New book recalls heroics of the "Oskar Schindler of China"

This photo taken on Jan. 19, 2024 shows the launch ceremony of the book "Rabe and China" hosted by Beijing Union University and Research Press in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Tai Sicong)

BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The launch ceremony of a book about the time John Rabe spent in China was hosted by Beijing Union University and Research Press on Friday afternoon.

John Rabe, dubbed the "Oskar Schindler of China," and dozens of other foreigners risked their lives to set up an international safety zone in Nanjing, and thereby saved the lives of more than 200,000 Chinese people between 1937 and 1938.

The book, "Rabe and China," contains the diary of John Rabe and other relevant documents and recounts the 30 years he spent in China in places including Beijing, Tianjin and Nanjing, as well as the enduring friendship between the Rabe family and China. The diary and documents were supplied by friends and relatives of Rabe who also gave their permission for it to be used in this book.

The book was written by John Rabe's grandson, German reproductive endocrinologist Thomas Rabe. "Today is a very important day for the friendship of the Rabe family and China, which has been continuing for four generations and over 115 years," Thomas Rabe said in a video address at the ceremony.

After reviewing his grandfather's experiences in China, as well as his own collaboration and friendship with Chinese medical experts, he said that the cooperation of the Rabe family over four generations with China is proof of a strong bond between the Rabe family and China, or between Germany and China in general, today and in the future.

Ding Bo, chief editor of Research Press, said the book not only records the history of the Nanjing Massacre from different perspectives, but also interprets the mental and emotional basis of John Rabe's feat back then, as well as the efforts made by his descendants to publicize his deeds and inherit his spirit.