The suffering of sex slaves, or comfort women, during the Japanese invasion of China in the Second World War was one of the darkest chapters of the nation's history. A comfort women museum has opened in Nanjing to remind people of this part of the story.

A comfort women museum has opened in Nanjing to remind people of this part of the story.

Helpless and desperate. Comfort women are one of the most miserable chapters of Nanjing's history during the Japanese invasion. The first comfort women-themed museum in China opened to the public in the city this month.

"Comfort women's stories were little known in the past, compared with the Nanjing massacre and other war crimes. Because many victims thought it was shameful to tell the public of their sufferings. But these are not only their personal sufferings, these are human rights abuses," Zhu Chengshan, honorary curator of Museumof Former Site of Liji Lane Comfort Stations, said.

The museum was made out of the former site of a comfort station, or military brothel. It is made up of 8 buildings, and exhibits over 1600 items and 600 photos.

The theme of this museum is tears. The wall of tears, the ground of tears and the road of tears remind people that the tears of the comfort women are endless.

This disinfectant was donated by the family of Lei Guiying, a comfort woman in Nanjing. She passed away in 2007. It is important evidence of the crimes of the Japanese during that time.

"She kept silent for 60 years. She told me what happened to the young women in the comfort station. The crimes were so cruel and their experiences were so miserable. I was adopted because she lost her fertility," Tang Jiaguo, adopted son of Lei Guiying said.

China was the biggest victim of the comfort women system by the Japanese army. Over 200 thousand Chinese women were forced into sexual slavery in the Second World War. Thanks to the museum, more people will get a chance to learn about this part of history.

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