BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- After 115 seasons of change, the deep affection of this German friend is still circulating in China.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Wu Mengda, Tai Sicong, Zhao Xu.
Walking into the library of Beijing Union University, passing through the rows of books, an exchange center built to commemorate the international friend John Rabe comes into view. December 13, 2023 is the 10th National Memorial Day for the victims of the Nanjing Da**. Students from the School of Marxism of Beijing Union University recently listened to a special ideological and political class here.
In 1937, when the invading Japanese army launched a tragic war in Nanjing, John Rabe and a group of international friends set up an international security zone to protect 250,000 Chinese. Therefore, he was affectionately called the 'Good Man of Nanjing' by the Chinese people. As the deputy director of John Rabe's Beijing Exchange Center, Li Yu, a teacher at the School of Marxism at Beijing Union University, told the story of Mr. Rabe. "Because of his deeds in Nanjing, Mr. Rabe is well known, but what everyone doesn't know is that he also has an indissoluble bond with Beijing. ”
On December 9, Li Yu, a teacher at the School of Marxism at Beijing Union University, told the story of John Rabe to the students at the John Rabe Beijing Exchange Center. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tai Sicong.
John Rabe's relationship with China began the moment he stepped into Beijing in 1908.
He has been in China for 30 years, 17 of which have been in Beijing. Li Yu said that in the "Rabe Diary" he left to the world, there are five volumes related to Beijing. At the same time, he also took a large number of **, collected the drawn version of the Beijing folk map and many old photos of ancient buildings. These texts and ** have extremely high reference value for the study of modern Beijing.
Tasting food and seeking traditional Chinese medicine, in the exchange and contact with the Chinese people, he has a preliminary understanding of this "sacred land" in his heart and the people living here. After the end of World War I, he was repatriated in 1919. When he returned to China in 1921, he was amazed to find that his house had been spotlessly cleaned by his Chinese friends and that his belongings had been kept safe, which made him feel more deeply the kindness of the Chinese people.
The 17 years of living in Beijing have also witnessed several important milestones in John Rabe's life - the wedding with his wife in Beijing, the birth of a daughter and a son in Beijing. The emotional bond between a city and a family deepened his feelings for this ancient country and its kind people, and also prompted him to stand up resolutely when the Chinese people suffered from the Japanese invaders.
Immersed in the teacher's explanation, the students learned more and more about the unknown side of this international friend. "The experience of living in Beijing gave John Rabe the courage to pick up the humanitarian torch in the war-torn era. Jiao Yuanzhe, a graduate student at the School of Marxism at Beijing Union University, stared at the statue of John Rabe and said, "Truly listening to and feeling his story can become a key for me to learn Xi and understand what internationalism is." ”
The Si people are gone, but the friendship between the Rabe family and the Chinese people has never stopped. His story continues to circulate in China, and his descendants continue to interact with China, continuing a friendship that spans nearly 100 years.
On September 3, the theme exhibition "Great Love for Life, Pursuit of Peace - Exhibition of Mr. John Rabe's Thirty Years of Deeds in China" opened at the Memorial Hall of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin.
In March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic swept Germany, Professor Thomas Rabe, the grandson of Johann Rabe in Heidelberg, was distressed by the severe shortage of medical supplies in the hospital where he worked, and later decided to seek help from the Chinese Embassy in Germany and Chinese friends.
In the end, 30,000 masks, 200 protective suits and hundreds of bottles of medicine from China were sent to Germany, and Thomas Rabe traveled thousands of miles to experience the friendliness and warmth of the Chinese that his grandfather had felt.
In recent years, as a visiting professor at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, Thomas Rabe has brought his rich experience and scientific research achievements in the field of endocrinology and reproductive medicine for more than 40 years to China to promote the development of medicine in China and Germany.
In 2018, Thomas Rabe was awarded the "China Friendship Award", which is China's highest national honor award established to recognize foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization. This year, he was also selected as one of the 30 finalists for the inaugural Orchid Awards, which recognizes and rewards foreign nationals or institutions around the world who are committed to promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.
In September this year, "Starting from Beijing - John Rabe's Friendship with the Chinese - Commemoration of the 115th Anniversary of John Rabe's Arrival in Beijing" was held at Beijing Union University, and Thomas Rabe also came to Beijing to review his grandfather's life experience in Beijing and continue to pass on the internationalist and humanitarian spirit upheld by John Rabe.
As a student volunteer for this event, An Jing, a graduate student of the School of Marxism of Beijing Union University, received Professor Thomas Rabe. "He was wearing a pair of reading glasses and smiling and told us, 'Humanism is eternal, it transcends borders and connects everyone's hearts.'" An Jing recalled that this special friendship between the Chinese and German people is precious and lasts for a long time.
Today, a visit to the John Rabe Beijing Exchange Center has become a key part of the orientation of new students at Beijing Union University. In Li Yu's view, Johann Rabe's "fraternity, responsibility and courage" have been deeply imprinted in the common cultural memory of the Chinese and German peoples.
In the future, we will not only welcome everyone to visit the exhibition, but also strive to cooperate with external units to organize more exhibitions and touring exhibitions, so that more students and citizens can understand the story of John Rabe and let great love be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Li Yu said.