An Octogenarian and nonagenarian couple who have documented the Nanjing Massacre Memorial through photographs for 26 years has found that the two of them, in the process, have also told the tale of their own lives.
Liu Jianzhi (刘健芝), 92, and Qi Enzhi (祁恩芝), 84, have taken nearly 30,000 photos in the 26 years since the first public gathering in Nanjing to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, in 1994.
When Liu was 16 years old, he joined the army and took part in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (Second Sino-Japanese War) and the War of Liberation (Chinese Civil War). Qi was also a veteran. After their retirement, they each picked up a camera and began to learn photography, signing up for a number of classes and subscribing to three or four photography-related newspapers and magazines to study whenever they had time.
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At first, they naturally used black-and-white cameras, while Liu had a dark room in their home for easy developing. More recently, they started using digital cameras; a computer each replaced the darkroom, while they learned to use image-processing software.
They would get up at 6 am to sort through the photos they took the previous day, with Liu then arranging and numbering the photos with which he was satisfied.
Among them, those taken at historic occasions, such as that which took place on 15 August, 2000, when the-then Japanese prime minister, Toshiki Kaibu, controversially came to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial to lay a wreath.
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In 2018, Liu and Qi donated pictures and brochures of memorial activities to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. This year, during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, the couple donated ¥35,000 to the Nanjing Japanese Invaders’ Victims Support Association (南京侵华日军受害者援助协会).
“We hope that young people can understand this period of history, never forget the national humiliation and cherish peace,” Liu said, reported The Nanjinger’s local media partner, Longhoo. “As long as I can move my legs, I’ll continue to do so”.
