Over 80 young people recited a declaration of peace, and citizen representatives struck the Bell of Peace. In a poignant symbol of hope, white doves were released, soaring over the square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.