John Rabe, the Nazi Leader, Who Became “the Living Buddha of Nanking”

Abstract

During the World War II, John H.D Rabe, a Nazis German business man, saved hundreds thousands of Chinese under the gun of Japanese army during the Rape of Nanking. The article aim to answer the question: Why, John Rabe, stood as the opposite of Japan—German’s ally, risked his life to save those Chinese? Through reading and analyzing Rabe’s diaries, we may conclude that there are several explanations which related to his political position, life experience in China, love of Chinese culture, and personal ties for the question. War is a game of inhumanity, cruelty and indifference. Even in these dark times, there is a humanist who maintains his reverence for life and his cultural zeal, and who stands firm at the point of a gun, even at the cost of risking his life.