphere, he could also clearly feel the importance of peace for everyone.

"During the Spring Festival, we hope to promote and pass on Chinese traditional culture through such interactive experiences. These engaging folk activities allow visitors from around the world to truly appreciate the values of peace, harmony, and joyful coexistence, as well as our Memorial Hall’s mission to learn from history and cherish peace," said a Memorial Hall staff member.