A Yellow Rose in Battlefield

It’s hard to imagine a river of blood here. I have lived through the horrors of war since August. Blood everywhere. All I could see was ruins everywhere. All the villages had been burned and all the poultry had been taken away.

--By Sindberg

Bernhard Arp Sindberg

Bernhard Arp Sindberg was Representative of the property rights of Denmark F. L. Smith Company in Jiangnan Cement Plant. From April to May of 1938, he was forced by the Japanese authorities to leave Nanjing and immigrated to the U.S. by way of Shanghai and Denmark. After he left Nanjing, 11 villagers in the name of refugees from Qixia District co-signed a silk banner of thanks and asked Karl Geunther to pass it on to Sindberg through the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Denmark in Shanghai. The banner bore the words of “ Brave Man of Justice”. In June 1938, he was again given inscriptions of “Friend of China” in Geneva written by Zhu Xuefan, head of the Chinese Labor Delegation.

In June, 1938, Xuefan Zhu and other members of the delegation wrote inscriptions on Sindberg’s passport in Geneva.

The patron saint of refugees

Sindberg had wanted to bring several wounded Chinese to Nanking, since he had heard on the radio that Nanking was perfectly calm, with its electricity and waterworks as well as its telephone system fully restored. He was not a little amazed to learn about current conditions. About halfway here he had to send the wounded Chinese back to Hsi Sha Shan, since the Japanese wouldn’t let him through. He took it into his head, however, that he had to press on to Nanking no matter what and walked a good part of the way before being picked up by a Japanese truck that brought him safely to the North Gate.

--Form <The Diaries of John Rabe>, 20 December

Sindberg is back in town again and has brought me six eggs and twenty live ducks, three of which breathed their last inside the sack where they were forced to stay during my office hours. Cook say:“Not matter -- keshefan --can eat!”

--Form <The Diaries of John Rabe>, 23 January

Sindberg in the Refugee Camp of Jiangnan Cement Plant

To protect the lives of thousands of refugees, they set up their own camps.

He drove between Hsi Sha Shan and downtown, delivering food and information to members of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone.

He set up hospital to heal the wounded and rescue the dying for blessing the local people.

Danish hero, Chinese friend.

Sindberg

The yellow roses of the field never fade.

Notice

Original production&Video Recording：Jiangsu Documentary Production Center

Historical Consultant&Academic Script: Dai Yuanzhi

Historical pictures are authorized by Sindberg foundation, Denmark and Dr. Gunter's wife.

Video：CCTV

Photo：360 photo, Weibo

Article：Nanjing University John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall