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Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2020
Disciplines
Missions and World Christianity
Abstract
In April 1938, under Japanese bombers, hundreds of wounded Chinese soldiers sang army songs at Kaifeng railway station in Henan Province, China. This was the only way left for the soldiers to show their gratitude to the approximately seventy missionaries from the United States and Europe who were treating their wounded, burying their dead, and caring for their weak. From April to June 1938, these missionaries treated over 50,000 wounded Chinese soldiers. In the winter of 1941, with the onset of Pearl Harbor, these missionaries were deemed as "enemy nationals" by the Japanese army and put into concentration camps. Amidst aggression, destruction and death their songs became a voice of courage, compassion, and hope for the suffering. Among all the sounds of occupation, these international missionaries struck a unique tone that transcended the boundaries of personal welfare, political entanglements, and nation-states.
Recommended Citation
Geng, Zhihui Sophia, "Songs of Courage: Missionaries in Occupied China During World War II" (2020). Asian Studies Faculty Publications. 8.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/asian_studies_pubs/8
Comments
Published version: Geng, S. (2020) “Songs of Courage: Missionaries in Occupied China during World War II,” American Benedictine Review, 71(1).