Tombstone marks sacrifice by Dutch priest in Chinese village

A village in Shanxi province builds a tomb to mark the 110th birth anniversary of Dutch priest Aemilianus van Heel, who spent years in the village in the 1930s and gave his life to protect the residents against Japanese aggressors. [Photo by Sun Ruisheng/China Daily]

The tomb of Aemilianus van Heel located on top of a small hill in Shitou Geda village, Yuanqu, North China's Shanxi province, overlooks a patch of a wheat field he reclaimed from the wild in the 1930s.

The newly built white-marble tombstone, which looks conspicuous against the Loess Plateau, is 310 centimeters tall, representing the 31 years of the Franciscan missionary's life. He was from Leiden in the Netherlands, and known as Father Hu Yongsheng among locals.

This year marks the 110th birth anniversary of Van Heel.

The residents of Shitou Geda regard him as a family member, who is still alive, residing on the hill, and a patron saint of their hometown.

The Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Yuanqu county on Sept 13, 1938. Then, more than 2,000 refugees hid in the Catholic church in Shitou Geda.

Van Heel sat at a table in front of the church to prevent the Japanese troops from harassing those inside at the time.

On Oct 8, the Japanese army broke into the church hunting for women. But he threw a Japanese soldier out of the church, just like an "eagle catching a little chicken", many senior villagers say.

The furious Japanese soldiers then sent him an ultimatum demanding he hand over 20 young women and 10 cattle to them.

Van Heel is believed to have replied: "You can take my mule. There are no cattle in the church. As long as I am here, you will not get a single woman from the church."

The villagers found him lying in a pool of blood in his bedroom the next morning. It is believed that he was murdered that night with two shots in the chest and a deep cut on each of his wrists.