Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

This was a key place for me and my friend to visit but, the moment it began with the story of Anne Frank, I was aware that it was not going to be as insightful and specific to the Shanghai experience as I had hoped.

The writing looks at the Holocaust in general; a crucial and important history to look at but kind of misses the point of the name of the museum.

The information about how the Jewish people ended up in Shanghai and their experience there was dramatically romanticised and is extended propaganda to make the Chinese look altruistic and the Japanese look horrendous.

Comments about the man who wrote the visas for the Jewish people to enter Shanghai being known as the 'Schindler of the East' is completely incorrect as Schindler did not become famous for his contribution until many years after the war.

Also things such as the story of the doctor who wanted to operate in the military to give back to China and as a reflection of his belief in peace etc. Again, fictional, this doctor was a urologist and gynecologist yet he is written up in this museum as if he was treating gun wounds on the front line against the invading Japanese. Yes, he was involved but more through coercion by the Chinese and the Chinese feeling that the refugees they had accepted owed them something.

There are some glimmers of truth here and of course, it is all based on real events, but the obvious and overt changes to the narrative to make China look good is obvious and disappointing.

It also relates to the way the racism and difficulty the Jewish community faced is overlooked. The fact that they all left en masse as soon as Israel was founded and opened its borders. It begs why there is no Jewish quarter in the city if everything was sunshine and butterflies while they were living in Shanghai.

An important museum but tainted by the misrepresentation which is rife in China. Everything here must be taken with a remedial grain of salt.

Though worth a visit, I would advise people to do alternative research to be able to fully critique what is shared at this museum.