In order to bear the stresses of their missionary labor, it was essential that missionaries to China have a respite in the form of a summer vacation in addition to the furloughs they were required to take every seven years. One of the collateral consequences of the Mukden incident was that the Danish missionaries were unable to spend their summer vacations at their usual location, Bei-Dai-He.
Bei-Dai-He had long been a vacation spot for Protestant missionaries of all denominations, even before Anna Bøg's time. In August, 1913, the Irish Protestant missionary physician, Dr. Isabel Mitchell, wrote, "'It is the last night in this dear little cottage by the sea, and I am all alone. What a lovely holiday it has been! Five weeks without a worry or cloud of any kind, and I have built up a store of health and a whole mansion of happy memories, and if I don’t go back for a good hard happy healthful year’s work after all this, I shall be an ungrateful wretch.'" Mitchell then went on to describe an interdenominational Communion service she attended that last evening, in which Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterian and Congregationalists (but not Lutherans) all participated.
Although she was only nine years old at the time, Rev. Niels Buch's daughter, Kirsten Berggreen Buch, remembered well as an adult the impact of the Mukden incident, which occurred while she, her family, and other missionaries were on vacation in Bei-Dai-He in 1931. Here are the memories she described to us in her letters:
“…[M]issionary life is not only hard work but also holiday! We had a wonderful place [Bei-Dai-He, meaning] “North of the river”, a long beach, going riding on donkeys or mules to nice places: The Lotus Hills … The owner ran after the donkey. … [W]e galloped away with the owner running breathless after us. I remember I had a peaceful donkey, whereas my brother sat in state on a mule. As soon as we appeared in the summer time the owner came to wish us welcome and then we could just call them. It was customary that I offered a ride to my guests on my birthday –between 8-14 friends.In the late 1930s, however, the missionaries found a new location for their much-needed rest and recreation. It was in Korea which, like Manchukuo, was ruled by Japan:
“But then came the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and [Bei-Dai-He] was taken over by the new rulers. A lot of summerhouses were … taken over by upper class people, military and others.”
“.. . . just 'south of the wall,' Bei-Dai-He [was] near the town called Qin-huan-dao. But during our last stay there in 1931, we got a telegram from our embassy in [Peking], telling us to return to Manchuria immediately. On September 18, the old city [Mukden] … was bombed by Japanese forces. And in the following months, Japan occupied all Manchuria. ('My' town, Harbin, was in the hands of Japanese forces from February 1932). . . . I do remember the last trip home from 'our summer paradise' Bei-Dai-He, quite well. The wagon had several holes from gun-bullets. We traveled in deep darkness during a long night home to Manchuria. In Bei-Dai-He many Danish missionaries had their most wonderful summer experiences. Now it was 'closed land' for 'us Manchurians'?”
"Another place was found in the late 30’s: Sorai in Korea. A high peninsula was bought by an American missionary, Dr. Underwood (from the Underwood Typewriter Co.) And he then sold parts of the land to all missionaries interested. Most of them were, of course, Americans, but also some of the Danish missionaries bought a piece of land with a little house with a very important veranda. (My father only rented for two years one of the houses from an American missionary on furlough.) Anna and Elise bought a little house.Sources:
"We had some wonderful experiences there: Sunday services, 'point-meetings' out at the very point of the peninsula every Wednesday and Sunday evening with a lot of singing from the 'Fellowship Hymn Book' . . . The youngsters from the boarding school in Pyongyang (Am.) played the trombone or horn, and funny anecdotes were given by different people.
"A special thing every time: Mrs. Underwood – or some other lady -- said . . .: 'I have an announcement!' It was usually about a picnic, or a 'clam chowder dinner' down at the beach, etc. The Americans were fantastic with many ideas. For the youngsters there were: 'tennis and swimming competitions' . . . swimming to an island called 'Star-fish' (about 4 km.) Yes, the days at Sorai Beach were full of charm. And the Danish school children gave a show [with] Danish folk-dances, … gymnastics and a little sketch in English … [At] the end of the summer vacation I remember the American youngsters often had to say goodbye to Korea and go for further high school study in [the] USA. At the 'point-meeting' we then all sang the hymn: 'God be with you, till we meet again!' . . . But with World War Two all the American friends disappeared to [the] USA."
Buch, Kirsten Berggreen; letters to authors dated August 11,1999, and November 18, 2005. (Parenthetical comments are by Ms. Buch; our edits are in brackets.)
O'Neill, F.W.S. (Ed.); Dr. Isabel Mitchell of Manchuria (James Clarke & Co., London, 1917), pp. 135-136.
Images:
1 - 1908 postcard of Bei-Dai-He (also called Pei-Tai-Ho), from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.
2 - Anna Bøg, second row left; Astrid Buch (wife of Rev. Niels Buch); Kirsten and her brother Børge, July 1931
3 - Elise Bahnson, far left; Anna Bøg far right, entertaining the women missionaries at Sorai Beach
4 - Panoramic view of Sorai Beach
Images 2, 3, and 4 courtesy of Kirsten Berggreen Buch.
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