A ceremony was held at the “Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders” on Wednesday, with politburo member Li Hongzhong calling for patriotism to be passed through the generations and warning that “history must not be repeated”.

The event, on the 10th Nanjing Massacre National Memorial Day, started at 10am with the playing of the national anthem.

An alarm bell then rang out and participants stood in silence for a minute to pay tribute to the 300,000 people who were killed by Japanese soldiers in the six-week massacre that began on December 13, 1937.

An honour guard then laid wreaths for the victims.

In a speech, Li said the memorial was to deeply mourn those killed. He called on citizens to promote patriotism.

Eighty-six teenage representatives then read a declaration of peace, before releasing some doves.