Editor's note: Since 2013, the Ankang Museum in Shaanxi Province has housed a unique collection of historical artifacts donated by the family of Rev. Johan T. Johansen, son of a Norwegian missionary to China. While these items have been preserved for years, the personal stories and family legacy behind them have rarely been documented in detail.
To ensure this precious history is fully recorded, China Christian Daily recently conducted an exclusive interview via written correspondence with Rev. Johansen. The following feature story brings his firsthand memories, chronicling a century-long bond of faith and friendship between Norway and China.
In the grainy yet vibrant footage, a young boy walks alongside Pastor Gu on the road to Nanba. Later, in Hengkou Town, the same boy—young Johan—can be seen curiously reaching out to touch the long noodles hanging out to dry.
These moments are frozen in time, preserved in the documentary "Color Old Ankang (1947)". It is the first color documentary filmed in China, shot by Norwegian missionary Karl Mortensen using a Kodak 16mm camera.
According to his diary, Mortensen wished to document society exactly as it was. He captured people at work, the natural landscape, and church life—all to ensure that Christians in Norway might gain the best possible understanding of conditions in China in 1947.
Decades later, the boy in the film returned to the city of his childhood, bringing the precious reels with him.
"This film is taken with love to the Ankang people, and it is with love we have given it back to Ankang!" Rev. Johan T. Johansen told China Christian Daily in an email.
A Calling Rooted in Ankang
Johansen grew up in Ankang, Shaanxi province, from the age of two to twelve. His father, Rev. J. Tidemann Johansen, served as a missionary for the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway (Frikirken). He had arrived in Ankang to assist missionary O.A. Sommernes, who, in 1918, became the first missionary from the Free Church to reach the region.
The Free Church itself was founded in 1877. Early in its history, the church was focused on mission, initially supporting other organizations. But in 1914, the synod council decided that the Free Church should start its own work in China, eventually sending Sommernes.
Growing up in the mission field, Johansen witnessed his parents' dedication firsthand. They helped the sick, taught in school, preached the gospel, and helped people in many ways. Often, they would take young Johan along.
"My father often rode his bicycle, and I was allowed to sit on the bar when he visited many homes, both in the city and in the countryside," Johansen recalled.
The family returned to Norway when Johansen was twelve. After finishing upper secondary school, he spent a year at a Christian college. It was there that the course of his life changed during a visit from the veteran missionary, O.A. Sommernes.
Sommernes took the young student to a quiet place and asked him directly, "Johan, have you thought about becoming a missionary?"
"I don't know," he answered. "I've thought about it, but I don't know if it's because I admire my mother and father in their ministry. They have always expressed joy and gratitude for being sent to Ankang, and they prayed for Ankang every day after we returned to Norway."
Sommernes said, "Johan, you must pray to God that He will give you a concrete calling." He then shared stories of his own life, recounting how he had encountered dangers and difficulties. Yet, in those moments, he would say, "God, it is you who has called me here. Now I know that you will take responsibility and help me through the danger."
After this conversation, Johansen felt a clear desire to study theology and enrolled at the MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, where he studied for seven years. One day in the fourth year, while he was praying in the prayer room, God spoke clearly to him that He wanted him to give his life in missionary service.
That very afternoon, he was traveling to Moss to congratulate Sommernes on his 70th birthday.
When he arrived at the celebration, Johansen approached the old missionary. "Sommernes, I am a poor student, so I haven't bought you any gift," he said, "but I must tell you that today I received a clear calling from God that He wants me to be a missionary."
Sommernes took him by the hand and led him into his office, letting all the guests remain guests. There, he prayed to God for the young successor.
A Bond Renewed in Faith
Johansen went on to serve for 17 years in Taiwan, then 17 years in a church in Norway, and five years as a mission secretary. Following China's opening up, the Free Church reconnected with the mainland. From 1983 until 2019, Johansen traveled to China every year.
"It has always been strengthening to my faith to meet the many elderly pastors on my journeys," Johansen said. "Their testimonies of what life has been like for them and their zeal for building God's kingdom have made a big impact on my life. They carried with them an experience of what it costs to be a servant for the Lord."
He recalled a worship service he attended one Sunday in October 1983 in Fuzhou, where both the church and the square outside were packed with people.
During his travels, he also had a conversation with Bishop K.H. Ting, a prominent late Chinese religious leader and theologian. When asked, "What challenges does the Chinese church today face?" Bishop Ting answered: "There are many great challenges that we as a church face today. We meet each one of them in faith to the Holy Spirit and ask for wisdom and power to meet the challenges and resolve them, so it strengthens the church and blesses the Christians."
Besides Johansen, the old friends of the Ankang church in Norway kept China in their hearts. When Johansen's father returned to Norway in 1937, he brought back a "Map of Eight Views of Old Jinzhou" (1926), a gift from missionary Sommernes.
The map was kept in their home in Norway the entire time while they were in China until 1949. In 1985, when Johansen returned home from a trip to China, his father took out the picture and gave it to him. They had it framed, and it hung in their living room throughout the 1990s.
Today, that map—along with several hundred photographs that his father and other missionaries had taken in Ankang from 1918 to 1949—has been donated to the Ankang Museum, just like the color documentary mentioned at the beginning.
The donation also included the camera Johansen's father used, the film camera Mortensen used to shoot the color film, and a beautiful Chinese dress Johansen's sister received when she was two years old.
"All these different items that I brought with me to Ankang are an expression of what we thought and felt about the city. All of us who grew up in Ankang have a strong and deep love for the city," he said. "To see the city's development brings us great joy."
Over his many years of visiting, Johansen has introduced many Norwegian friends to China. Some years ago, representatives from the church in China also visited Norway.
"If we are to build relationships with one another, we must meet and have contact. We must see each other, visit our churches, and learn about the different tasks and challenges each one of us faces. This will also lead us to pray for one another," Johansen noted.
Today, the Free Church has grown into a community of 79 congregations, operating Bible schools and two colleges. Its focus remains on building a spiritual home for the whole family.
The church's global footprint has also expanded. Building on the legacy of its work in the Chinese mainland and later in Taiwan, Ethiopia, and Mali, the church is now actively involved in missions in Japan and the Middle East.
Despite this global reach, the bond with Ankang remains special. In Johansen's church in Norway, they pray every Sunday for the church in Ankang. They call it their "sister church."
"I know that our sisters and brothers in China also pray for us here in Norway," Johansen said. "By continuing the contact both ways, praying for each other, we hope that new generations will carry on our relationships to the glory of God's Kingdom."
