2024年11月16日上午，第八届"感恩•南京安全区"国际和平徒步活动在南京师范大学随园校区启动。200余名来自社会各界的中外人士齐聚一堂，共同徒步走过南京安全区，感受和平的力量。本次活动由侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆和国家记忆国际和平研究院主办，旨在纪念87年前在南京安全区中保护了无数生命的国际友人，以及他们所展现的人道主义精神。
徒步方阵来到位于小粉桥1号的拉贝故居，它位于南京大学校园内，是1932至1938年间德国西门子公司约翰•拉贝先生的住宅。在侵华日军占领南京期间，拉贝在其故居内保护了600多人，并以战时日记的形式记录下他亲眼目睹的日军所犯下的种种暴行，这份日记后来成为了闻名于世的《拉贝日记》。侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆馆长周峰与博西家用电器大中华区高级副总裁兼首席运营官金世峰共同浇灌了"和平之花"紫金草装置。紫金草的逐渐生长象征着和平的温暖与滋润，如同阳光和雨露对生命的呵护。
西门子公司和博西家电的员工代表也积极参与了本次活动，他们的到来不仅展现了企业对和平事业的支持，也体现了社会各界对历史记忆的共同维护。
南京传媒学院舞蹈学院的学生表演原创双人舞剧《守护》，通过艺术的形式再现87年前的惨痛历史与安全区内人道主义救援的情形。
徒步活动途径了多个寻访点，包括拉贝故居、鼓楼医院、宁海路5号、南京师范大学随园校区等，这些地点都与南京安全区的历史紧密相连。参与者们在徒步中重温历史，感受和平的来之不易。拉贝故居作为本次活动的打卡点，承载着历史的厚重与和平的希望。我们在这里见证了不同国籍、不同背景的人们共同为和平而行走，这不仅是对历史的缅怀，也是对未来的期许。让我们铭记历史，珍爱和平，共同守护这份来之不易的宁静与和谐。
On the morning of November 16, 2024, the 8th "Gratitude • Nanjing Safety Zone" International Peace Hiking was launched at the Sui Garden Campus of Nanjing Normal University. Over 200 people, both Chinese and foreign from all walks of life, gathered together to walk through the Nanjing Safety Zone, feeling the power of peace. The event was organized by the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders and the International Peace Research Institute of National Memory, aiming to commemorate the international friends who protected countless lives in the Nanjing Safety Zone 87 years ago and the humanitarian spirit they demonstrated.
The hiking group arrived at Rabe's former residence, located at No. 1 Xiaofenqiao, which is within the campus of Nanjing University. It was the residence of John Rabe, an employee of the German Siemens company, from 1932 to 1938. During the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, Rabe protected more than 600 people in his former residence and recorded the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in the form of a wartime diary, which later became the world-famous "The Good Man of Nanking" Zhou Feng, the curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, and Oliver Giersberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Bosch Home Appliances Greater China, jointly watered the "flower of peace" purple grass installation. The gradual growth of the purple grass symbolizes the warmth and nourishment of peace, just like the care of sunlight and rain for life.
Employees from Siemens and Bosch Home Appliances also actively participated in the event, demonstrating not only the company's support for peace initiatives but also the joint maintenance of historical memory by people from all sectors.
Students from the Dance College of Nanjing Communication University performed the original duet dance drama "Guardianship," which through the form of art reenacts the tragic history of 87 years ago and the humanitarian rescue within the safety zone. The walk passed through several points of interest, including Rabe's former residence, Drum Tower Hospital, No. 5 Ninghai Road, and the Sui Garden Campus of Nanjing Normal University, all of which are closely connected to the history of the Nanjing Safety Zone. Participants relived history and felt the hard-won peace during the walk. Rabe's former residence, as a check-in point for this event, carries the weight of history and the hope for peace. Here, we witnessed people of different nationalities and backgrounds walking together for peace. This is not only a remembrance of history but also an expectation for the future. Let us remember history, cherish peace, and jointly safeguard this hard-won tranquility and harmony.