THE Journal by John Rabe,, Precious testimony of the Nanjing massacre, made the guards of a memory shared with China.
Thomas Rabe poses next to the statue of his grandfather John Rabe in the company of his wife. (Photo provided by Thomas Rabe))
In the southern part of the Gulou campus of the University of Nanjing (Jiangsu), a German -style residence in gray bricks stands in the shade of the trees. This former residence of John Rabe (1882-1950), then representative of Siemens in China, now houses a memorial dedicated to man whose courage saved tens of thousands of lives during the Japanese occupation. It was between his walls that he wrote his famous newspaper – capital testimony of the atrocities of the Nanjing massacre.
From the portal, a bronze statue of John Rabe welcomes visitors with a calm and firm look. Hidden from the bustle of the city, this peaceful home offered a refuge to countless Chinese refugees during the invasion of Nanjing by the Japanese in 1937. To date, an anti-aircraft shelter built by Mr. Rabe himself still remains in a corner of the court.
Among the pilgrims from all over the world, a silhouette captures looks: Thomas Rabe, grandson of John Rabe, honorary professor at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and president of the John Rabe exchange center. Since the public opening of the old residence in 2006 to the public, this septuagenarian has returned to it tirelessly, transforming family heritage into a cultural bridge. Through concrete actions, he undertook to promote exchanges and cooperation between China and Germany in the humanities and medical treatment, reactivating humanism from its ancestor to the contemporary era.
A duty
Born well after the disappearance of his grandfather, Thomas Rabe grew up in the ignorance of the heroic acts of John Rabe. “My father, Otto Rabe, born in China, often told me anecdotes about everyday life and Chinese culture, but never talked about dark years,” he confides the suddenly slower voice. It was only at university, when he discovered the handwritten newspaper, that the young medical student became fully aware of the exceptional destiny of his ancestor.
In 1908, young John Rabe set foot on Chinese soil for the first time. After having lived in many cities like Beijing, Tianjin and Nanjing, he fell in love with this land, where he got married and had children. “On the eve of the occupation of Nanjing in 1937, all urged him to leave the city, but my grandfather chose to stay. He considered it natural not to abandon the Chinese in distress, because he had long benefited from the generosity of China and his people, ”explains Thomas Rabe.
Under the fire of Japanese bombing, this sense of duty gave birth to an unprecedented act of resistance: the creation of the security zone, this 4 km² sanctuary which saved 250,000 lives. John Rabe’s own house also served as a refuge. With the neighboring German school, it hosted more than 600 homeless civilians. He traveled the city to collect funds, food, drugs and basic necessities, without ever worrying about his own safety. The inhabitants of Nanjing nicknamed him the “living Buddha of Nanjing”.
“With a characteristic rigor of the Germans, my grandfather recorded the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in more than 2,000 pages of document and a hundred photographs,” said Thomas Rabe, extremely proud of the courage that his grandfather showed to protect civilians.
Thomas Rabe and his wife visit the historic and cultural district of Miaoying Temple in Beijing, July 9, 2025.
A conviction
“The humanitarian exploits of my grandfather during the Nanjing massacre remain a cornerstone of our family values, and transmitting the historical responsibility contained in his newspaper constitutes a mission for me,” said Thomas Rabe.
“Before his death, my grandfather gave my father his newspaper and all the associated historical documents, and my father transmitted them to me. In 2016, Thomas Rabe donated his grandfather’s historic newspaper to the China National Archives, a gesture heavy with meaning. This manuscript, now registered in the UNESCO MEMORY OF THE WORLD WORLD, remains one of the most complete testimonies on the Nanjing massacre.
“No one can erase history, and everyone has to face it,” says Thomas Rabe. I would be relieved if Japan could finally recognize this past and apologize. If it happened, my family’s efforts would be crowned. It was also the wish of my grandfather. »»
With his wife, Thomas Rabe created six international exchanges dedicated to the memory of his grandfather in Germany, Romania, Spain and China. In addition to preserving historical archives, these centers present to the public the history of the massacre of Nanjing, tell the overwhelming story of these foreigners who, at the risk of their lives, have protected civilians, and make John Rabe shine.
The courage, fraternity and the search for peace is how Thomas Rabe sums up the spiritual qualities of his grandfather. In these times of divisions and growing conflicts, he particularly emphasizes the importance of transmitting this spirit to the young generations of the world: “For that, I devoted ten years to writing the book Rabe and China. It is not only a personal biography of my grandfather, who traces his thirty years of experience in China, but also a book intended to perpetuate the friendship of the Rabe family with the Chinese people. It should be mentioned that all the copyright revenues from this publication will be used to support the humanitarian cause.
In China, he is a highly respected descendant of the Rabe family, while in the German medical environment, he is a renowned gynecological endocrinologist. After having devoted nearly forty years to the maternity hospital at the University of Heidelberg, Thomas Rabe has made remarkable contributions in the fields of gynecological endocrinology and reproductive medicine.
In 2013, on the recommendation of his peers, Thomas Rabe joined the international team of Professor Ruan Xiangyan, specialist in endocrinology and reproductive medicine at Beijing maternity affiliated with the University of Medicine in the capital, thus marking a new chapter in Sino-German medical cooperation.
Faced with the global challenges linked to the preservation of fertility in cancer patients, he shared the fruit of his research carried out for several years, allowing the team to lead to revolutionary advances: the first graft of ovarian fabric Cryocorenserized in China, the first post-transplantation natural pregnancy, then the first birth of a perfect health. These three major breakthroughs in the field of reproductive medicine allowed China to access an international leader in this sector.
Thomas Rabe (1st g.) At the 2nd orchid prize ceremony, in Beijing, July 10, 2025
A transmission
“The Chinese people honors the memory of John Rabe for their immense love of life and their pursuit of peace,” often repeats Thomas Rabe. For the grandson of the “Just of Nanjing”, these words pronounced by the Chinese president Xi Jinping represent the greatest distinction that his grandfather has ever received.
This historical recognition has been accompanying Thomas Rabe has always been. In 2015, he received the medal in Beijing commemorating the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression; In 2018, he was awarded the Chinese government’s friendship price, the highest distinction given to foreigners; And in 2025, he had the honor of being appointed Ambassador of Friendship during the ceremony for the delivery of the 2nd orchid prize.
“These honors do not come back to me alone, but to our whole family whose links with China last for 117 years,” says Thomas Rabe with emotion, stressing that his family still considers China as his second homeland. Today, this deep friendship continues to perpetuate himself: his son Maximilian Rabe, perfectly sinophone, takes up the family torch by continuing the activities of the John Rabe exchange center.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese assault and the anti -fascist world war. For Thomas Rabe, the spiritual heritage of his grandfather remains fully alive: “Peace requires everyone’s commitment. Faced with injustice, our duty is to act, even with limited means, ”he concludes.
