Hundreds of people from China and abroad participated the “Nanking Safety Zone” walking event organized by the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders at the Nanjing Normal University (NNU) Suiyuan campus.
Nanking Safety Zone was a demilitarized zone for Chinese civilians set up on the eve of the Japanese breakthrough in the Battle of Nanking, now Nanjing, in 1937. Some 20 foreigners created the zone, managed by the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone led by German businessman John Rabe. The zone helped save the lives of over 250,000 Chinese civilians during the massacre.
Under the theme of gratitude and peace-loving, the walking route followed the zone’s old border and passed historical sites including the former residence of John Rabe, No.5 Ninghai Road, which was the former headquarters site of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone, and the Ocean Defense Education Hall before returning to the campus, formerly a refugee camp at Ginling College in Nanking, the first four-year women's college in China. The whole route was 8 kilometers long and the walking continued for about two hours.