Seven members of her family were killed by the Japanese army during the massacre. Xia, then 8, narrowly escaped death after she was stabbed three times. Of her family, only she and her 4-year-old sister survived the slaughter.

"I lived with the bodies of my family for 14 days before I dared to go out. My mother and my two sisters were raped and tortured before they were killed," Xia recalled.

Xia's story was also written in The Diaries of John Rabe, a collection of stories written by a German businessman who helped protect Chinese civilians during the massacre.

"I met Mr Rabe in the safety zone. He did not mind how dirty I was and held me in his arms. He even proposed adopting me when he was about to return to Germany, but my uncle refused, although my uncle's family could barely make ends meet," Xia said.

As an orphan, life was hard.

She helped her uncle sell vegetables and worked as a maid for a living.

In 1994, the mother of three became the first survivor to recount her experience in front of a Japanese audience at a peace rally organized by Japanese non-governmental organizations.

She has two daughters and one son and a grandchild. She thinks about her slaughtered family every day.

"I miss them, especially when festivals approach," said Xia.

"How wonderful it would be if they were still alive and with me.

"I stand as a witness of the Nanjing Massacre to remind future generations of the cruelty of war. The history should always be remembered and people should cherish peace."

Yu Changxiang, another survivor of the massacre, flew to Japan on Wednesday to start a seven-day visit.

"I'll tell them what I saw during the massacre," he said. "Whether they believe it or not, I will tell them what I experienced."

Contact the writers at [email protected] and [email protected]

Xinhua and Cao Yin contributed to this story.

Related photos:

Nanjing Massacre victims remembered in E China