Danish queen visits Nanjing memorial hall

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Queen of Denmark Margrethe II's five-day trip to China continued with a special arrangement on Sunday: She became the first sitting head of a state to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall.

Observers said the rare visit underscored the support from Denmark, also a victim of World War II.

She said the hall recorded the darkest history of the city, and although history cannot be changed, lessons can be learned to face the future.

The hall commemorates the more than 300,000 Chinese killed by Japanese soldiers after they occupied the city, then the Chinese capital, on Dec 13, 1937.

Inside the memorial hall, the queen and her husband, Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark, visited the corridor adorned with photographs depicting Bernhard Sindberg, a Dane who helped save up to 20,000 Chinese during the massacre that lasted for 107 days.

Sindberg, along with German colleague Karl Gunther, established a camp for Chinese inside the Jiangnan Cement Factory, run by a Danish firm. They also set up a small field hospital for the wounded and tried to provide food and other supplies to the refugees.

"Sindberg was a witness of the Nanjing Massacre and was one of the foreign friends who protected Chinese refugees," Zhu Chengshan, curator of the memorial hall, told the queen.

Su Guobao, a survivor of the massacre, told the queen that he lived in the refugee camp as a10-year-old.

"My family survived because we received a silver coin and some rice from Mr Sindberg," said Su, now 87.

Mariann Stenvig, Sindberg's niece, who joined the Danish delegation, said: "We are so proud of Sindberg for his courage during the wartime to save people's lives."

"After he gave me a silk banner reading 'Good Samaritan' given by the refugees, I presented it to the hall for people to better remember history," she said.

The queen is scheduled to conclude her second visit to China on Monday.

Questions:

1. Who is the Dane who helped save up to 20,000 Chinese during the Nanjing Massacre?

2. When does Queen Margrethe II end her second visit to China?

3. Who is the queen’ husband?

Answers:

1. Bernhard Sindberg.

2. Monday.

3. Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark.

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.