Danish man saved thousands from Nanjing war atrocities

City remembers acts of heroism on behalf of residents targeted by invading army

Over 107 days, Bernhard Sindberg, together with his colleagues, saved about 20,000 Chinese people from the brutal hands of Japanese soldiers in Nanjing from 1937 to 1938.

Sindberg, who came from Denmark, was working for the Jiangnan Cement Factory, then China's biggest, using the most advanced techniques and equipment provided by Denmark and Germany.

The 26-year-old Dane and his German colleague Karl Gunther hung a sign on the front door reading "Danish German Joint Venture Jiangnan Cement Factory" to avoid harassment by Japanese troops.

Sindberg also painted a giant Denmark flag that was about 1,350 square meters in size on the roof of the factory, which became the biggest refugee camp in Nanjing, then capital of China, according to Dai Yuanzhi, a former journalist who has spent years researching the history of the factory.

"Sindberg established a small hospital inside the factory to treat injured refugees," Dai said. "He also brought food and information to those people who were isolated in the international safety zone in downtown Nanjing, because Jiangnan Cement Factory had a farm and a generator that enabled him to receive information from the radio."

"Sindberg recorded many cases of Japanese troops' outrages. He also broadcast in Denmark and Geneva a documentary that recorded the Nanjing Massacre after leaving China in 1938."

According to Dai, Sindberg also asked John Rabe, a German businessman and president of the International Committee for the Nanjing Safety Zone, to submit a letter to the Japanese embassy on behalf of 17,000 refugees asking for mercy and protection.

To honor Sindberg's bravery, the refugees protected in the camp gave him a silk banner reading "good Samaritan", which is now exhibited in the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall.

Chinese records show that more than 300,000 Chinese were slaughtered during the Nanjing Massacre, which lasted six weeks, starting in December 1937.

Bai Dazhou, a Nanjing resident living in Chengguang village of Jiangning district, said he still remembered the Danish flag he saw in the Jiangnan factory.

"It protected us from being killed," said the 87-year-old. "My grandmother was killed by Japanese soldiers, and my father was chopped at the head, one arm and the waist."

Bai cherishes the pictures of Sindberg and his relatives, given to him as a gift in April 2006 by Sindberg's sister and niece.

Because of Sindberg's contribution to China, Nanjing has held activities to commemorate him and has maintained a good relationship with his relatives.

On April 28, 2000, an exhibition titled International Rescue of Nanjing Massacre was held in the city hall of Aarhus, Denmark.

On Dec 17, 2004, workers at the memorial hall met with Sindberg's relatives in Aarhus and were presented with Sindberg roses, which are named after him for his contribution.

On Feb 16, 2011, Nanjing held a forum to commemorate Sindberg's 100th birthday.

The Jiangnan Cement Factory is now under protection of Nanjing's Qixia district, and it will be open to the public before the Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in Nanjing in August.

Contact the writer at cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn

Su Guobao, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, holds a photo of Bernhard Sindberg, a Dane who protected some 20,000 Chinese. Wu Sheng / for China Daily