Johan Alfred Rinell


Johan Alfred Rinell was a Swedish missionary to China sent by the Baptist Union of Sweden. In China his mission work included philanthropy, disaster relief, postal work, and education.

Early days in Sweden and Norway

Johan Alfred, as he was known, graduated from Stockholm's Bethel Seminary in 1891. During his time at seminary Rinell was encouraged toward mission work by the British missionary John Hudson Taylor who was lecturing at the seminary. After a short period of time as a pastor in Fredrikshald in Norway, where Rinell married the Swede Hedvig Jansson, the couple sailed for China via England in 1893 and arrived in China in 1894.

Journey to China

On Thursday, November 9, 1893, Johan Alfred and Hedvig set sail on the ship Torsten from Gothenburg, Sweden, bound for London, England. For three and a half months they studied English, which would be more useful than Swedish during their travels and in their future in China.
On Friday, March 2, they made their way to the Port of Tilbury where their ship, the Victoria, was docked.
The ship lifted anchor at 3:30 pm on a beautiful sunny day and sailed toward the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. On board were about 200 people including other missionaries bound for various countries. Among the other missionaries was Anna Holtz who would join Johan Alfred and Hedvig in China.
Over the course of several weeks they sailed by way of Gibraltar, Malta, Brindisi, Egypt, Aden, Columbo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and ended their journey on Friday, April 22 at the port town of Chefoo. Their ocean travel by sea with a few short stops in between lasted 52 days.
Their final destination would be the town of Jiaozhou in Shandong province.

Early days in China

From Chefoo the Rinells and Anna together with another Swedish missionary, Johan E. Lindberg, hired donkeys, mules and a driver for the 88 kilometers, two day, journey southeast to Jiaozhou. The women each rode in a luózi 骡子, consisting of a large basket suspended by two poles with a mule in front and one behind. Each of the men rode a baggage-laden mule or walked to give the mules a break.
Johan Alfred and Hedvig had been in China only five months when the First Sino-Japanese War broke out between China and Japan putting them and other internationals in possible danger.
The American consul in Chefoo arranged for the American warship USS Charleston to bring American citizens to Chefoo for their safety. The Swedes were invited to come along. The party left Jiaozhou for Pingdu on Saturday, February 2, 1895. In Pingdu together with other Swedes, Americans, and now British headed toward San San Saddle on the northern Shandong coast.
On the way the group, now numbering 14, tried to enter the fishing village of Laizhou on the northern coast. The villagers, alerted that foreigners were approaching, began firing cannon from the hillsides and from boats on the coastline in hope of scaring off these foreigners. They thought they were invading Japanese.
The party retreated and found accommodation “together with barrels, chickens, donkeys, and dirty children” Hedvig wrote, in another village. Some of the villagers even gave up their kangs for their unexpected guests.
After arriving at the coast they boarded the American gunboat USS Charleston which brought to the port town of Chefoo and safety.
Johan and Hedvig fled Jiaozhou again in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. While fleeing the German custom house in Mato in which they were staying was set on fire. No one was hurt during their flight and all made it to Chefoo safely. Though they and their party escaped injury it was not the same for many others.
During the Boxer Rebellion 136 Protestant missionaries including 53 children were killed, 2,000 Chinese Protestants, 47 Catholic priests and nuns, 30,000 Chinese Catholics, and 200 to 400 Russian Orthodox Christians were estimated to have been killed. Of the approximately 230 Westerners killed during the Boxer Rebellion, about 56 were Swedish men, women and children, about a quarter of the Westerners who died.

Last days

Johan Alfred died in Qingdao and was buried in the International Cemetery of that city in 1941. The Chinese Christians of Jiaozhou raised a stone memorial commemorating his work. The International Cemetery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

Written works

Books
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred and Johan H. Swordson. Boxare-upproret och förföljelserna mot de kristna i Kina 1900–1901 . Stockholm, 1902.
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred. Missionsproblemet: ett maningsord till det Svenska baptist samfundet . Östersund: Missionsbokhandeln, 1910.
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred.Missionsuppdraget och vi . Stockholm: B.-M:s bokförlag, 1932.
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred. De svenska baptisternas Kinamission åren 1890–1905 . Stockholm: Westerberg, 1906.
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred. Svenska baptistmissionen i Kina – ett 40-årsminne . Stockholm B.-M:s Bokförlags A.-B, 1931.
Articles
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred and Johan H. Swordson. Missionsbilder Från Kina . Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1906.
  • Rinell, Johan Alfred. T'ai-shan — Kinas heligaste berg . Betlehem: Kristlic Kalender för 1929, published in 1928, pages 45–49. Stockholm: B.M:s Bokförlags A.-B.
  • Rinell Johan Alfred. "Upplevelser och minnen från ett 43-årigt arbete som kinamissionär" . Betlehem: Kristlic Kalender för 1929. Stockholm: Ernst Westerbergs Boktryckeri A.-B.