A Better Tomorrow: Nanjing becomes China's first International City of Peace

World
Europe

Nanjing city in China's eastern province of Jiangsu has become the country's first International City of Peace, and also the 169th in the world. Our reporter Hu Nan reports.

Peace doesn't come easy. This city is bonded with a notorious massacre in World War II in which over 300,000 citizens were killed by the Japanese military.

HU NAN NANJING CITY, JIANGSU PROVINCE "What was left by history was not hatred, but the awareness of the significance of peace. Being listed as China's first International City of Peace, Nanjing is setting up an interactive mechanism among governments, universities, corporations, think tanks and NGOs, in order to establish, maintain, and create peace."

Nanjing is the first city in China to set up a Peace Studies major at a university. Two years ago, the Institute for Peace Studies at Nanjing University led the city's application to be an International City of Peace.

PROFESSOR LIU CHENG NANJING UNIVERSITY "More than ten years, we developed peace studies around China, with colleagues from Germany, America... 6 continents, nearly 50 countries are rewarded."

172 cities in about 50 countries are listed as International City of Peace worldwide, including Coventry in England, Bern in Switzerland, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Berlin, Germany.

PROFESSOR EGON SPIEGEL VECHTA UNIVERSITY "I also know this...what German did around Germany. But Nanjing is the center point of this (tragedy)... It's their responsibility to reflect this and research in this area."

Peace and development are key in the world today. Taking lessons from history, governments should enhance communication and work to reduce potential violence, while at the same time improve the justice system and safeguard human rights. Hu Nan, CGTN, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.