Ji Ran (1893 – October 1939, zh, 寂然法师) was a Chinese Buddhist monk and humanitarian who orchestrated the sheltering of 24,000 refugees during the

Nanjing Massacre The Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly Chinese postal romanization, romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians, noncombatants, and surrendered prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army in Nanji ...

(1937–1938). In his capacity as the supervising monk (jianyuan) of Qixia Temple in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

, he founded the temple's Buddhist Refugee Shelter, the single significant sanctuary created and administered exclusively by Chinese during the horror.

Biography

Refugees in the Qixia Temple Refugee Shelter

Born in 1893 in Dongtai County,

Jiangsu Province Jiangsu is a coastal province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the third smallest, but the fifth most populous, with a population of 84. ...

, and bearing the prevalent surname Yan, Ji Ran entered monastic life during his adolescence. In 1909, he received the complete precepts at Baohua Temple in

Zhenjiang Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and ...

, attended the Da Che Hall of Jiangtian Zen Monastery in Zhenjiang, and thereafter traveled to Qixia Temple in Nanjing, where he served as the supervisor of the monkhood. In December 1937, when Japanese forces invaded

, Ji Ran, with the assistance of monks Da Ben and Zhi Kai, opened the temple gates to civilians and soldiers seeking refuge, including Nationalist officer

Liao Yaoxiang Liao Yiaoxiang (; 16 May 1906 – 2 December 1968), was a high-ranking Kuomintang commander who successful fought against both the Imperial Japanese Army and Chinese Communist forces. Apart from General Sun Liren, he was one of the few National ...

, whom he concealed in the sutra repository for several days before facilitating his escape through foreign-supported networks. Despite limited resources, Ji Ran allocated 1 million jin (600 metric tons) of temple grain, limiting monks' meals to a single bowl of porridge daily to support refugees. He chronicled the crimes committed by Japanese invaders in petitions, particularly the Appeal to All Humanity (on January 25, 1938), which enumerated mass executions, sexual abuse, and the confiscation of agricultural cattle, subsequently forwarded to

John Rabe John Heinrich Detlef Rabe (23 November 1882 – 5 January 1950) was a de-nazified NSDAP member, diplomat and businessman best known for his efforts to stop war crimes during the Japanese Nanjing Massacre and protect Chinese civilians. Th ...

and preserved in the ''Rabe Diaries''. To dissuade Japanese invaders, Ji Ran used a legend concerning a Buddha head that was returned following the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

, persuading troops to spare hundreds seeking refuge in the temple. He communicated with Japanese commanders via his Japanese-speaking student, Yue Ji, and once erroneously ascribed a soldier's death to an accident to avert reprisals against 20,000 refugees. Overwhelmed by these endeavors, Ji Ran died at the age of 46 in 1939. His memory is maintained in the UNESCO-listed Qixia Temple Refugee Shelter Memorial Stele and the film '' Qixia Temple 1937''.

References

{{Authority control People assisting Chinese during the Nanjing Massacre People from Zhenjiang 1893 births 1939 deaths