They braved the war to protect their neighbor. What if this inheritance became our compass to build the future?
Souvenir boots, symbolizing the service and sacrifice of Canadians who got involved in Halifax to fight in Europe, presented in CIBC square during a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe, in Toronto, May 8, 2025
The shadow of war has always hovered over history. However, even in the darkest hours, the light of humanity has managed to unravel the darkness, like a star guiding consciences.
The rescue of British prisoners from Lisbon Maru by Zhoushan fishermen during the Second World War, or the protection of Chinese civilians by John Rabe during the Nanjing massacre, embody this glimmer of hope. These heroic acts transcend borders and differences, beyond simple individual courage to become living fragments of collective memory.
They remind us that the essence of peace is rooted in human mutual aid, mutual recognition and dignity shared between peoples.
Compassion does not know the borders
It is in extreme contexts that the deep essence of humanity is revealed.
In 1942, the Japanese ship Lisbon Maru, transporting nearly 2,000 British prisoners of war, was torpedoed off Zhoushan (Zhejiang). Under the threat of Japanese fire, local fishermen saved 384 British soldiers by risking their lives – an instinctive act of human solidarity, pure of any calculation. In the midst of the cruelty of war, these fishermen had the intact light of human goodness sprang. A kindness that abolishes all the differences to touch the common heart of our humanity.
The Nanjing massacre between December 1937 and February 1938 shaken the global conscience with its inhumanity. Faced with war crimes of an incredible barbarism, the German businessman John Rabe made the heroic choice to create an international security zone, saving nearly 250,000 Chinese civilians. At the same time, he recorded in his notebooks the monstrosities committed by the Japanese army, documents which today constitute one of the most overwhelming and irrefutable historical evidence of this period. Through his commitment, he refused indifference to suffering, with a courage of conscience which strongly recalls that humanity is measured by its resistance to barbarism, even in the worst circumstances.
An act of bravery becomes history
These acts of humanitarian courage are never limited to the moment they have accomplished. They cross time and weave lasting ties.
During the drama of Lisbon Maru, the disinterested intervention of Chinese fishermen sowed in the hearts of the survivors a deep gratitude. Decades later, these soldiers and their descendants undertook a pilgrimage to China to thank the families of their rescuers. This reunion, imprints of emotion, have transformed a story of survival into a collective memory.
This dialogue between generations and nations recalls an essential truth: mutual aid and gratitude can overcome forgetting. More than a historical account, this transmission is a bridge between peoples, a persistent light against the shadows of war.
John Rabe’s action in Nanjing has permanently marked Sino-German relations. His grandson, Thomas Rabe, continued this mission by broadcasting the newspaper of his grandfather and promoting medical exchanges between the two countries. This approach, faithful to the family spirit, has helped to strengthen bilateral bonds of friendship.
In China, John Rabe’s memory remains alive. The gratitude of the Chinese people has turned into active support for the sino-German rapprochement. This dialogue, nourished by mutual recognition, raised the individual heroic act of rabe to the rank of symbol of cultural cooperation. This story shows how an act of humanity can transcend borders and generations.
Peace is built on a daily basis
True peace is not limited to the absence of war – it is a daily choice, nourished by justice and empathy. Whether it is John Rabe or the fishermen of Zhoushan, their actions embody the same truth: peace is built in concrete action.
Each preserved life, each gesture of solidarity across borders represents a sustainable seed of peace. Faced with the Hobbesian vision of a humanity dedicated to brutal competition, these historical stories offer a different response: our very survival depends on our ability to cooperate.
The events of Lisbon Maru and the Journal of John Rabe are not only historical facts – these are living evidence that mutual aid constitutes the true foundation of human societies. Far from being a utopia, non -violent cooperation turns out to be our most essential survival strategy.
At the heart of our collective existence is punching a fundamental need for harmony and support. This aspiration manifests itself in common interests, flourishes by mutual tolerance, and reaches its peak in a transcendent cultural symbiosis. The community of destiny for humanity represents the most successful expression.
These historical stories, lightning of humanity in times of crisis, testify to the transgenerational permanence of solidarity. UNESCO also sees it as essential educational resources to embody its holistic vision of a culture of peace – living synthesis of respect, tolerance and social cohesion.
The transformative approach to peace education finds its foundation there: developing the capacities to transform opposition into constructive dialogues. In a world always confronted with conflicts and persistent challenges, these historical stories remind us forcefully that human goodness and solidarity constitute our most precious resources.
These teachings invite us to honor all human life, to practice concrete altruism and to encourage active solidarities, opening the way to a pacified future, where the light of our common humanity will guide, like a polar star, the generations to come.
*Liu Cheng is a professor at the University of Nanjing History Institute and holder of the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies.
