Recently, the kickoff ceremony for “Gratitude: Nanking Safety Zone” —The 7th International Peace Hiking was held in the Nanjing Normal University Suiyuan Campus. The event was hosted by the Memorial Hall and co-organized by the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Gulou District Committee and Nanjing Normal University.

The event drew more than 150 Chinese and foreign participants from all walks of life, including descendants of Nanjing Massacre survivors, descendants ofChinese compatriots who stayed in the Nanking Safety Zone to help refugees during the massacre, staff members of the Red Cross Society of China Jiangsu Branch and city branches, employees of BSH Home Appliances Group, students from Nanjing Normal University, representatives of the John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall (the former residence of John Rabe), and Zijin Cao volunteers. By revisiting the Nanking Safety Zone, via four historical sites (Nanjing Normal University Suiyuan Campus, the former residence of John Rabe, Drum Tower Hospital, and the former site of the International Committee of the Nanking Safety Zone), the participants were brought back to a memory that shall not be forgotten.

The kickoff ceremony for “Gratitude: Nanking Safety Zone” — The 7th International Peace Hiking.

Nanjing Normal University Suiyuan Campus is the historical site of the former Jinling Women’s College of Arts and Sciences. Chen Chaoyi, daughter of Chen Feiran who was in charge of the general affairs of the college, took part in the hiking activity. Chen Chaoyi felt very proud to visit the place where her father once worked and lived. “As I walk through the Nanking Safety Zone like my father did in the past, I could sense the beauty of the city today. I think that is the thing all the Chinese compatriots looked forward to the most when they stayed here to save the refugees in the darkest moment of the city,” she said.

Chang Xiaomei, a daughter of Nanjing Massacre survivor Chang Zhiqiang, attended the event too. “I’ve come here with a sense of gratitude. I would like to express my thanks to Chinese compatriots who supported each other and international friends who offered selfless assistance to Chinese refugees during the bloody days.”

Oliver Giersberg, senior vice president and chief operation officer of BSH Home Appliances Group Greater China region,places a flower at the statue of John Rabe to show respect

In 1930, John Rabe, a business representative of German company Siemens, was assigned to work in Nanjing. While staying the city during the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe set up straw huts on his own property to shelter the refugees, and dug a simple but sturdy bomb shelter in his yard to protect them.

BSH Home Appliances Group initiated and participated in an effort to repair the former residence of Rabe in 2004 and has since then helped with its operation as one of the donors. Ye Shengyong, an employee at BSH Home Appliances Group, took part in the peace hiking activity of revisiting the Nanking Safety Zone with his daughter in 2021 and a reading activity in the John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall this year. “Attending these activities allows us to dig deep into the history. We should thank those who had helped the Chinese people in times of danger,” he said.

Worth noting is this hiking activity has attracted participation from many young people. Yi Fei (transliteration), from Moldova, is an exchange student in Nanjing Normal University and took part in the hike for the first time. After visiting the history gallery of the Drum Tower Hospital, he learned about lots of humanitarian deeds during the Nanjing Massacre. As he picked up Zijin Cao petals at each historical site, he felt he was picking up historical memories, which he said would be etched in his heart forever.

Chang Xiaomei (second from left), a daughter of Nanjing Massacre survivor Chang Zhiqiang, and Chen Chaoyi (middle), daughter of Chen Feiran, one of the Chinese compatriots who remained in the Nanking Safety Zone during the massacre to help the refugees, present a medal to the participants.