A Greek youth choir singing folk songs themed on peace and friendship at the opening ceremony of the exhibition "World Memory, Vision of Peace — The Path of Peaceful Development in Urban Memory" at Zappeion Hall in Athens, Greece, Sept. 25, 2025. [Photo by Li Yiyan]

On October 9, 2015, the Documents of the Nanjing Massacre were officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. This chapter of history, embodying both the trauma of a nation and the suffering of humanity, has since become a shared spiritual legacy of all humanity. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the inscription. To commemorate the occasion, the "World Memory, Vision of Peace" exhibition series, grounded in the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre, is staged in Athens, Greece, and Berlin, Germany. Serving as bridges for dialogue among civilizations, the exhibition connects national memory with global aspirations for peace, advancing a shared vision of peace through exchanges and mutual learning.

On September 25, 2025, more than 100 representatives from various sectors of China and Greece gathered at Zappeion Hall in Athens for the opening ceremony of the exhibition "World Memory, Vision of Peace — The Path of Peaceful Development in Urban Memory." The exhibition explores how Nanjing and Athens — two ancient cities that endured devastation during World War II — rebuilt in the decades that followed and embraced peace as part of their civic identity.

The event was co-hosted by the State Council Information Office of China, the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and the Chinese Embassy in Greece, and organized by the Jiangsu International Cultural Exchange Association, the Nanjing International Cultural Exchange Association, the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, and the China Intercontinental Communication Center.

The ceremony opened with a Greek youth choir singing the folk songs themed on peace and friendship — "If All the Children of the World" and "Hands Like These." Their pure, innocent voices conveyed a heartfelt longing for peace. In warm response, a Chinese youth group offered a moving rendition of "Let the World Be Filled with Love." Sharing the same stage and singing for the same theme, the two youth choirs set a solemn and dignified tone for the exhibition.