Exhibition retraces Danish humanitarian's life

COPENHAGEN — The exhibition My Friend: Bernhard Arp Sindberg opened on Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, with more than 100 representatives from China and Denmark attending the opening ceremony.

Curated by students from Nanjing University, the exhibition retraces the life of Danish humanitarian Bernhard Arp Sindberg (1911-83) through photos, documents, artifacts, and interactive displays.

It focuses on his efforts to shelter and protect nearly 20,000 Chinese civilians in the Jiangnan Cement Plant during the Nanjing Massacre, a notorious atrocity committed by invading Japanese troops during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), in late 1937 and early 1938.

Chen Min, director of the German Department at Nanjing University, says the exhibition's title reflects how students perceive Sindberg, who arrived in China in his early 20s.

"His courage, wisdom, and kindness inspire the students. To them, he is not only a friend but also a role model," Chen says.

Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng praises Sindberg's legacy as a vivid symbol of China-Denmark friendship.

"Chinese people have remembered him for decades," Wang says, adding that commemorating Sindberg also serves as a reminder to cherish peace and to work together for a better future.

Mariann Arp Andersen, chairperson of the Sindberg Foundation and Sindberg's niece, and Ole Sindberg, his half-brother, also attended the ceremony. Both say that they were touched by China's efforts to honor and memorialize Sindberg.