"On September 22, the head of a woman looking out from the air-raid shelter was gone."
"On October 17, many people were talking about the use of poison gas by the Japanese. The Japanese claimed that it had been ascertained that the Chinese used it. Toxic gas, this must be an excuse, they are preemptively.”-Bella’s diary
83 years ago, that is, in 1937, after a German and his wife came to Yantai, China, he was heartbroken to see the war-torn Chinese people. I don’t have much power, I can only write a diary, record what I see every day, and save 250,000 Chinese people with my limited conditions. This kindness is unforgettable for us. When we learned that he was killed in his later years, the Chinese raised 100 million yuan to rescue him. This person is John Bella.
In 1882, Bella was born in Hamburg, Germany. He was a merchant family. His father was a good captain when he was still there, but he passed away without accompanying him for a few years. After Bella graduated, he went to the firm to take care of the family. Be a buddy. In 1908, he came to China's Siemens Company, and since then forged an indissoluble bond with China. In 1934, he joined the German Nazi Party. When he joined, he must have never imagined that he would be affected by this identity in the future. When
was in China, he met his wife, and in this place, the two forged a deep bond. Although China was backward at the time, he deeply loved his job and the land because of being here. He has the best memories of him and his wife. He also wanted to live happily on this land with his wife. If he wants to settle down, it is also possible, but he did not expect that this idea will be completely broken in more than 20 years. .
In 1931, this was a difficult year, and it was also a disaster-prone year. On July 15, the Japanese created the Wang Baoshan incident, followed by a catastrophic flood, and more than 50 million people suffered. During the 18th Incident, the country fell into distress for a while, wars continued, the people were displaced, their families were destroyed. At this time, Bella has been appointed as the Nanjing Deputy Minister of the German Nazi Party.
In 1937, Bella, with a humanitarian spirit, watched the suffering people feel distressed. At that time, Nanjing failed to defend the war. Nanjing, a square inch of land, became a paradise for the Japanese to do evil. It is mentioned in Bella’s diary To: "Sunny days were originally gorgeous and beautiful, but it became the most terrifying time here, because as long as it is sunny, Japanese planes will bomb." At the same time, people pray for rain every day, Bella, September 26, 1937 The number wrote: "We have peace on rainy days."
In the diary, Bella tied herself to the people of Nanjing. He did not use "I" or "them", but "us". After the fall of Nanjing, a massacre that lasted for 6 weeks took place here, and the whole city was plunged into a pool of blood. This place, which has witnessed the prosperity of Chinese dynasties, instantly became a hell on earth. Bella and the people are affectionate and single-minded. Facing this catastrophe, he decided to do something.
So he hung a German flag outside his courtyard so that the Japanese would not dare to come in. After that, 600 Chinese were squeezed inside, but there are still so many people in the city. This place is completely insufficient. ! He united his foreign friends to set up 25 refugee shelters for himself and where they work, and these 25 shelters saved 250,000 Chinese. After
, Bella’s was reported by the Japanese, and the Siemens company in China could not go on. Bella was taken back to the country, but 250,000 of them avoided the massacre. After World War II, the world was peaceful, but Bella was arrested because she was a "Nazi" and lost her job, leaving her family in trouble.
In 1948, Bella’s family could no longer be opened, because of his special status, many work environments did not need him. When this news spread to China, the people of Nanjing, although they were not wealthy, raised 100 million yuan to Bella, which was changed to US$2,000 to help Bella and his family. Past.
However, Bella suffered a stroke when her life was getting better and she left in January 1950.The world. To commemorate Bella, the tombstone of John Bella was moved to Nanjing in 1997. The people of Nanjing will never forget this kind German and will always remember his kindness.
