President Xi Jinping attended the state memorial ceremony in Nanjing to remember the victims Wednesday morning.

On Dec 13, 1937, Japanese invaders occupied Nanjing, the then-capital of China during World War II, and mercilessly launched a campaign of destruction, pillage, rape and slaughter in the city. More than 300,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese troops in the subsequent six weeks.

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

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.

People pay tribute to the victims of the Nanjing Massacre at the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Dec 13, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] 

People attend the state memorial ceremony for China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims at the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Dec 13, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Photo taken on Dec 13, 2017 shows the scene of state memorial ceremony for China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims at the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Dec 13, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]