Generations Later – Books And Bloodlines

Every September, one of Sweden’s biggest cultural events takes place – the Gothenburg Book Fair. There’s always a certain energy in the air when the fair opens its doors – a mix of excitement, ink, and ideas. For me, it’s both work and inspiration.

But this year felt especially meaningful, because I knew I would finally meet Karin Stålhammar Hansson in person. Having interviewed her about her book back in May, it seemed almost symbolic to arrange our meeting at the Book Fair. We are both dedicated to bringing our relatives’ stories back to life.

As soon as we found each other in the bustle of the book fair, we looked for a quieter corner to have a coffee and talk. Our meeting turned into such a lovely conversation. We talked about what it’s like to write about our family histories, and Karin told me about her trip to China, which she made together with her daughter in 1997.

Retracing steps
She’s done something I’ve often dreamed of doing myself – retracing the footsteps of our missionary ancestors and visiting some of the places where they once lived and worked. She even travelled by riverboat, just as they did back then (and, just like them, found herself the subject of plenty of curious looks).

When Karin described the riverboat ride, I could almost picture it – the slow rhythm of the water, the curious faces on the riverbanks, the sense of travelling not only through space but through time.

Karin’s journey to China took her to the mission station her grandparents Gustaf Adolf and Mina Stålhammar had lived at – in Mienchi. In her book , there are photos of the station from the early 1900’s and photos from 1997 – and it is striking how much looks the same.

During our meeting, Karin told me that the Chinese she met when she visited in 1997 still held the missionaries in high regard. An old man who had lived at the children’s orphanage, that was started by the missionary Maria Pettersson in Mienchi, talked about it with gratitude – perhaps he would not have made it to adult age without the help from the missionaries. The very dedicated missionary Maria Pettersson worked alongside Gustaf Adolf and Mina Stålhammar for many years.

To the right: The orphanage in Sinan that Maria Pettersson founded and worked with throughout her years in China. To the left: A young Maria Pettersson, from a photo in my great grandparents’ album.

Connection through time
We talked about her journey and about the special bond that connects us – the one that comes from sharing this kind of, for Sweden, rather unique family history.

Our conversation that day wasn’t just about family or history – it was about connection. About how stories, whether written in old missionary journals or shared over coffee at a noisy book fair, have the power to bring people together across generations.

Like me, Karin sat on her relatives’ stories for many years before trying to bring them to life. She had boxes filled with letters, diaries, and books that at first felt almost insurmountable to work through. I had all the stories my grandmother had told me, photo albums with names I didn’t recognize, and the entire mission archive waiting for me at the National Archives. It was certainly hard to know where to start.

For me, my grandmother’s stories became that starting point. I wanted to find out if they held true – if they were accurate depictions of my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ lives in China. Above all, I wanted to understand why my great-grandparents decided to go to China, and what that decision had meant for the generations that followed. Were there answers hidden there – about my own family, about my father and his relationship to his parents, and perhaps even about my own relationship to him?

Karin, too, couldn’t let go of the question “Why China?” What had driven her grandparents to travel to such a distant, culturally different country, to try to convince the Chinese to become Christians? She decided to write her book, and I decided to start this blog and to write a novel based on my relatives’ adventures (in progress).

Enjoying the fruits of the journey
But the final result isn’t really the goal. In this case, it truly is the journey itself – the fascinating people I meet along the way, the constant discovery of new facts, photos, and stories and the connections across time and generations that bring new friendships with others who have been touched by the same stories, the same faith, and the same lives “my” missionaries once touched.

It’s the sum of all these parts that keeps me diving deeper into those lives lived so long ago. And I’m happy that more and more people are finding their way to this blog – perhaps discovering something that resonates with them in the stories, the photographs, or the personal reflections I share. I truly believe that we can all learn from past generations – about ourselves, about the world, and about the things we are capable of achieving.

Photo at the top: Me and Karin Stålhammar Hansson, at the Gothenburg Book Fair.
Read my interview with Karin Stålhammar Hansson here.