The sound of peace Shared | peace to the world

Remember the past to repair traumatic memories

Liu Cheng, Professor of the School of History of Nanjing University, Chair of the UNESCO Peace Studies Chair and director of the Institute of Peace Studies, visited the Nanjing Museum of the Civil War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on the eve of the 85th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. Participated in the reading sharing meeting of "Don't Forget National Humiliation, Realize Dream of China" co-sponsored by Jiangsu National Reading Promotion Association, Jiangsu Provincial Radio and Television Group, Jiangsu Provincial Book Reading Foundation, Nanjing Civil War of Resistance Museum and Nanjing National Reading Promotion Association.

Peace, flowing in the blood of the Chinese people since ancient times, has been one of the core appeals of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, as well as one of the eternal themes in literary works.  "We should draw the power of peace from history and further understand and understand peace through reading and learning, so as to move towards a brighter future," Professor Liu said at the reading. Remember the history of past trauma, not to remember hatred, but for the sake of peace. Creating a peaceful world is one of the best memorials and restorations of the traumatic past. Peace is not just the absence of war, it means more things that matter to us, like eradicating poverty and inequality. It means creating a better symbiosis between man and nature, a better space in which all people can live with greater happiness and dignity."

Actively communicate and spread the voice of peace

Over the years, China's voice of peace from Nanjing has become louder and louder on the international stage. Professor Liu Cheng, as the UNESCO Chair of Peace Studies, often makes use of international platforms to express China's voice of peace in international conferences: "Advocating peace is the best way to commemorate and repair the wounds of the past. It can also better enable more people, even people of the world, to turn the pain of a region and a city into the pain and memory of the world."

"Only if we start now, with each of us, can we possibly connect the future to peace. Peace is to be fought for, peace is to be taught, and peace is to be nurtured by each of us." Professor Liu Cheng said in an interview with Xinhua. May we take history as a mirror and face the future, so that the wounds of the past and the peace of the future can be closely linked.

Nanjing is a city of martyrdom, but at the same time a city of martyrdom and traumatic memories has a greater responsibility to build a city of peace. We must remember the history of trauma. Only by remembering and remembering history can we create a peaceful future. At the same time, how to remember the history of trauma is equally important. Creating peace is the best way to repair and commemorate the history of trauma. Nanjing became an international City of peace in 2017. Over the past few years, from the government, universities and non-governmental organizations, we have continued to build a peaceful city. In 2020, the Faculty of Peace Studies, in cooperation with the Nanjing Municipal Government and UNESCO, held the Nanjing Peace Forum, creating an international platform for peace lovers from all over the world to gather in Nanjing and practice positive peace. In the process of building a peaceful city, Nanjing changed from recalling the traumatic history to advocating the peaceful future, and turned the trauma into the pursuit and yearning for peace.

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Grasp education to create a peaceful future

"Peace is to be fought for, peace is to be taught, and peace is to be nurtured by each of us." Liu Chengdu, professor of history at Nanjing University and chair of the UNESCO Chair on Peace Studies, speaks frequently at international conferences and reading and sharing sessions, never missing any opportunity to promote peace studies and promote peace. Liu has been actively promoting peace education and encouraging young people to spread the message of peace. He said that peace education has been fully covered in Nanjing from kindergartens to universities.

In 2004, Liu Cheng opened the first peace studies course in a Chinese university at the Pukou campus of Nanjing University. Now, peace studies has become a general education course for undergraduates at Nanjing University, and has been extended to master's and doctoral students. "Every time the General Peace Studies class was full, everyone listened very carefully. What touched me was that in one class, a student who had a fever insisted on sitting on his desk for 2.5 hours of lessons." Liu Cheng told reporters.

In 2006, Liu wrote China's first textbook on Peace Science. With his efforts, more than 30 foreign famous textbooks and monographs on peace have been introduced into China. In 2017, Nanjing University was officially awarded the UNESCO Chair in Peace Studies, which is the only one in China. With this chair, Nanjing is taking the lead in building a peace studies curriculum system with Chinese characteristics that covers all academic areas and brings peace studies into the classroom.

"Peace education now covers all students from kindergartens to universities in Nanjing. Cygnet Kindergarten, Jinling Huiwen Primary School, 29th Middle School, Ninghai High School and Nanjing Foreign Language School have all become UNESCO Peace Education base schools." Liu said that they have been building China's peace studies teaching system, from courses, textbooks, training to the "Nanjing Peace Forum". "I hope that in the future, peace studies can become an independent disciplinary system, so that young people can spread the idea of peace, so that the young generation can grow up to promote global understanding, promote peace culture, and the backbone of world peace development."

This article was written by the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies,

Edited by Professor Liu Cheng, Nanjing University

Editor: Wang Minghui

Final adjudication: Li Shiqing, Sun Li