National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims speech template (China)
Published 10 October 2026 · Date checked on 5 October 2026 · Written by the Cue Card Converter team at EventProgrammer, event production professionals
The National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims is observed in China on 13 December. It remembers the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, committed after Japanese troops captured the city, then the capital of China, in December 1937. The memorial day was established in 2014. A state ceremony is held at the memorial hall for the victims in Nanjing, where wreaths are laid, sirens sound across the city and people pause in silence. It is a day of mourning and of commitment to peace.
- Date
- December 13
- Next dates
- Sunday 13 December 2026
Monday 13 December 2027
Wednesday 13 December 2028 - Country
- China
- Tone
- Solemn – remembrance
- Typical events
- Memorial gatherings at Chinese community associations, embassies and consulates, universities and schools, and peace-focused commemorations held on or near 13 December.
- Length
- 199 spoken words · about 1.5 min at 130 words a minute · 5 cue cards
The National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims speech, ready as cue cards
A complete host script in 5 cards, about 1.5 minutes of speaking. Open it in the editor to add your names, change the card size or highlights, and print.
- WE GATHER IN REMEMBRANCE1 / 5
Good morning. My name is {Your name}, and on behalf of {Organisation} I thank you for joining us. On the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims, we come together quietly, to remember those who lost their lives and to honour their memory. - WHAT WE REMEMBER2 / 5
In December 1937, Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then the capital of China. Over the weeks that followed, a great many civilians and captured soldiers were killed, and countless families suffered terrible loss. Today we remember each of them, not as numbers, but as people with names, homes and futures. - A MINUTE OF SILENCE3 / 5
Today, sirens sound across Nanjing, and people stop where they are. We now join them. Please stand, and let us honour the victims in silence.
[ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE]
Thank you. Please be seated. - WHITE FLOWERS4 / 5
I now invite {Representative} to lay a wreath on behalf of all of us. Anyone who wishes may follow and place a white flower.
[WREATH AND WHITE FLOWERS LAID]
We remember so that such suffering is never repeated, anywhere in the world. - CLOSING5 / 5
Thank you for being here. Remembering this history is a duty we share across generations, and peace is something each of us must help to protect. Please leave quietly, and keep the victims and their families in your thoughts today.
Red is used only for names, titles, organisations, dates, times and section headings. Replace the words in {curly brackets} with your own details; lines in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are stage directions and are not read aloud.
How to adapt it
- In China, white is the colour of mourning, and white chrysanthemums are often laid at memorials. Ask guests to wear dark, sober clothing, and avoid applause and any music other than something calm.
- Many communities abroad hold their commemoration on the nearest weekend. If yours is not on 13 December, change 'today' in the third card and keep the silence at the centre of the programme.
- Keep the wording factual, dignified and centred on the victims and on peace. Leave out current politics, and check any added detail or figures against reliable historical sources. Guests may come from many backgrounds, including Japan.
Print and rehearse
“Edit and print these cards” opens the script in the free cue card maker, where you can choose A5, 4 × 6 or 3 × 5 inch cards, print several per sheet with cut lines or export PDF, PowerPoint and Word, and rehearse full screen in practice mode. To write your own programme around it, see how to write an MC script and the run of show template.
Sources
Date and background checked on 5 October 2026 against: 中共南京市委 南京市人民政府. Customs vary between organisations and regions; always follow the official programme of your event.
More China speech templates
- National Day · October 1