Sindberg: Nanjing’s Great Dane

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On an otherwise tranquil after- noon， Mariann Arp Stenvig and her husband were amidst a busy and exciting day. They were invited by the Chinese government to attend the September 3 military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of victory in the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Making their sixth visit to China， the couple faced a tight schedule packed with various meetings， including interviews， the day before“the big day” of September 3.

The Danes were invited because Mariann Arp Stenvigs uncle， Bernhard Arp Sindberg， saved thousands of Chinese lives during the horrendous Nanjing Massacre from late 1937 to early 1938， a tragedy in which 300，000 Chinese people were murdered by Japanese aggressors. “We remember Mr. Sindberg for his heroic acts， his international humanitarian spirit， and his great courage to help those in need，” commented Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Liu Biwei.

A Heroic Young Man in Nanjing

In 1911， Bernhard Arp Sindberg was born in Aarhus， Denmarks second-largest city. The fearless young man left home at age 17 and lived most of his life in the U.S. He died in California in 1983.

His passion for traveling took him to China in 1934. The young man worked several different jobs including selling Danish rifles and another as a chauffeur for an English journalist before becoming a guard at Jiangnan Cement， a factory operated by a Danish company in Nanjing.

His arrival in the city coincided with the Japanese invasion of Nanjing in December 1937， making him one of the few foreigners to witness the Nanjing Massacre.

Along with the only other foreigner in the factory， German Karl Gunther， Sindberg soon established a make-shift camp for Chinese civilians inside the cement plant， opened a small field-hospital for the wounded and did everything he could to provide food and other supplies to the refugees. Sindberg also ventured around Nanjing and the neighboring areas， recording what happened with his camera. He and his coworkers efforts lasted more than three months， from the chilly winter of 1937 to early 1938， and resulted in saving an estimated 20，000 Chinese civilians and soldiers from the brutal hands of Japanese invaders.

The Japanese in Nanjing detested Sindberg and ultimately got him dismissed， sent to Shanghai， and on a ship to Europe.“I believe my uncles life was threatened many times while in Nanjing，” says Mariann Arp Stenvig. “Understandably， his actions put him in a dangerous situation， and he always considered himself lucky. But what he did was courageous. And he was brought up to help out when somebody needed help. He was spontaneous and good at adapting to the environment and finding solutions.” Sindberg then moved to America and became captain of an American merchant fleet， where he also made remarkable contributions to the Allied cause during WWII.

Long-lasting Respect from China

Sindbergs heroic acts in China were discovered when the diaries of John Rabe were published in China in 1997. John Rabe was a German businessman who also helped and saved Chinese civilians during the Nanjing Massacre. In Rabes book， Sindberg was mentioned many times.

According to Mariann Arp Stenvig， although her uncle talked about his experience in Nanjing with family members， he hardly spoke about it to others. “It was too dramatic， I guess， and he wanted to forget it （the war）.”

To remember， an exhibition about Nanjing Massacre was held in Denmark in 2000， and a local newspaper began looking for information about a Dane who had been in Nanjing from 1937 to 1938. Sindbergs sister， Bitten Stenvig Andersen， mother of Mariann Arp Stenvig， saw the article and realized her brother was the person the newspaper was looking for.“Thats how my uncles story was revealed to more people.”

But the Chinese people never forget him. Mariann Arp Stenvig revealed that during a 1968 trip， Sindberg showed her a silk cloth from China woven with messages of thanks and names of some Chinese people he had saved， which was sent to him after he left Nanjing. “He cherished the silk a lot，” adds Mariann Arp Stenvig. “After he passed away， we gave it to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall.”

In 2004， Mariann Arp Stenvig cultivated a new yellow rose， which was named“Nanjing Forever – Sindberg Rose” by Sindbergs hometown， Aarhus Municipality， in remembrance of him. “The color yellow stands for courage and faithfulness， and thats just what my uncle personified，”declares Mariann. In April last year， when Denmarks Queen Margrethe II visited the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall， she was stunned by the yellow roses on display in the Peace Hall. “I was surprised and moved，” says Mariann Arp Stenvig， who was among the Danish invitees.

In 2010， the book 1937-1938： A Dane in Bloodstained Nanjing – Testimony on Humanity and Violence was published in China. According to the book， Sindberg witnessed and documented Japanese troops atrocities and crimes in Nanjing. Later， Sindberg submitted his report to the International Committee for the Nanjing Safety Zone and talked to the news media and other organizations in Geneva about the massacre.

“My family had intimately known Chinas efforts to fight fascism and Japanese aggressors during WWII， even before my uncle told us his stories，” Mariann Arp Stenvig reveals. “It is touching that Chinese people remember my uncle. We received the invitation to the military parade about a month and a half ago， and we were happy to humbly accept it. I believe the military parade will be fantastic， and I think it will be Chinas first military parade of this magnitude.”