(1947) Communists Attack Kiaohsien¶

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Tsingtao barred 10,000 refugees from entering the city. The police screened residents, hunting for communists. It was said they screened 6,000. The city was a goal for the communists for obvious reasons. Some 60,000 Communist troops according to the Chinese press attacked Kiaohsien which was only twenty-seven miles from Tsingtao, but were beaten back. Withdrawal of American troops continued in China.1

Eventually, the communist troops did occupy Tsingtao.

Kung En-yung was murdered execution style (possibly in Wangtai). Kung was Oscars best friend. A telegraph from Gerty informed the Swedish newspaper Vecko Posten on October 10. Hedvig - I believe it was - check her diary. - wrote a memorial in the same issue of the Vecko Posten about Kung.

January¶

With continued fighting and the railroad in bad shape travel was difficult and mail services disrupted or non-existent in many areas including Kiaohsien, but mail was moving in Tsingtao. When the children were home for the holidays and returning to school in Tsingtao, the Rinells had them carry their letters to be mailed or they found someone else to carry them to Tsingtao. In a letter to her sister Edith in the United States Gerda wrote, 'Hope that you by now have gotten mother's letter that she wrote and sent with the children to Tsingtao. I don't know how soon these lines can be mailed but I'm writing some letters these days hoping it will be possible to get them sent." - Letter from Gerda Rinell to Edith Rinell, January 13, 1948. - Gerda's letter did get through to Edith. A Chinese woman hand carried Gerda's letter to Tsingtao where it was mailed. [In Tsingtao?] Lally would open letters that had arrived and tells the rest of the family the most important matters [by telephone from Tsingtao?]. The missionaries were hoping the situation would change soon. Rumor had it the American were to repair the railroad, and would take it over for a period of twenty years. "We don't know what all this is about," Gerda writes. "We have no news from the outside."

Egron and Gerda needed to book their journey to Sweden on a flight in April or May for their much needed furlough, but first they needed definite word from Oscar and Hellen as to when and if they were returning. Transportation was not a sure thing during these times.They certainly could not leave China until Oscar had arrived to run the mission. If they were able to leave for Sweden they hoped that Hedvig would join. She broke her hip the previous year, had a caste put on at Aberrance, and was on crutches for a while. During the summer she was doing better, and stopped using the crutches. She had a lot of trouble with her leg during the winter however, possibly due to the weather, and refused to use the crutches again. She didn't want to "go back" to them. She had to keep her room at home warm to feel comfortable. Gerda was eager that Hedvig make up her mind and join on the journey to Sweden. If the leg got worse she couldn't make the journey at all.Letter from Gerda Rinell to Edith Rinell, January 13, 1948.

If the family did go to Sweden it would mean pulling Lally out of school in Tsingtao and Johnny in Kaomi. Gerda didn't like the idea. She did not want to pull them out of that school and put them in a Swedish school again. Both were getting along pretty well in school, and Johnny very much enjoyed his school mates. Lally was working hard and hoped to graduate in June and she was happy to have Janet [who is she?] back again. It would have been better, she writes, for him to complete in 'A' [what's that?] school.

February¶

In the middle of February of 1947 the railway line between Tsingtao and Tsinan was open for a week thanks to the repairs of the Nationalist army. However, the Communication Police continued to neglect their duty to protect the railway. The Communists got busy again. Every night sections of rail were blown up while the Communication Police sat safe and satisfied in the towns and did nothing to stop them. Travel and thus much communications was cut to Tsinan.The trains then were running only between Tsingtao and Kaomi, but just a few days later only to Lantsuen because the bridge over Tao-Ko-hoa was blown up.

Rumors started to spread that the Communists were again advancing toward the towns. Many Chinese fled toward the bigger town of Tsingtao where they thought they might have more projection. The mission's schools were empty within an hour, the students disappearing like smoke as Gerda relates. The Communication Police first encouraged the townspeople to leave Kiaohsien, but soon ordered them to leave. The road to Tsingtao was as crowded as a market day in town. The days were very cold and the nights colder. Many died before they could reach Tsingtao. At Tsanko people were stopped and asked if they had the required permits to enter Tsingtao. They did not, were not allowed to enter the city, and so were left exposed through the winter nights without shelter. Many froze to death. Small children were especially vulnerable. They got wet from the rains, during the night their clothes froze, and their small bodies were surrounded by ice. Before morning they were dead. Eventually the authorities in Tsingtao let these newly created refugees into the city, but the city could not cope with all these people. Nothing was organized. There was no where to put them. Each refugee family had to fend for themselves.

March¶

On Saturday the first of March the Kaomi mission car drove up crammed full of people. In it were the Jansson family, Johnny Rinell and some Chinese. Kaomi, they felt, was not safe so had piled into the car and left for Kiaohsien. Of course Kiaohsien was not safe either. Though the Communication Police said that they would hold the city, it became apparent that first week of March that the town would certainly fall to the Communists.

On the third of March Gerda and Martin drove into Tsingtao to settle a few things there, and returned to Kiaohsien. Later in the week Egron developed a terrible toothache with his face swelling. He needed to see the dentist. Besides there were letters to send to the mission board in Sweden and money matters to be taken care of. It was apparent they would be experiencing a time of isolation in Kiaohsien, and so needed to take care of as much business as possible in Tsingtao, and probably they would have needed to buy some supplies. They divided up errands so they could get back to Kiaohsien by evening.They didn't dare plan to spend the night in case changes took place in Kiaohsien.

On the eighth of March Martin, Gerda, Egron and Johnny started off about 6:00 AM for Tsingtao. They drove out Kiaohsien's city gate just after six. The guards smiling, waved them on. The day before they asked the guards about the Tsingtao road. The guards had said that all was OK going east toward Tsingtao.

They hadn't traveled no more than perhaps two Chinese li when they saw that the telephone lines had been cut.

"The Reds have been here," Egron said. "We better turn back home."

"The Reds are always busy at night," Martin countered, "and they usually don't do much during the daytime. I think it is OK to continue."

They drove on, but Egron still felt uneasy and murmured, "they 'cut' of the telephone lines is too close Kiaohsien this time."

They came to the first village. Johnny saw a couple of soldiers peeping through a door. Alarmed Johnny said, "Those where communists soldiers! Let's go home quickly!"

Martin dismissed this. "Nationalist soldiers have come up from the south. Perhaps they had new uniforms that just look something like the communist uniforms."

They drove into the next village where they were stopped by some soldiers. They were communist soldiers. They were in trouble.

The soldiers ordered Egron and Martin to accompany them to their headquarters. Gerda and Johnny were allowed to stay in the car. After a while Egron and Martin returned to the car and said Communists would not allow them to continue to Tsingtao, but they were free to return to Kiaohsien. That was no problem. They were happy to be allowed to return home. They turned the car around and were very thankful that they were able to get away so quickly.

Driving past the village where Johnny had first seen the soldiers peering out of the the door they had only about eighteen li to go to to arrive back home in Kiaohsien, and the morning was still young. They were hopeful there would not be any more problems. As they were driving communists soldiers started coming out of houses, and on the road before them had been blocked by the soldiers using farmers' tools. Looking to the side they saw a man throw a red flag into the air, and then drop to the ground. Bullets started whistling around them. "They shot like mad," Gerda writes. Gerda and Johnny got down on the floor. Egron and Martin got out of the car and waved their hands over their heads showing they were unarmed and not a threat. Still the soldiers kept shooting. Gerda raised herself from the floor of the car, and looked out of the car window. Egron was taking cover in a ditch. She saw a bullet - Could she actually see a bullet fly just over Egron's head and embed itself into the bank of the ditch.

Still shooting the soldiers nervously walked up to the car, yelling. Egron quickly told the soldiers that their headquarters had given them permission to drive back to Kiaohsien. They weren't interested. They had their own headquarters, and they were taking them there. They suspected that the soldier who originally gave them permission to go back home and phoned ahead and told these soldiers to capture the car full of foreigners.

After some discussion they took Egron and Martin with them and left five or six soldiers to guard Gerda and Johnny. The guards were very rude, trying to intimidate Gerda and Johnny who tried to remain calm.

"Aren't you afraid of us?" a soldier asked.

"No I am not," Gerda answered. "I've never had to be afraid of Chinese, and you are Chinese too."

Gerda's answered pleased the soldiers.

Johnny began to speak to the soldiers in real Kiaohsien Chinese dialect, which surprised the soldiers. Here was a white kid speaking like a native. They all laughed, spoke with Johnny, and were having a good time. They were just like children, Gerda thought. If one could lead their interest away to another subject, the soldiers forgot they should be guarding these foreigners, and instead socialized with them.

Two hours passed until they saw Egron and Martin walking toward the car, still well guarded. Gerda could sense they they were not bringing good news.

"We are now prisoners," Egron said.

Egron and Martin got into the car, and were told to turn the car around. The soldiers stood on the running board, as they all drove to the soldiers' headquarters, which was a commandeered house. Next to the house was a smaller house with three rooms. They were taken to the west room and guards stationed with them. The room had a k'ang, and they all got up on it hoping to warm up a bit, but the k'ang was cold, the room was cold, and the day was cold. The owner of the house, an old lady, was terrified when the Communist came during the night, and demanded use of her house. Now that they had brought in foreigners who were prisoners she didn't dare to stay at home. She ran away.

They were questioned all day by one or two soldiers at a time. Some were officers the missionaries surmised because they were a little more educated and more clever than the others. It was difficult to know though. One couldn't tell by their uniforms if they were officers or not. Each soldier asked the same questions, probably to see if the answers given by Egron, Gerda, Johnny and Martin were consistent. As the soldiers asked the questions, the missionaries asked if they could go home. The only answer given was that it was too dangerous to travel. Indeed, in the distance they could here the sound of battle between the Communists and the Nationalists in Kiaohsien. Gerda went up to one of the soldiers who she guessed to be an officer, and asked as politely as she could if they could not leave before dark because they had an elderly mother and a small child at home, and they were expected home that evening. The officer smiled and said unsympathetically, "we also have mothers and small children at home."

The soldiers gave them nothing to eat, and there was nothing to eat in the village. All the villagers had fled when the Communists arrived. Mrs. Feng [who was she?], however, had sent some Chinese bread with Gerda for her children in Tsingtao, and Gerda brought twenty eggs to give to her daughter Lally who was in school in Tsingtao. They asked the soldiers if they could have some of the straw from the yard to make a little fire. The soldiers agreed. The missionaries boiled the eggs and ate the dry bread. During the evening the Red's spies who were possibly Communist soldiers dressed in civilian clothes would come in from different geographical areas to report what was going on beyond the village.

About 7:00 PM the soldiers told the missionaries to go to sleep. Though it was a little early to sleep they tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible on the k'ang, knowing that sleep would be elusive due to the hard k'ang, the early hour and the stress of the situation in which they found themselves. Sleep was even more difficult since the soldiers periodically entered the room, shined a light in the their faces and counted the number of heads, ee, er, san, she (one, two three, four) to be sure that no one had, somehow, escaped.

Their time of 'sleep' was short-lived. At about 10:00 PM a soldier came into the room, a soldier who was not one of the officers, and inexplicably told them they could go home. Though of course very happy with the idea of going home they were very concerned about traveling at night due to possible danger and the poor roads. They had not traveled at night in China for perhaps twenty years. They especially did not want to travel now given the clear and present danger, and more disconcerting was they were afraid they could be driving into a trap.

They asked if they couldn't wait until morning. The soldier left to ask an officer, and soon returned saying that they must leave. He said that he and the other soldiers were all leaving that night. If the missionaries remained they would be captured again if other troops came during the night. They had to leave and that was all there was to it. The missionaries felt very uneasy about the whole idea.

They all got up from the k'ang and walked out into the night. It was a moonlit night, "gorgeously bright and wonderful". The night was so bright they would not have to have the car lights burning, which was a good thing.

They all got back into the car, but they could not get the car. The car was old and the night was cold. They all got back out of the car and heated some water over the a fire [to poured it over the engine?]. They worked very slowly in order to delay their departure. [They poured the water of the car engine?] but "the car stood where it was and didn't' t seem to have any intention to move," according to Gerda. They told the soldiers again that the did not really feel like going. The soldiers insisted. They would be moving north that night. They also mentioned that all the soldiers along the big road had already left.

Still they could not get the car started. Later the soldiers did indeed leave the village, leaving the missionaries on the outskirts of the village trying to encourage their car to start. The time was nearly 12 midnight. They saw shadows coming up from the roads and ditches toward the village. Once in the village the shadows kept close to the houses and walls, moving quietly. These were probably the new troops the soldiers were talking about. The missionaries also made as little noise as possible.

After a few minutes the missionaries were surrounded again by communist soldiers. These soldiers, like the soldiers who had captured them initially, were nervous. They had been fighting all day and saw enemies in every corner, and did not know what to think about these 'soldiers' in the middle of this deserted village in the middle of the night. The missionaries told them their story.

They were afraid they would again be captured. However, one young soldier knew how to drive, not a common skill, a got interested in the car.

"If you could give us a push perhaps we could get it started," Egron said. Before they tried pushing the car to try to start it, a soldier who was a bit older than the rest and looked like a decent fellow walked up to Egron saying, "You know you shouldn't drive out now. It's very dangerous." However, it was debatable if they were in more danger now or in more danger driving through the countryside. One of the missionaries got into the driver's seat, took the break off, and put the car into neutral while the rest pushed. When the car was gaining some speed the driver popped the car into gear and the car started. The others jumped in, and they drove off leaving the soldiers behind.

Gerda remembered that she could still feel the movement of the car over the uneven road and the sound of the engine. She wished the engine would make less noise, but sound of the car engine stood out starkly in the quiet of the night. "The Moon spread it's light over the fields and we saw far away over the fields to small villages around," writes Gerda.

They came to the first village, but the guards did not stop them. Twelve li from Kiaohsien they came to the familiar temple with pagoda when bullets started to whistle pass them. The barrage of bullets was even worse than before. [Gerda writes that she had not been afraid during the whole day, and even now she "had a reassurance" the bullets would not hit them.]

Soldiers rushed up from every ditch, and came running from the surrounding fields. Egron and Martin again quickly got out of the car waving their arms while bullets flew around them. Johnny said to Gerda, "Now they'll kill us Mother." Gerda writes that "if ever I prayed in my life it was then." ["And still I can't understand that we came out of that inferno and back home again. Nothing but a wonderful answer to our prayers."]

Hundreds of bullets it seemed were fired, but none of them found their target. The soldiers reached Egron and Martin. While others pointed their guns at them Egron and Martin were searched. Egron's gold [pocket?] watch was taken, a precious gift from his father.

These soldiers were more rude than the first, and more dangerous. While they held Egron and Martin, other soldiers forced Gerda and Johnny with guns to their backs to run as fast as they could up toward the temple and pagoda. Arriving at the temple two officers received them as if they were their very best friends. Other soldiers were also present. A small fire was burning in the middle of the temple. One of the officers said in a most kindly voice, "How is it that you are out in the night, when fighting is going on? Aren't you cold? Please come right up to the fire, and warm yourselves."

Gerda and Johnny approached the fire and Gerda talked to the officers as nicely and politely as she could while trying to keep an eye on the road to find out what was happening to the men. In the temple soldiers were coming and going. After some time soldiers started preparing stretchers. Gerda wondered if Egron on Martin had been wounded in the fighting after all. However, after a while the men came walking up toward them temple on their own legs.

Egron and Martin had explained that they were given permission by the previous group of soldiers to return to Kiaohsien. This group of soldiers, however, said that they had nothing to do with the previous group who had held them prisoner, so they were taking them to their headquarters to see what should be done with them. Gerda and Johnny were allowed to return to the car, while Egron and Johnny were taken away. Gerda sat in the car, well guarded, and waited and waited.

The soldiers assigned as guards were not very old, but were boys really. They began to talk to Gerda and Johnny. They said they were hungry and wanted something to eat. Gerda had a little of the Chinese bread left, and so gave it to them. The soldiers were pleased.

The men had been gone for a long time, and Gerda was wondering why things were taking so long. "How far away are your headquarters," Gerda asked the young soldiers.

"Sixty li from here," one responded.

"Well, then our men can't be back before tomorrow!," replied Gerda.

The time was approaching 2:00 AM, but still the light of the moon in the night illuminated the countryside like day.

A soldier came and told their young guards that they all had orders to go North. One of the soldiers, a little fellow of sixteen or seventeen years, walked up to Gerda and said in stern and grim voice, "If you start your car, since we have left, both you and your son will be shot. Do you understand?"

Gerda replied, "Fang sin." She had no keys. Martin had the keys when he and Egron were taken away. There was no way they could leave even if they wanted to, but Gerda was thinking, "Who will shoot us if they all leave?"

The guards joined their comrades as they left the area. Gerda and Johnny were alone on the road. She was very happy to have Johnny with her. Being left all alone in this hostile environment in the middle of the night would have been very difficult. And, Johnny had been very brave the entire day and had a very pleasant way of dealing with the guards, making friends with them and so making the situation much easier.

Now they waited for Egron and Martin.

On their way to the headquarters Egron and Martin were taken to a village north of the railroad. They asked their guards where the headquarters were located. The soldiers said headquarters had been moved to the Kaomi district. They would all have to walk sixty li to get there, just what the guards had said to Gerda and Johnny. Of course Egron and Martin certainly did not want to walk that distance nor be separated from Gerda and Johnny that long. They talked all they could about their planned trip to Tsingtao, and how they were taken prisoner, and were promised that they could return home. One of the soldiers finally responded that they had a small office in the village, and he could take them there, which he did.

In the makeshift office they met two young soldiers. Upon hearing that these two foreigners were missionaries one of the soldiers asked, "Do you know Mr. Culpepper of Hwanghisen?"

Surprised Egron said, "Yes, we do!"

"He was my teacher!"

Mr. Culpepper was a missionary, and a teacher in another mission school. Now that was something worth talking about, which they did. Of course, this put their status as prisoners immediately in a different light. After a while the soldier told Egron that he been in Kiaohsien when he and his fellow soldiers arrived in 1946. He knew about Egron and his mission schools. They talked for some time more, and finally came to the point concerning their unsuccessful trip to Tsingtao and 'man-man-di.' [What is this?]

"Could you not grant us permission now to go back to Kiaohsien?" The young soldier [who was probably an officer] agreed.

"Is it possible that you can give us an escort back to our car?" This the soldier was very reluctant to do because they were all given orders to move north. Egron and Martin, not wanting to walk back through the hostile countryside without protect, politely insisted. In the end the former mission school student provided an escort. After thanking their benefactor Egron and Martin headed off with a number of soldiers. However, when they had all walked for a while the soldiers said they were leaving. Egron protested. The soldiers said that all their soldiers had left for the north, so they could safely continue on alone.

Egron and Martin had no choice. With much trepidation they continued walking through the countryside, passing a graveyard, not knowing if soldiers were hidden behind bushes or among the graves of a graveyard they passed. Suddenly they saw a group of soldiers approaching though they were difficult to make out in the moonlight. The soldiers were calling out, "What is the password?"

Egron and Martin had no password to give. They could hear the soldiers preparing their weapons [putting bullet in the chamber?] as they moved closer. Several tense and fearful minutes for both the soldiers and the missionaries followed with Egron explaining in his excellent Chinese who they were and why they were out there in the middle of the night. Egron talked until the soldiers calmed down. Egron and Martin had survived what Egron considered perhaps their most dangerous time in the last twenty-four hours.

"Could you please provide an escort for us to our car?" asked Egron.

"No we cannot," a soldier responded. "We are all going north. This time, however, nobody will be coming after us. We are the last."

Egron and Martin did not cross paths again with soldiers. Once they reached the car to the delight of Gerda and Johnny they tried again to get the old car going. They didn't want to stay any longer in that spot. But, no luck. With one behind the steering wheel the others pushed the car for some li, trying as they had done before to get the car going. Finally, they the old car started. By about three o'clock in the morning they drove up to a village not far from Kiaohsien, but dared not drive further. The town was in Nationalist Chinese control. The countryside round about them may still be in Communist Chinese control. Their situation was still very precarious. They could be fired upon by either side. In the daylight they could safely approach the walls of Kiaohsien.

They waited in the village until 6:00 AM. Thankfully, the car started. Soon they were at the ancient town gate. The gate was blocked by sandbags, "and on top of the wall "our wonderful Communication Police," Gerda writes. The Communication Police told them to wait a moment and they would take away the sandbags, and open the gate. This they did and Egron, Gerda, Johnny and Martin drove into their home town. It was Sunday morning. They were now relatively safe, but not for long.

Surprisingly, the guards did not ask them a word about their trip although fighting had gone on the day before [at Kiaohsien?]." You would think that they should be very eager to know about the situation east of the city and even wanting to hear where we had spent the time because they must have understood that we couldn't get through to Tsingtao," Gerda writes.

They got to their homes before Johnny's grandmother, Hedvig, and Anna [Martin's wife?] were up. Later they related their harrowing experience during the previous twenty-four hours. Hedvig and Anna had been anxious for them, but surmised they could not make it back from Tsingtao the previous evening as planned, especially considering that Egron had to see the dentist.

Later in August Gerda, Egron, Johnny and Martin found out from a Nationalist officer more about their being taken prisoner by the Communists in the countryside in March. The officer said that he and his soldiers were on the other side of the river when the missionaries were captured. The Nationalists had spies in the village, and they knew all about what was going on with the missionaries. Some of the Reds wanted to kill the missionaries so they could take their car. Others were against it because they didn't want to kill foreigners. Those who wanted to kill the foreigners could not get a majority to agree. They compromised. They would send the missionaries out into the night, and shoot the missionaries as they were driving and the whole thing would look like an accident. Apparently, they did not get opportunity to shoot them. The missionary group had been stopped and captured by other troops. What had seemed to the missionaries to be a curse, their [second?] capture, may well have been a blessing. Their lives may have been saved when captured the second time.

The day after Gerda, Egron, Johnny and Martin's return to Kiaohsien which was a Monday, fighting continued outside the town. Though many townspeople had left previously, and so the town was partially depopulated still the Nationalist soldiers [Communication Police?] held the city.

In the evening, just at they were having their supper, they heard tremendous explosions. Running outside they saw large fires in four different places in the city. Chinese neighbors quickly came to the relative safety of the mission yard. Everyone was scared, both missionaries and townspeople. Soon they all realized that the Communication Police were destroying their munitions so it would not fall into communist hands, in anticipation of their own retreat from Kiaohsien. After all the munitions were destroyed the Communication Police all walked out of the East Gate leaving Kiaohsien to the Communists. By morning the Communists were in control of Kiaohsien. For the first two weeks the missionaries and townspeople saw big fires at the railway station, and afterward along the railroad. They [who are they? the Communists presumably] burnt everything that was made of wood including all the railway bridges. Nothing was left of the railway station, the barracks or other buildings. [Destroying the bridges meant that the Nationalist Chinese army could not bring troops into the area by rail.]

With the Communists in control of Kiaohsien, [the railway bridges destroyed], and Tsingtao in the hands of the Nationalists, a period of isolation began. For six months they had no mail. Now and then they could get small notes through to Tsingtao carried by Chinese friends who kindly, though putting themselves at risk, smuggled them for the missionaries. The Chinese usually carried the notes in the broad hems of their clothing. In the same way the missionaries were able to get money drawn from accounts in Tsingtao to Kiaohsien to support themselves and the little mission work they were able to carry on.

During theses six months the communist soldiers came frequently. They would come right into house, go to every room, open any drawer, looking anywhere they pleased. Sometimes they came late in the evening or came early in the morning before the family was dressed, and sat in the house all day. However, they did not come in the middle of the night as they did at Matilda's house in Chuch'eng. Mathilda said that for a long time she rarely undressed when going to bed because soldiers would come, bang on the door, and demand entry immediately. If a door was not opened to them right away, they would break the doors open.

In Kiaohsien some of the soldiers were ignorant, some rude and terrible, and others were nice. Many or most were just country boys. The missionaires felt that those soldiers from Chuch'eng were a bad lot.

One day a group of soldiers came. They went everywhere in the house. The missionaries had to watch and follow them around the house. Hedvig was living in the downstairs living room. Considering its central location she had soldiers tromping in and out of her room. Egron and Gerda watched them as best the could, and 'entertain' them trying to deal with this intrusion as much as possible as if this was a visit. If they were treated by them as guests, perhaps the soldiers would act as civilized guests. [Provide them with tea and conversation or what?] They did not notice that one of the soldiers went upstairs. Gerda went upstairs to the bedroom, and was very much surprised as was the soldier, possibly, to find him looking at himself in the mirror. When Gerda entered the bedroom the soldier left. When Gerda left the [her?] bedroom into the hall she saw "a great flood." The soldier had urinated against the wall, no doubt to show disrespect, and to pay Gerda back for walking in on him. "The wall was wet far up and the floor was like a little lake," Gerda writes. Rather than being angry, Gerda laughed at the immaturity of the soldier.

Egron was wonderful during these frequent visits over the many months. They came in "great flocks" according to Gerda, but Egron received them as if they were his most beloved friends. He talked with them for hours. And, they had many questions. His mind was quick and it had to be to give the right answers to the questions. Gerda felt like disappearing somewhere, but Egron steered the events as much as possible into civil and possibly safer events.

Little Margaretta also helped a lot. Many of the Chinese had never before seen a white child. They could not get over her light hair, and the little child could speak Chinese They marveled and often forgot to be rude when Margareta was in the room. Even the family's pet bird helped. Given earlier under a different occupation by a Nationalist officer to little Margareta, the bird distracted the soldiers from their task at hand. And, again when Johnny was at home he had a natural and friendly way with the young soldiers that always seemed to calm a tense situation.

Still with the discomfort of all these visits by the the communists soldiers, they did not have to go through what their Chinese friends and neighbors had to go through. The homes of all the wealthier families, many parents of who sent their children to the mission's schools, and who had been so friendly and kind, had their homes thoroughly looted. First the Communists soldiers looted the most valuable items. Then they allowed others from the town or countryside who amounted to no more than mobs to loot at their pleasure. The missionaries could not go out much during the Communist occupation, but when they did they saw the wonderful things including Chinese furniture, porcelain, statuettes that were for sale on the open market or taken away to Tsingtao. Before the looting the missionaries did not imagine the people of Kiaohsien had such beautiful things in their homes. It was a sad thing to see.

Fortunately, many of the wealthier Chinese had left Kiaohsien when the town was taken over by the Communists, but some were still in Kiaohsien and some of these people were killed. Most of their stories are lost to history. One episode, however, was recorded by Gerda.

Just before Christmas a nice looking Chinese fellow came to the mission compound asking if the missionaries had seen his mother. He looked all over the mission yard, and even went into the kitchen. He said he had dreamed about his mother that night, and that she would be in the garden, because here at the mission it was nice and warm. The young man it turned out was the only son of a wealthy couple in town. His father was beheaded and had to be buried without his head, which is a terrible thing for the Chinese. They also killed the young man's wife. The son went crazy when he saw these things happen. He then wandered around looking for his mother, who was missing, and talking about how they never found his father's head. This is just one of hundreds of stories.

The missionaries had eight different houses scattered in Kiaohsien. Egron "ran like a watchdog" between them all discouraging gawkers, looters, and squatters. The soldiers at the very least, wanted go into the houses and look around to satisfy their own curiosity. Many grew up in little hovels and wanted to see 'grand' houses. Other soldiers wanted comfortable house to confiscate to live in. The stress was great on Egron. Besides confronting armed soldiers about their intentions or actions, not knowing what the Communists would figure out what to do next even if they were not doing anything presently, was a big strain.

April - Oscar and Hellen Return¶

Oscar and Hellen having taken furlough in Sweden, returned to China arriving in Shanghai March 3rd. [Verify that they didn't return to China in 1948]. Dollan had stayed in Sweden to attend nurses training.

Oscar and Hellen then flew to Tsingtao [possibly in April] which was in Nationalist hands. From Tsingtao they crossed no-man's-land to Kiaohsien where they continued their work. Kiaohsien was under the rule of the Communists at the time. Any Christian mission activity had already stopped in the country churches. During the next one and a half years communist soldiers visited the Rinell's garden and home every day and at any time of the day.2 However, the missionaries had opportunity to make many contacts with people and were allowed to carry on religious services.

Summer¶

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Bud Holmquist & Herman Vanarsdale
1944
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Van, who Dollan had met in Tsingtao, and Dollan kept writing. Around the summer of 1947, Herman Vanarsdale asked Doris to marry him. She accepted. In Sweden Dollan choose the silverware they use for years to come in the USA. She bought linen. One cotton table cloth was embroidered with their initials. [Not sure if it was his initials or both of theirs]. Van asked Dollan to leave nurses training and come join him in the USA. She said she would first finish her traing and then travel to the States to marry him.

However, it was hard to keep a relationship going with thousands of miles and an ocean separating you, especially during the late 1940s when travel from Europe to America was done by ship, and across land masses by car or train. Communication by phone was not always easy and was expensive. Letters could take weeks to arrive. The engagement did not last long.

Van called it off. He had met or got reaquainted with a girl back home. Dollan was hurt and angry.

Shortly after Dollan contracted polio, and had to quit nurses training so she could not infect both staff and patient. She didn't know what to do.

Dollan began corresponding with the young marine Bud Holmquist whom she had dated in China. On [gave date] she left Sweden to marry Bud in Chicago. With little money she sold her Chinese stamp collection for one hundred crowns to buy a pair of shoes.

July¶

In the beginning of the month the missionaries and the townspeople saw the Reds "run like rats" and the Nationalist Chinese army take over Kiaohsien. This was a great relief and a joy. Knowing that the Communists were gone, thousands of people returned from Tsingtao. But after only six days the Nationalist were running and the Reds taking over the town again. All those who had returned from Tsingtao had to run again. The skies opened up and the rain fell in torrents. People were wading through mud to get away, clogging the roads to Tsingtao.

In another month [August?] the Nationalist returned yet again. After some fighting [presumably] the Nationalist drove out the Communists, and again the Nationalist army was in possession of Kiaohsien with many soldiers occupying the city. The missionaries and townspeople hoped against hope that this time they would stay, and not abandon the town. The Nationalists repaired the walls and other defenses, and said how important Kiaohsien was for Tsingtao. Holding and protecting Kiaohsien also protected Tsingtao, the even more important coastal city and harbor to the east. The situation looked hopeful at the very least for a long term occupation by the Nationalists.

Not much time passed, however, when word spread to the contrary. Nationalists troops were abandoning villages in the vicinity. Townspeople once again started leaving Kiaohsien and Kaomi in great numbers. Still the soldiers stayed in Kiaohsien continuing their litany that they would continue to hold Kiaohsien.

On November 16 the mission started weekly meetings lead my a young Chinese pastor from Tsingtao by the name of Pastor Wang. Staying at Egron and Gerda's home, and they were impressed with him. A very nice fellow, well educated, speaking good English he "is as a Chinese young man when he is [at] his best." He held good meetings for the people. At this time also the mission schools, close previously by the Communists, started up again. With the schools going again and public meetings being held by Pastor Wang, things were feeling like normal once more.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the students started leaving for Tsingtao. Word was spreading that the Communists were returning. Townspeople started leaving in droves. Still the Nationalist soldiers said they would not leave. Pastor Wang had to be back in Tsingtao by Friday night an Gerda was to take him. By Thursday nearly all the Chinese people associated with the mission had left. Not many people remained to attend Pastor Wang's meetings. The Rinells asked Pastor Wang what he would like to do. As long as the Nationalist soldiers were still in town, he would continue to wait until the next day to return to Tsingtao.

Waking up Friday morning they all find out that the Nationalist troops, who had claimed the would not abandon Kiaohsien, were leaving the town, and had been doing so since 3:00 AM that morning. The question was what to do with Pastor Wang. Was it safe to bring him back to Tsingtao. They quickly got together for breakfast and at the breakfast table discussed what they should do. They decided that they would hop in the car and bring him over the river. He would then be on the 'safe side' and they could get back to Kiaohsien before the Reds arrived. Though initially the plan was for Gerda to drive Pastor Wang, Egron did not of course, like the idea of her traveling along, especially considering their experience the previous March. He climbed into the car too.

The streets were crammed with civilians, wheelbarrows laden with family members and personal goods, soldiers and military vehicles. Going was slow. To get to the East Gate took an hour when normally it would have taken [how many minutes?]. As they were going out the gate it became obvious that it was impossible for them to drive the 30 li to Tsingtao [confirm distance] and return before the Reds took over Kiaohsien. Pastor Wang knew how to drive a car, so they asked him if he would not be willing to drive himself. He was perfectly willing but was afraid the crowded roads would slow him down to a crawl, and delay him, especially with the Reds close at hand. They had ben driving in a line of six Nationalist military trucks. Egron quickly got out of the car and approached an army officer.

"Excuse me. Would you kindly take responsibility for our car? Our friend is on his way to Tsingtao."

He was willing. For some reasons the officer had two ladies and a body guard accompanying him. He put the ladies and the body guard in the car, and all continued on their journey to Tsingtao. Egron and Gerda made their way against the river of human traffic to their home to wait for the Reds.

With the road clogged with people, carts and vehicles of various sorts, Pastor Wang continued at a snails pace toward Tsingtao. At the river three big army trucks drove first onto the bridge followed by Pastor Wang in the Rinell's Ford. When still on the bridge, the first truck's engine died. Try as they might, they could not get the old truck started again. Hearing shooting behind them them the Nationalist soldiers were very eager to get across and then destroy the bridge so the Communists would have difficulty catching up with them. After talking it over, they turned the truck's steering when toward the side of the bridge, and with all of the soldiers pushing, sent the truck into the river. Pastor Wang continued on to Tsingtao.

That afternoon Reds showed up at Egron and Gerda's home. Though Communists by association they were bandits in reality. For three days these bandits tried to take away things from the Rinells, but with protests from the Rinells were kept somewhat at bay. Though at other trying time Gerda maintained her calmness, this time she felt her heart racing and her who being feel sick with fear and apprehension. She was, perhaps for the first time, very scared.

Sunday morning the bandits came again demanding the Rinells give up their car. Egron and Gerda said the car was in Tsingtao. The bandits ordered the Rinells to open the garage so they could see for themselves, and saw they were being told the truth. They then demanded that Egron open Oscar's storeroom, but Egron talked them out of it. Seeing the telephones they demanded the phones be given to them. From the various buildings they walked off with five phones, and said that next they would go through all the rooms in all the buildings in the compound searching for what they wanted. However, the did not have time to do so.

Gerda felt this latest visit may be her undoing. She could not see how she could remain any longer in Kiaohsien. With the events of the previous spring, alternating army occupations, danger and suffering around her for so long she had enough. The soldiers could burst through the doors at any time. She could not sleep. She was fearful and panicky. In her present mental state, she reasoned, she would be a burden to Egron and the mission if she stayed. She should leave China.

As a last hope she prayed that God would take her fear away. And it happened. Her anxiety and fear disappeared completely. "All my fear went away and now I don't mind a bit being here."

Three days later the regular Communist troops entered Kiaohsien. The Rinells guessed these bandits were sent before the regular troops to plunger what they could be for their regular troops arrived.

As it turned out the Communists were much better than they had been in the past. Their great leader (Mao?) had given some kind of proclamation to treat people better. [Was this proclamation assumed by Gerda or did he really give it?] The soldiers visited their homes less often, and though there were some rude soldiers, those that did come to the mission compound were more polite. They were changing their tactics.

Now everyone was waiting to see what the Nationalists would do. Actually, the townspeople and the missionaries had not gotten very good impressions of the Nationalists either, but they still preferred them to the Communists. The Nationalists were consistently friendly toward them and they have it much easier when they were occupying the town. And, when the Nationalists are in the road is open to Tsingtao. They and the people of Kiaohsien are then not so isolated.

The people suffer whoever governs the place, however.

Nationalist returned again and stayed until 21 of November.

Christmas¶

Lally and her brother John attended the Tsingtao American School (TAS) One German source on the web gave the address of the school as Hunan Road 3, Tsingtao. See http://www.tsingtau.info/index.html?namen/l.htm at this time where Janet Reinbrecht was a senior along with Lally. The students were mostly American and ally military personnel kids, children of officers who were brought over from the USA along with the officer's wives, and missionary kids. However, also attending the school were German kids since the German school had been discontinued and the American school used their buildings, White Russian kids whose 'families had a dreary and sad history of being refugees for many years,' and children of businessmen of other nationalities. Lally and John were the only Swedes, but a girl from Estonia a country near to Sweden also attended. Rinell, Lally. 'Some facts about the Communist take-over of Kiaohsien (Jiaoxien now again called Jiaozhou) and Tsingtao (Qingdao)'. Document file name is 'Communist-Takeover'. The United States military supplied nearly everything needed for school, including basketballs.

One day shortly before Christmans Lally and Johnny's cook, Yang Shefo, from their home in Kiaohsien arrived at their school in Tsingtao. He reached up into his sleeve and pulled out a short message typed by their mother on thin rice paper. Egron and Gerda would like the children home for Christmas. Yang Shefo would take them.

Traveling at to Kioahsien from Tsingtao could be risky. The Nationalist Chinese were occupying Tsingtao and vicinity on one side, and the Communist Chinese occupying Kiaochow on the other, and the two armies were often shooting at each other. Lally and John could not travel by train, and could not travel by road between the two armies, and could not cross the bridge over the river separating the two armies. There was no bridge. It have been destroyed [true?] But if they got to the river, they could cross it without any problem because the river was frozen.

Lally and Johnny thought they would ask the General of the Chinese 8th army if it was safe to travel. His office was on the same street that their grandfather, Johan Alfred, owned a house though Johan Alfred and Hedvig did not live in the house. The guard allowed them in, and they were shown the reception room. In typical Chinese style, the rooms was furnished with large easy chairs lining the walls. After a while the general's wife came in, and they were served tea. They exchanged some small talk as was customary in Chinese custom, and then Lally asked if it was safe to travel to Kiaohsien at present.

Suddenly the general's wife did not understand what Lally was saying. Instead she asked Lally, "How can it come that your face is so white?"

Lally thought she would wait a bit to ask the question again. They continued to do some more small talk, and then Lally asked a second time if it was safe to travel to Kiaohsien.

Again the general's wife asked, "How can it come that your skin is so white?" When the general's wife repeated this question the third time Lally and Johnny thanked her for the tea and left. It had become rather obvious that for whatever reason the general's wife was not going to give them any useful information.

Since they could not find out if traveling was dangerous or not they decided to try it out and see for themselves. Martin Jansson had the mission car in Tsingtao. He said he would drive them as far as he dared lest the car be confiscated [by whom?]. He drove the kids past the outlaying town of Tsangko and into the town of Sifang. In Sifang they noticed that the streets were empty, and no one was visable in or around the houses the passed. So, Martin thought it was not safe to drive any further. Lally and Johnny got out of the car and began walking.

They managed to hire a Chinese with a 'wheelbarrow', a common means of transportation at the time, and he in turn took them as close as he would dare to the river. [Lally does not remember hiring a wheelborrow]. Outside the town on the main road were other travelers including several squeeky wheelborrows.

As they approached the river banks of the Dagoho River Lally, Johnny and the Chinese suddenly found themselves in the middle of shooting between the Communists and Nationalists. They all ducked down in a sandy ditch as bullets flew over their heads. The ditch did not offer much protection bccause it was very shallow due to the sand deposted by the river. Lally was also worried that Johnny and she stood out from the others, making them more obvious targets. Johnny was wearing western style clothes unlike anyone else in the shallow ditch, and Lally was taller than anyone else. As the shooting continued a bullet buried itself into the sand just next to them.

After a some time a Communist soldier came close to them and cried out, "Go over to the other side of the River. It is safe there in Communist land!" A man fell to the ground ahead of them. The shooting lasted for ten or fifteen minutes. Then they all, two Swedes and the Chinese travelers, crossed the river, and found the man who had fallen. He was dead, shot through the head [did Lally and Johnny see the dead man or hear about it later?]. [Could they cross because the river was nearly dry as Lally said or was frozen over as Gerda said?]

They were not out of trouble. At first it was quiet on the othe side of the river. They walked on to the village of Xiao Mawan and then the village of Da Ma Wan where their father, Egron, was waiting for them. In his pocket he had a document from the Kiaohsien authorities permitting him to travel to meet his children, who were coming home to celebrate a foreign festival.

Soon they were approached by other soldiers possible communist or possibly bandits - sometimes it was difficult to tell who combatants were. These men were sweating and nervous, and quite possibly had just been involved with the fighting with the Communist soldiers. They were a rough looking bunch.

[Note:The above confrontation is Gerda's telling of the event.Confirm this paragraph.]

[Lally related the following which is quoted:]

We were stopped by a nervous guard standing at his post.

Then there was a rather queer conversation:

Guard: Who are you?

Dad: We are from Jiaozhou and I have come to fetch my children who have been in Tsingtao.
(He showed them the travel document …. But the soldier was illiterate!)

Guard: Are you American?

Dad: No we’re Swedish.

Guard: What is that? – I’m sure you are American!

Dad: Sweden is a little country on the other side of Russia!

Guard: I still think you are Americans!

Another guard came up at this point. The first soldier told him to go and look at Dad’s hair. The fellow was quite short and had to tip toe to reach Dad’s hat. He exclaimed: This is American hair!

The second soldier could read a little and he noticed that Dad had the title ‘Yuan Zhang’ which could be Principal of a School for higher education – but it could also be the title of an officer in the army. This added to the confusion, and Dad had to explain that he was not an American, not an officer but the principal of a Chinese School.

At last an officer turned up, and he could read. – So we were permitted to go on the few miles left and arrived safely in Jiaozhou at last.

[Gerda related the following which is not quoted. Verify if true or not.

The combatants readied their rifles. Young Johnny walked up and started talking to them in Kiaohsien 'to-wha' or dialect which eased the situation a bit. [Gerda believe Johnny did so. Check with Johnny].

Egron hired another wheelbarrow and accompanying porter for the ride back to the mission station. Two climbed on the wheelbarrow and the other walked with the porter.

After Christmas it was time for John and Lally to return to Tsingtao. They did not want their father to accompany them due to the danger and because he might attract more attention as an adult. They would have an easier time if they were encountered by soldiers because they were kids. With a servant they left again for Tsingtao taking a wheelbarrow to the river, which they crossed with no incident though they heard shooting in the distant. [Lally says that on the way back they met the daughter of Johan Alfred's cook and they all shared a wheelborrow on the way back to Tsingtao. Lally does not remember this. It It was, years later, that the daughter said they shared the wheelborrow back. Check with Johnny to see if he remembers. 'They continued on to a village where they were able to get rides on Nationalist Chinese army trucks back to Tsingtao.2 Lally and Johnny never had another chance to return to Kiaohsien. In May 1948 they left for China for Sweden and didn't come back.

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Footnotes

"Tsingtao Continues its hunt for reds," [no citation given, no date. Surmising this is 1947 from articles on same and previous page, 229 of collected articles. Probably from the Tsingtao Times.]
Above story from an interview with John Rinell by LJH in San Luis Obispo, California, circa 2000 and from a letter from Gerda Rinell to Edith Rinell, dated Kiaohsien, September 23, 1947 and January 7, 1948. Gerda worked on the letter at these two dates, not posting it until sometime after January 7, 1948. Also story from a document by Lally Rinell entitled 'Some facts about the Communist take-over of Kiaohsien (Jiaoxien – now again called Jiaozhou) and Tsingtao (Qingdao)' which was an attachment to an email to LJH on January 13, 2008.

CHAPTER

Foreign Devils: A Swedish Family in China 1894 to 1951
© 2012-14 Lennart Holmquist
Lorum • Ipsum• Dolor • Sic Amet • Consectetur

Updated: 10-Feb-2017

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