Plans have been drawn up to transform a former "comfort station" in Nanjing into a historical monument to remind people of the Japanese army's use of women as sex slaves during World War II.

Plans to preserve the "comfort station" - a euphemism the Japanese occupation forces used to describe a military brothel - have met with mixed reactions. Some say it is a reminder of a humiliating time in Chinese history, while others say it must be preserved so the lessons of history are not forgotten.

The government of Qinhuai district of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, has drafted preliminary plans with architectural experts and historians to preserve the buildings where the military brothel, the largest in Asia, was located.