MACAO -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region on Wednesday held a ceremony to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Ho Hau Wah, Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, and Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR Zheng Xincong attended the ceremony together with over 300 government officials and representatives from different walks of life in Macao.

The participants sang China's national anthem, observed a moment of silence and laid wreaths to mourn the Nanjing Massacre victims.

Students attending the ceremony from the Pui Ching Middle School of Macao said history must not be forgotten and inspires them to cherish peace even more.

In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec 13 as the national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

The Nanjing Massacre took place after Japanese troops captured the city in eastern China on Dec 13, 1937. The Japanese invaders brutally killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in over six weeks in one of the most barbaric episodes related to World War II.