They are participants in an event titled Truths of the Past, Voices of the Present, held after the memorial ceremony on that day to present published research on the Nanjing Massacre and deepen understanding of history.
Those attending the memorial ceremony included Thomas Rabe, the grandson of John Rabe, a German businessman who saved hundreds of thousands of civilians during the Nanjing Massacre; Megan Brady, the great-granddaughter of Richard Brady, an American doctor who provided medical assistance to the Chinese people who suffered during the Japanese invasion; and Mark Thomas, the nephew of George Hogg, an international friend who assisted in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Later on, they visited the exhibition on the Nanjing Massacre in the memorial hall.
“Because this land beneath our feet carries the suffering of history, we more deeply understand how precious the air and sunshine of peace are,” said Xu Ning, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Jiangsu Provincial Committee, at the event.
Nanjing Massacre took place after Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then the capital of China, on December 13, 1937. Over six weeks, the invaders killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
The World Anti-Fascist War first broke out in China with the September 18th Incident in 1931, in which the Japanese forces stationed in northeast China under an unequal treaty attacked Shenyang, Liaoning Province. By February 1932, the Japanese had occupied all the three provinces in northeast China. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) was an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese battlefields were its main theater in the East. Japan’s invasion caused unprecedented suffering to the Chinese people, triggering fierce resistance nationwide. During the resistance, more than 35 million casualties were reported, over 930 cities were successively occupied and more than 42 million people were displaced, becoming refugees.
On August 15, 80 years ago, Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s declaration of Japan’s unconditional surrender was announced. This was undoubtedly a meaningful and memorable moment for the Chinese people, who had been engaged in a relentless struggle for as long as 14 years by that time. On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the instrument of surrender. Now, China has designated September 3 as the Victory Day to commemorate the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
To engage more people to learn about this chapter of history, and to take history as a mirror for reflection and guidance, the China International Communications Group Center for the Americas (CICG Americas) and the Publicity Department of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee co-organized the event.
Remembering history
At the event, Yu Yunquan, Vice President of CICG, said that looking back on the victory against Japanese aggression not only refreshes a deep memory of the past but also offers a clear vision of the present and a firm guide for the future. “We must learn from history and cherish peace; we must uphold truth and promote justice; we must defend order and work together to build the future,” he said.
According to Yu, CICG has devoted itself to translating and sharing historical facts with the world, telling the truth of the Nanjing Massacre and China’s role in fighting fascists in the main theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War. “CICG will continue to deepen international exchange through joint academic research, the creation of multilingual historical archives and youth dialogues, promoting a correct view of history and advancing the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilizations Initiative to help build a community with a shared future for humanity,” he added.
The event also presented published research on the Nanjing Massacre. “Our presentation is a cross-border historical dialogue to ensure that more people who value peace and justice will remember this chapter of history. Peace must be safeguarded by all, and the painful lessons of war must never be forgotten,” said He Peng, Vice President of CICG Americas.
Since its establishment, the memorial hall has not only been responsible for curating exhibitions, but has also undertaken the important tasks of collecting and researching historical materials. In 2016, the Institute of National Memory and International Peace was established at the memorial hall.
In his speech at the event, Zhou Feng, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee and Curator of the Memorial Hall, said the research institute produced book series on the Nanjing Massacre and on International Cities of Peace, and launched the Journal of Nanjing Massacre Studies in four languages—Chinese, English, Japanese and French. The journal is collected by libraries, research institutes and friendship organizations in more than 50 countries.
He hopes these publications will help people around the world understand the historical facts, better understand peace and build consensus for peaceful development.
He Jianming, former Vice Chairman of the China Writers Association, discussed his book Nanjing Massacre: A Complete Record of the Japanese Fascist Crimes in 1937, which systematically documents the atrocities from a Chinese perspective and has been translated into six languages, namely, English, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Malay. “Only by truly understanding the facts can we grasp the importance of remembering history today,” he said.
“The world today remains far from peaceful, and voices advocating peace are still too few. As a nation committed to peaceful development, China bears both the responsibility and the obligation to shoulder this mission,” he added.
“Learning about the Nanjing Massacre is not only an act of justice for the victims and survivors, but also an effective way to resist selective amnesia and prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies,” said Brazilian professor of international law Evandro Menezes de Carvalho, via video link. He suggested exhibitions, academic cooperation, the creation of films, documentaries and TV series on the subject, and a multilingual online database of testimonies, photos and archives for global access.
The family legacy
The transmission of family memory serves as an important means of safeguarding historical truth and passing on remembrance.
During the event, the fourth group of inheritors of the historical memory of the Nanjing Massacre was also announced and presented with certificates. With the addition of six people (five were present at the event) including Thomas Rabe and Megan Brady, the number of inheritors has increased to 38.
On August 15, 2022, the first group of 13 inheritors of the historical memory of the Nanjing Massacre officially took up their posts. Since then, the number of these “memory inheritors” has continued to grow. The first three batches were composed of descendants of survivors. They actively engage in the dissemination of historical truth through oral family history, locating and curating documentary materials and continuously strengthening the historical memory of the Nanjing Massacre. This latest expansion further broadens the scope of inheritors, now also including the descendants of both Chinese and international individuals who aided the Chinese people and preserved irrefutable historical evidence.
Thomas Rabe reviewed his family’s 117-year ties with China, spanning four generations.
When Japanese forces invaded Nanjing in late 1937, committing mass atrocities against civilians, John Rabe used his political status and influence to help establish the Nanjing Safety Zone, an area that provided refuge for noncombatants. Despite great personal risk, he, along with other members of Nanjing’s international community, sheltered Chinese civilians within this area, protecting them from violence, starvation and displacement. The safe zone covered an area of only about 4 square km, but eventually accommodated more than 250,000 Chinese civilians. Through his leadership, compassion and courage, John Rabe was credited with saving tens of thousands of lives, leaving a legacy of moral responsibility and humanity amid one of history’s darkest moments.
Additionally, from September 19, 1937, to February 26, 1938, John Rabe documented his observations and experiences during the Nanjing Massacre in diaries of over 2,000 pages. It was not until 1997 that the diaries were published as a book.
The book The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe remains a crucial historical record of Japanese atrocities. Thomas Rabe has since compiled more than 20 volumes of his grandfather’s diary manuscripts into his own book Rabe and China and has established six John Rabe Communication Centers worldwide, including two, respectively in Beijing and Nanjing. As his son is now learning Chinese, Thomas Rabe said the friendship between the Rabe family and China will continue.
Megan Brady’s great-grandfather, Richard Brady, once treated many victims at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The hospital was also the only medical institution in the city that provided comprehensive medical treatment for civilians during the Nanjing Massacre. Led by surgeon Robert O. Wilson, medical staff overcame difficulties such as a shortage of personnel, lack of funds and equipment and harassment by the invading Japanese army. They remained at their posts and undertook important tasks such as medical assistance and epidemic prevention in Nanjing. Apart from providing medical care, Richard also recorded the atrocities of the Japanese army during their invasion of China through diaries, photos and letters. In 2009, Steve Brady, Richard’s grandson, and his wife established a company in Shanghai, and the whole family once lived in China.
When Megan was 5 years old, Steve brought her to Nanjing for the first time. Since then, Megan has been learning Chinese. Each time they visited Nanjing, they would go to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, as “this place holds strong family memories and deep emotional connections.”
In 2019, during a candlelit national memorial ceremony for the victims of Nanjing Massacre, Megan, then 17 years old, impressed many present with her original song titled Mercy.
The song was composed by Megan after she participated in the national memorial ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre victims in 2018. In her lyrics, she expressed her empathy for the tragic experiences of the victims and her call for love and peace. According to Megan, she was shocked at how little awareness there is outside China of the Nanjing Massacre, and wished to share this piece of history with the younger generations across the world through her music.
“As a Nanjing Massacre Historical Memory Inheritor, I am profoundly aware of the weight of this responsibility. Today’s Nanjing has emerged as a thriving city of peace, yet the scars of history never fade. As survivors’ voices grow faint with time, our generation must take up the baton of memory,” she said when receiving a certificate at the event.
“I will carry forward my ancestors’ legacy of compassion and courage, and preserve humanity’s warmth. I also wish everyone will transcend hatred through reconciliation, and together build a world that honors history and cherishes peace,” she continued. –The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange item
