A Centre for Peace and Reconciliation in Nanjing!!

The John Rabe Research and Exchange Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Centre in Nanjing University?

Remember Oscar Schindler?  He rather defied the popular image of the Nazi by the way he saved so many Jews during the second world war. Well China has its own story of a "good Nazi". In this case its John Rabe, an employee of the German Siemens electrical goods company, who served his company here in China.  He was in Nanjing  during 1937-38 during the 6 week period when the Japanese slaughtered some 300,000 Chinese men, and raped at least 80,000 Chinese women, the event known as the Nanking Massacre often and often popularly known as the "The Rape of Nanking" after the title of the book by Iris Chang.

Rabe headed the International Committee that supervised the International Safety Zone and was responsible for saving the lives of some 250,000 Chinese in that time. The safety zone was based on properties owned by the large international community in Naking of the time, nations that were not at war with Japan at the time, and centered on the two large foreign-run university campuses in the city. Rabe's own house at the corner of one campus stood within the zone and was itself a place of sanctuary for some 650 refugees.

Well, I have walked past tall scaffold and boards many times over these past few years. This weekend the hoardings came down, and the building above was revealed as a research center for peace and reconciliation, as well as memorial in honour of John Rabe.

A centre for peace and reconciliation that honours a Nazi (yes, a proud member of the Nazi party in Germany, not just a German) who saved Chinese. Someone who breaks the stereotypes of what a good person should look like. That forces us to consider the boxes into which we put people.

We are encouraged and will be seeking to make contacts at the centre in the next days.

Details on the project are below:

Memorial sites to be built to remember John Rabe

Nanjing sets up memorial for John Rabe

Chinese Plan for a Nanjing Memorial to 'the Good Nazi' Reopens War Wounds

Belated recognition for China's 'Schindler'

John Rabe

Siemens Continued commitment to good corporate citizenship and social responsibility

 

Movie on Nanking Massacre   Apparently the Chinese US and UK are collaborating on a full length feature based on the story of the Nanjing Massacre, probably based on the story of the German and Nazi John Rabe, "The Good German of Nanking"  or "The Living Buddha of Nanking" equivalent to "Schndler's List". It will be finished in September 2007, and released in time for the 70th  anniversary of the massacre in December 2007, and on international release during 2008.

China join hands with US, UK to shoot movie on Nanjing Massacre

China to Shoot movie on Nanjing Massacre

A worthy story on which to base a movie  --- but will it stir up yet more hatred?