"Qingshan is the same as the wind and rain, and Mingyue He was once two townships." --Tang Wang Changling"
In the course of historical development, we have always vigorously praised the national heroes emerging in our own country and never spared words of praise. It is true that the heroes who have made sacrifices and sacrifices for the sake of the country and the nation are very worthy of respect, and we should also pay high respect and high praise to them. But actually
Heroes have no borders,
National heroes are never limited to nationality or nationality, but depend on the glorious deeds they have done.
The Nanjing Massacre is a painful history that our Chinese people will never forget, and under this dark history, 300,000 compatriots in our country are buried. However, in this dark and painful day, there is a foreign friend who has brought a glimmer of light to our compatriots, and he has done his best to shelter 250,000 compatriots in our country during this difficult time.
He is the benefactor of these 250,000 Chinese.
Now decades have passed,
The hero's descendants sent requests for assistance to China
，
Without any hesitation, our country immediately issued free support.
John Rabe's Life in China
Johann Rabe, a German born in 1882, grew up with his father, who was a captain. In 1896, Rabe's father died of illness, and the 14-year-old Rabe had no financial support and could only give up his studies after finishing junior high school and began to work to earn money. He started out as a guy in a german trading house, and after some work experience, went to work for a British company in Africa.
In 1908, at the age of 26, Rabe and his fiancée came to China
Married in China and temporarily settled in Beijing. Rabe is a native of Germany, but
He is very interested in Chinese culture
During his stay in Beijing, he collected a lot of photos, paintings and other materials, and also made a lot of research and observation of social life in Beijing, and recorded them.
In 1911, Rabe successfully applied for a job and entered the Beijing branch of Siemens in Germany, and then went to Tianjin for several years because of job transfers.
In 1931, at the age of 49, Rabe became deputy director of the Nanjing branch of the Nazi Party
Rabe also settled in Nanjing. Three years later, he established a German school in Nanjing.
An exotic hero in the Nanjing Massacre
1937 was a year that all Chinese remembered. In November, shanghai fell, and the city of Nanjing was about to become the next target of the Japanese army, and the city of Nanjing was already a very dangerous place. Many of the foreigners living in Nanjing chose to leave, eventually
Of the 27 foreign friends who chose to stay and hold on to the city of Nanjing, John Rabe was one of them.
His place of residence became the temporary Nanjing Safe Zone, which he also chaired and provided asylum for refugees.
Rabe was born and raised in Germany, but the 55-year-old has lived in China for nearly 30 years, far more than he has lived in Germany. Although Rabe is not Chinese, but after so many years of living in China, he has developed a deep affection for China, so
When the situation in Nanjing was in danger, he chose to stay without hesitation. He has made it his duty to protect Chinese,
This is also his goodwill from China.
On December 12, the city of Nanjing fell completely under Japanese control. In the face of the brutal Japanese army, for the sake of the people of Nanjing, Rabe did not fear life and death to negotiate, and finally reached an agreement with a Japanese commander not to hurt the people. However, the Japanese army did not take the agreement seriously, and wantonly trampled on the lives of civilians and soldiers in the city of Nanjing.
Faced with the brutal Japanese army, Rabe tried his best to stop the atrocity, but to no avail, the city of Nanjing fell into a hellish disaster.
Rabe recorded the atrocities of the Japanese army and wrote it in his "Raabe Diary"
These records have greatly helped the study of the Nanjing Massacre, and scholars believe that this is the most complete historical material for the Nanjing Massacre.
Rabe could not prevent the disaster, but he still did his best to protect the people of Nanjing. In the safe zone built by his residence, more than 600 civilians were taken in
Rabe has saved more than 250,000 Chinese in this small safe zone of less than 4 square kilometers. He is the savior of these 250,000 Chinese,
Those who were taken in by him also said that he was a "living bodhisattva for hundreds of thousands of people."
John Raabe's protection of Chinese
After the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, they also appropriated the grain in Nanjing. Although Rabe established a safe zone, the food in the safe zone was soon to run out, and Rabe negotiated with the Japanese army again on food. The Japanese refused to return the grain, but said Rabe could pay for food from the Japanese. Rabe had no choice but to compromise, but after buying grain, he was harassed by the traitors who managed the grain.
Rabe wrote to the Japanese embassy complaining about the crimes of the Japanese army, but received no response. Yet so many people are waiting to eat, and the food must be in hand.
Rabe also wrote letters to the British, American, and German embassies, through which they exerted pressure on the Japanese side.
In the end, 1,000 bags of grain were obtained every day. The money to buy grain, Rabe, alone could not afford it, so he had to raise money everywhere, and finally raised 215,000 yuan.
During the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, Rabe made many representations with the Japanese army, and did not give up on saving the people of Nanjing in the face of various difficulties of the Japanese army. After solving one problem after another, the Nanjing Security Zone finally had a temporary calm.
250,000 Chinese survived with the support of the Nanjing Safety Zone, and Rabe and 26 other international friends contributed greatly.
In addition to saving the people during the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe's other great contribution was his Diary of Rabe. It clearly and detailed records the various atrocities committed by the Japanese army against Nanjing in the past 5 months, and clearly exposes the crimes of the Japanese army.
He has made great contributions to the subsequent historical research and the restoration of truth.
After the victory of the War of Resistance, Rabe and 26 other international friends were also commended by the Chinese government for their contributions.
Now, more than 80 years later, China has become one of the world's great powers. But we will always remember history, and we will always remember our benefactors.
Today, more than 80 years later, our country has received a letter of help from the descendants of Rabe,
He is a doctor who hopes to be able to get medical supplies from China. And our government did not hesitate after receiving the message for help,
Free supplies were immediately sent for support.
epilogue:
Raabe returned to Germany under pressure in 1938, and after 1945, Raabe had a difficult life because of his former membership in the Nazi Party. Even if he was confirmed to be innocent, his work was greatly affected.
Rabe's life was already very poor in 1946.
After the news spread from Germany to China in 1948, the citizens of Nanjing quickly raised 100 million yuan to aid Rabe.
Repaying the peach has always been a traditional virtue of our country, and Rabe's kindness and contribution to the Chinese people, we not only need to remember to pay tribute to it, but also to help the other party in time when it needs help.
References: The Diary of Raabe, German Friend Johann Raabe