A symposium will be held at Shanghai Normal University on November 9, 2026, to mark the 89th anniversary of the establishment of the Nanshi Safety Zone in Shanghai and honor the work of French Jesuit priest Robert Jacquinot in protecting Chinese refugees during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Titled "Un amour sans frontières au service de la paix " (A Love Without Borders in the Service of Peace) in French, the event will focus on Jacquinot's historical contributions and humanitarian spirit.
Established by Jacquinot in November 1937 during the Battle of Shanghai, the Nanshi Safety Zone provided shelter for Chinese civilians displaced by the war. From November 1937 to June 1940, it operated for about 32 months and sheltered approximately 300,000 Chinese refugees. The area later became known as the Jacquinot Safe Zone.
The symposium is part of the 20th Academic Activity Month (2026), organized by the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Circles. It is co-hosted by the Shanghai Society for the Study of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War, the French Association of Friends of Wu Jianmin (L'Association Les Amis de Wu Jianmin), and the Center for Urban Cultural Studies at Shanghai Normal University, a key research base in humanities and social sciences under China's Ministry of Education. The Shanghai Historical Society is a supporting organizer.
The Shanghai symposium follows a series of commemorative events held in France in 2026 to honor Jacquinot's efforts to protect refugees in China during the war.
On September 10, a bronze statue of Jacquinot was unveiled in his hometown of Saintes, France. On September 21, the China Cultural Center in Paris (Centre Culturel de Chine à Paris) opened an exhibition on his life, introducing to the French public his establishment of the Jacquinot Safe Zone and his protection of Chinese refugees.
Earlier, on November 27, 2025, the French National Assembly hosted a symposium titled "We Have Never Forgotten You — The Great Love of Father Jacquinot" (Nous ne vous oublierons jamais — Colloque sur Jacquinot, le grand sauveur des réfugiés shanghaïens). More than 200 participants from China and France attended the event.
Robert Jacquinot de Besange was born in France in 1878 and joined the Jesuit order. He came to China as a missionary in 1913 and worked in education and religious services in Shanghai.
After the Battle of Shanghai broke out in 1937, many Chinese civilians were displaced by the fighting. Faced with the growing refugee crisis, Jacquinot negotiated with Chinese and Japanese authorities to establish a civilian safety zone in Shanghai's Nanshi District.
The Nanshi Safety Zone officially opened on November 9, 1937, providing refuge for civilians caught in the war. Jacquinot's efforts also served as a reference for the later establishment of the Nanjing Safety Zone. German businessman John Rabe and others took an interest in and learned from his approach. By negotiating with different parties to secure a place of refuge for civilians amid the war, Jacquinot became an important figure in the history of international humanitarian relief.
Jacquinot left Shanghai in 1940 and continued his refugee relief work in Europe. He died in Berlin in 1946.
- Translated by Charlie Li
