Nanjing Massacre survivor, 94, dies at home

A 94-year-old survivor of the Nanjing Massacre died at his home in the eastern Chinese city on Monday.

News of Li Gaoshan's passing was shared on Sina Weibo by the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Li was born in February 1925 and joined the fighting against the invading Japanese soldiers at age 13 in 1937. He was captured twice during the occupation of Nanjing.

On Dec 14, 1937, Li was held captive by Japanese soldiers near Yijiangmen.

He and hundreds of other captives had their arms tied behind their backs and were taken to rooms in the Bazishan Mansion, where they stood in rows and were shot by machine guns through the windows. Li survived, but most people died at the scene.

According to Li's testimony, the Japanese soldiers poured gasoline and set fire to the building's first floor. He ran to the second floor with six other survivors and jumped a wall to escape.

They hid on the roof of another building for five days without food before the Japanese soldiers found them and shot five of them to death. Li was able to run away.

At least five survivors of the Nanjing Massacre have died this year.