Annie Skau Berntsen
Encyclopedia
Annie Skau Berntsen also known as Sister Annie (29 May 1911 - 26 November 1992) was a Norwegian missionary
who served in China
and Hong Kong .
She was trained as a nurse, and worked first as a nurse in both the Ullevål Hospital in Oslo
and at the Dikemark
, a psychiatric hospital in Asker
. She was sent to the province of Shaanxi
in northern China
by the Norwegian Missionary Association (Det Norske Misjonsforbund), where she arrived on 23 December 1938. She was twenty-seven years old at the time, and at 190 cm she was the tallest woman the Chinese locals had ever seen before. After the Communist advance, it was impossible to continue as a foreign missionary in China, so she was forced to move in 1951 . From 1952 she coordinated relief work among Chinese
refugee
s in Hong Kong, where she was co-founder of Port Hope
, a sanatorium for tuberculosis. She became nationally known in Norway
when she was portrayed in the Norwegian program "This is Your Life" («Dette er ditt liv»).
In 1963 she was appointed as a First Class Knight of St. Olav.
She was the sister of former Norwegian Attorney General Bjørn Skau
.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who served in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Hong Kong .
She was trained as a nurse, and worked first as a nurse in both the Ullevål Hospital in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and at the Dikemark
Dikemark
-References:...
, a psychiatric hospital in Asker
Asker
Asker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Viken traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Asker. The municipality is a suburb of Oslo, the national capital...
. She was sent to the province of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
in northern China
Northern China
Northern China or North China may mean:* North China* North China Plain* Northern and southern China - rough geographic regions in China* North China * Northeast China * Northeast China Plain* Northwest China...
by the Norwegian Missionary Association (Det Norske Misjonsforbund), where she arrived on 23 December 1938. She was twenty-seven years old at the time, and at 190 cm she was the tallest woman the Chinese locals had ever seen before. After the Communist advance, it was impossible to continue as a foreign missionary in China, so she was forced to move in 1951 . From 1952 she coordinated relief work among Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s in Hong Kong, where she was co-founder of Port Hope
Port Hope
Port Hope mar refer to:*Port Hope, Michigan, U.S.*Port Hope, Ontario, Canada**Port Hope Aerodrome**Port Hope Conference**Port Hope Panthers**Port Hope railway station**Port Hope Transit...
, a sanatorium for tuberculosis. She became nationally known in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
when she was portrayed in the Norwegian program "This is Your Life" («Dette er ditt liv»).
In 1963 she was appointed as a First Class Knight of St. Olav.
She was the sister of former Norwegian Attorney General Bjørn Skau
Bjørn Skau
Bjørn Skau is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.In 1959, during the third cabinet Gerhardsen, he was appointed personal secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs. He was promoted to state secretary in 1961, but lost the position temporarily in 1963, when the cabinet Lyng held office...
.
Books by Annie Skau Berntsen
- My Chinese diary - my yes to life (Min kinesiske dagbok - mitt ja til livet), Oslo, 1986.
- My father's daughter. From the desert light to the source bed. Journal Leaves from a life among the Chinese (Min fars datter. Fra ørkenslette til kildevang. Dagboksblader fra et liv blant kinesere), Oslo, 1988.
- Lovely on the Mountains, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Literature
- Arvid Møller and Lasse Thorseth: Annie Skau, Oslo, 1977
- Sverre S. Salvesen: Sister Annie in China and Hong Kong ('Søster Annies stordåd i Kina og Hong Kong), 1967.
- Sverre S. Amundsen and Svenn Otto Brechan: Sister Annie- child protection: a biography of Youth (Søster Annie - barnas beskytter : en biografi for ungdom), AnsgarAnsgarSaint Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. The see of Hamburg was designated a "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", and Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North".-Life:After his mother’s early death Ansgar was brought up in Corbie Abbey, and made rapid...
, 1989 - ISDN 82-503-0889-1 - Arvid Møller: Sister Annie: At home in the sky (Søster Annie: Hjemme i himlen), Lunde Forlag, Oslo, 1993 - ISDN 82-520-3836-0
- Haven of Hope Christian Service og Haven of Hope Evangelistic Fellowship (utg.): A Grain Of Wheat ─ A Memorial Album of Sister Annie Skau Berntsen, Hong Kong, 1994
- Haven of Hope Christian Service og Haven of Hope Evangelistic Fellowship (utg.): Trails of Glad Tidings in Shaanxi (In ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, with English translation), Hong Kong - Haven of Hope Christian Service and Haven of Hope Evangelistic Fellowship (utg.): 荒原上 (written in Chinese), Hong Kong.