In Jiangsu Province on Tuesday, the first ever memorial for "comfort women" in World War II was opened to the public. The site was created as a tribute to the female victims of military brothels managed by Japanese, who invaded the country over 70 years ago.

The memorial site, which extends up to 3000 square meters and includes eight two-storey buildings, was reportedly used as brothels during the war between 1937 and 1945. It is dubbed as the city's biggest "comfort station."

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Going back in time, it can be recalled that the Japanese took over the then Chinese's capital on December 13, 1937.  In a span of six weeks, they murdered an estimated 300,000 people. This event is known today as the Nanjing Massacre or Rape of Nanking.

Approximately 200,000 women from China and across different parts of Asia like the Philippines, Korean Peninsula and Indonesia were sexually exploited, where many of them died. Over 40 bordellos were operated in Nanjing alone.

In the newly built memorial site, sculptures of three women are displayed. One of which is Korea-born Pak Yong-sim, who is pregnant and holds her belly vividly expressing sadness and helplessness in her face. Thrust to live in Room 19, Building 2 during the Japanese era, Pak reportedly paid a visit to the site for the first time in 2003. She died three years ago.

Aside from the sculptures, the memorial also includes over 1600 articles, 680 pictures and other stuff that were in majority donated by the victims themselves. For instance, Lei Guiying contributed  the kalium permanganicum, which is a powder utilized for disinfection. Other items include an endoscope to check women and condoms with "violent attack" characters written on them.

Lei, who died in 2007, wrote in her will that "may the tragedy not be repeated. May there be no more wars." Her adopted son recalled that his mother "was raped at the age of nine, and became a 'comfort woman' at 13... She didn't want to talk about her past until 2006, when she testified for the crime of Japanese."

Several houses were seized and turned into "comfort stations" during the war. One of these houses belonged to Li Bangxian, who has given away the bed, cabinet and chairs "so that the world could know what they did in those years," he said.

Shanghai Normal University professor Su Zhilian said "For a long time, the history of 'comfort women' was buried... In recent years, the Japanese made repeated attempts to tamper with history. The move angered many whose countries had been plagued by the 'comfort woman' system. That is why countries like China research and protect the history."

"This year marks the 70th anniversary of China's victory over Japanese invaders, and also independence of the South Korea," said Yun Ju-Keyng, president of the Independence Hall of Korea. "Denial of the Japanese government over the past crimes hurt the victims, who are elderly now, a second time. China and South Korea should join hands in exposing the atrocities of the Japanese imperial army, so that the former 'comfort women' could live to see the offenders apologize.

TagsComfort Women, Japanese brothel, comfort station, Liji Alley, Nanjing Massacre, Rape of Nanking, Nanjing Massacre UNESCO Memory of the World Register, Comfort Women Memorial China, World War II, Japanese Atrocities World War II