"Only I am China, and civilization is bright. Five thousand years, the vicissitudes of wind and rain. Kyushu Haidai, Pingshou Weifang. The earth is thick, and the benevolent wind is mighty......On February 3, 2021, the International Association of Cities for Peace announced to the world that Weifang has become an "International City of Peace". More than 100 volunteers from all walks of life in the city solemnly recited the "Weifang International Peace City Declaration", adding a world-class city cultural business card to Weifang in the name of peace.
Time rushes forward, and the idea of peace moistens things silently. In the past three years, Weifang has taken the opportunity of becoming an international city of peace, and has continuously enriched and developed the connotation of the concept of peace with the modern and modern historical and cultural heritage rich in elements of peace culture, and built a peace culture propaganda stage facing the world and radiating the world, demonstrating the city's love and cherishment of peace.
Remembering history
The concept of peace is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people
On the south bank of the Yu River between Yuhe Road and Yuanfei Road in Kuiwen District, several European-style buildings in the green forest are particularly eye-catching, which is the former site of the Weixian Ledao Institute and Western expatriate concentration camp, and the location of the Weixian Concentration Camp Museum of the Ledao Academy. A hundred years ago, foreigners preached, practiced medicine, and taught here, so it was called Rakudoin.
Weixian Ledao Institute and the former site of the Western expatriate concentration camp (data map).
During World War II, the Japanese invaders set up a concentration camp here and imprisoned more than 2,000 foreign nationals, which was the largest concentration camp for foreigners established by the Japanese fascists in China and even Asia at that time, and was an irrefutable evidence revealing the evil deeds of the Japanese army invading China. When the expatriates were imprisoned, the people of Weixian County and the surrounding anti-Japanese armed forces did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives to rescue the overseas Chinese in the concentration camp and gave them great help until August 1945, when the Weixian concentration camp was liberated.
Ledaoyuan Weixian Concentration Camp Museum.
The Weixian concentration camp, like the remains of fascist concentration camps around the world, is a painful memory of human beings and an important historical witness to expose the evil deeds of fascism. Its existence and the spirit of peace contained in it can educate the people of the world, especially the younger generation, to remember history, cherish peace, and avoid repeating the mistakes of history. Here, in the just struggle against Japanese fascism together with the Western diaspora, the people of Weixian County have refined the humanitarian spirit and peace spirit with an international perspective, raised the memory of the city to the memory of the country and the world, and left a strong mark in the touching chapter of the Chinese and Western people helping each other, which is still shining today.
When the smoke clears, there is peace. As a place to witness a precious history, Weifang understands that peace is not easy to come by, and the people of Weifang have a deeper understanding of peace.
Ledao Square "Victory Friendship" cast bronze sculpture monument.
Since the 90s of the last century, Weifang has relied on the Weixian Ledao Institute and the former site of the Western expatriate concentration camp to carry out relevant peace commemorative activities, which has also laid a solid foundation for the official goal of creating an international city of peace in 2019. In the new century, through a series of activities such as the "Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Weixian Concentration Camp", the "National Patriotism Education Demonstration Base, the Unveiling of the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and the Opening Ceremony of the Ledaoyuan Weixian Concentration Camp Museum", and the "Exhibition to Commemorate the Centennial of the Victory of Chinese Workers in the First World War in Europe and the Opening Ceremony of the Fangzi Museum", Weifang has achieved deep integration with the forces of world peace again and again, and has played an active role in promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The students visited the bronze sculpture monument of "Victory and Friendship" and received patriotic education. (Data map).
A hundred years of music, wind and rain. Today, the concentration camp, which once witnessed the pain of unlimited war, has become a national patriotic education demonstration base and a national key cultural relics protection unit. It has also achieved remarkable results in the overall restoration and protection of the old site of the Le Dao Academy, and has gradually built it into an educational demonstration base rich in historical heritage, reflecting the spirit of the times, and inheriting the culture of peace, which plays an important role in promoting the spirit of patriotism and internationalism, and cultivating and establishing the core values of socialism.
Interior view of the Weixian Concentration Camp Museum of Ledaoyuan (data map).
Revitalize resources
The old site has been given a new lease of life
Weifang inherits Qilu and connects Haidai, and its profound historical and cultural heritage has created the spiritual characteristics of Weifang's benevolence, generosity, courage and tenacity.
On the basis of respecting and inheriting the cultural tradition of peace in Weifang, our city adheres to the concept of "peace" as the concept of urban development and the vision of the whole people, and incorporates the modern and modern historical and cultural heritage rich in elements of peace culture, such as the former site of the Weixian Ledao Institute and the Western expatriate concentration camp, the Fangzi German-Japanese building complex, the former site of the British Tobacco Company, the Twenty Lipu Railway Station, and the Jiaoji Railway, into the city's overall development plan and construction layout. At the same time, the elements of peace will be integrated into the characteristics of the city, the overall layout of the city of peace will be optimized, the construction of landmark buildings such as peace squares and peace venues will be promoted, the characteristic cultural tourism routes with the theme of peace will be planned, and the cultural and creative products with the theme of peace will be developed, so as to promote the combination of the protection and utilization of urban peace heritage and the integration of urban peace culture and tourism development, so as to inject new connotation and new impetus into the construction of a peaceful city.
The former site of British Tobacco Company (data map).
Taking the 1532 Cultural Industrial Park as an example, Kuiwen District has included the former site of the British Tobacco Company in the scope of urban renewal and created an urban industrial culture parlor. The industrial heritage of British Tobacco Company covers a total area of 220,000 square meters, with a construction area of 50,000 square meters, and the park retains 2 small western-style buildings, 1 account room, 1 tobacco re-roasting workshop, 2 tobacco storage warehouses and other century-old buildings built in 191720,000 square meters, and 4 large smoke warehouses20,000 square meters, 4 office buildings and about 6 kilometers of tunnels. On the premise of maintaining the ownership of state-owned immovable cultural relics and adhering to the bottom line of cultural relics protection, we will actively guide social forces to participate in the use, operation and management of the old site of British Tobacco Company.
At present, under the operation and management of social capital, the former site of British Tobacco Company is based on the concept of peace, focusing on red education, research and practice and other related formats, vigorously developing research travel, experience tourism and leisure tourism in the field of cultural relics.
Fangzi is a town formed by coal mining and railway opening in modern Shandong cities, which is different from other open port cities in Shandong, and the German and Japanese architectural complexes in this area are unified.
First, the scale is concentrated, reflecting the characteristics of modern industrial and mining towns. Built between 1898 and 1945, the Fangzi German-Japanese Complex reflects the imperialist military occupation, economic plunder, cultural infiltration, national oppression and other crimes in China. These buildings are not only the physical witnesses of the development of modern industry and mining, but also the vivid teaching materials for the education of patriotism and revolutionary traditions for the vast number of young people.
Fangci Town (data map).
In order to give Fangci Town a new opportunity and better promote the concept of peaceful development, our city seized the favorable opportunity of the construction of the "Four Corridors and One Line" cultural experience corridor of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Party Committee, and started the implementation of the protection and development of Fangci Town. The project is planned to cover an area of 1007 square kilometers, planning and construction of Fangzi Station District Railway Cultural Industrial Park, Fangci Town into a famous industrial consumption vitality area, cultural and tourism integration demonstration area, urban renewal model area, the concept of peace has become an important force to promote development.
Timeless
The spirit of peace is passed down from generation to generation
Peace has always been the universal aspiration and ardent yearning of human society.
On January 18, 2017, General Secretary ** delivered a keynote speech entitled "Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" in Geneva, profoundly and comprehensively expounding the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, and proposing to "let the flame of peace be passed on from generation to generation".
The construction of a peaceful city has only a starting point and no end. In order to further polish and make good use of Weifang's business card of "International Peace City" and give full play to its role as a bridge, link and platform, our city continues to work hard in the protection and utilization of peace resources, peace education and research, peace construction cooperation, and peace communication, so as to realize the creation of multi-dimensional peace projects, comprehensively improve urban development, and promote domestic and international peace construction.
Weifang Peace City Trilogy" and the author Ma Daoyuan (data map).
Centennial smoke clouds (data map).
Expand cultural outreach. Focusing on important nodes such as the Weixian Concentration Camp Liberation Day, the National Memorial Day, and the International Peace Day, relevant theme activities were carried out to sow the seeds of peace in the hearts of children. Books such as "Weifang Peace City Trilogy" and "Hundred Years of Smoke and Clouds" with the themes of modern and modern historical and cultural heritage such as the Weixian Western Overseas Chinese Concentration Camp, Daying Tobacco Company, and Jiaoji Railway have been published, showing the golden business card of Weifang International Peace City from a new perspective. Cooperate with colleges and universities and scientific research institutes to fully excavate the historical and cultural resources with the Weixian concentration camp of the Ledao Institute as the core, and sort out the peace heritage of Weifang city in the whole area, so as to lay a solid foundation for the development of peace education activities and related academic exchanges.
Leverage key carriers. On the basis of strengthening the research on the protection of relevant heritage resources, Weifang closely focuses on the goal and vision of "creating an international city of peace and building a community with a shared future for mankind", and makes full use of important nodes and platforms such as the International Kite Festival, the China-Japan-Korea Industry Expo, the Lutai Association, and the Chinese Painting Festival to widely hold peace education commemorative activities and promote the in-depth development of peace education activities. At the same time, a peace education propaganda team has been set up to carry out in-depth peace education activities "in schools, communities, institutions, enterprises and villages" to create an atmosphere of love for peace among the whole people.
Expand educational pathways. In the new era, peace and development are still the themes of the new era, and the creation of an international city of peace is an important support for the in-depth implementation of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind. On the basis of continuing to fully protect and study the historical and cultural heritage resources of peace, Weifang has further innovated the practical concept of peace education and opened up the path of peace education by strengthening cooperation with Nanjing University, Peking University, Shandong University and other universities to promote the introduction of peace education experts and teams and the extraction of advanced experience in the creation of peaceful cities. The breadth, depth and thickness of Weifang peace education have been enhanced.
On September 3, 2023, at the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the book launch event of "Weifang Peace City Trilogy" and "Hundred Years of Smoke and Clouds", international volunteers and representatives of international students jointly rang the peace bell. (Data map).
War originates in the minds of men, and it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be built. The stele in front of the UNESCO Headquarters building bears the phrase "Declaration of Peace". Today, Weifang continues to polish the business card of "International City of Peace", and joins hands with all peace-loving people around the world to convey the concept and determination to love and maintain peace to the international community, and make positive contributions to promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Weifang**Shequan**Reporter: Shao Guangyao, Fu Kaiwen, Wang Xiaoguang Editor: Yuzi.