The back story is that the Nanjing Massacre, although not very well-known in the West, is one of humanity's worst atrocities, ranking with the Jewish Holocaust during WWII. Also known as the Rape of Nanjing, it was a month to two-month period in 1937-1938 in which the Japanese persecuted Chinese citizens in China. The Nanjing Massacre Memorial's vastness, hush-ness, and capacity to shock unexpecting tourists has a strange, similar feel to that of the Holocaust Memorials and concentration camps in Germany.
The most striking feature at this museum is that it unites the Chinese. In many museums the communists take jabs at earlier dynastic powers and nationalists, often accusing the "bitter and heartless" nationalists of starting civil wars to tear the country apart. On the contrary, this is the only place in China I've found the CCP applauding the works of others, uniting against a common enemy.
In fact, in my knowledge of history humans generally don't unite over having common allies and similarities, but rather over a common enemy. With the Beijing 2008 Olympic's theme, "One World, One Dream" in mind, is it possible to achieve such unity without this common enemy?
A personal letter was on display from Hitler to a German resistance leader in Nanjing, praising him for his work in resisting the mindless Japanese persecution of the Chinese. The intended ironic message is a chilling one.
The museum has the same "Never Again" message as in Holocaust ones. It promotes knowledge of history to prevent future mistakes, but yet here in China every time I google "Tian'anmen 1989" it comes up with, "This page is restricted". As I'm sweating beads learning Chinese, it's nice to know I've got my work cut out for me.
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