tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post4074372216929494700..comments2024-03-29T15:04:20.549+11:00Comments on ART and ARCHITECTURE, mainly: Escape from Berlin; Thank you Shanghai!Helshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-90270498968155463562017-09-28T10:37:54.734+10:002017-09-28T10:37:54.734+10:00WoofWoof
Shanghai must have been an amazing city ...WoofWoof<br /><br />Shanghai must have been an amazing city for years before the first German and Austrian refugees escaped from Europe in 1935. <br /><br />Have a look at "Wallis: Secret Lives of the Duchess of Windsor" (1988) by Charles Higham. In 1916 Wallis met an married Winfield Spencer, a naval aviator. He was a sadistic alcoholic and in 1921 she left him but later agreed to join him in China. The American state files produced clear evidence that Wallis Spencer was hired as an agent for Naval Intelligence. The purpose of her visit to China, where she accompanied her husband who also worked for Intelligence, was to carry secret papers between the American Government and the warlords they supported against the Communists. In Peking her consort for a time was Alberto de Zara, Naval Attaché at the Italian Embassy, a Mussolini enthusiast. Wallis’ enthusiasm for the Italian dictatorship was shared with her husband, Winfield Spencer. <br /><br />While living in Shanghai in 1924-25, Wallis Simpson had an affair with the handsome fascist Count Galeazzo Ciano, who was later to become the son-in-law of Benito Mussolini. The affair resulted in a pregnancy, and a carelessly carried out abortion had left Wallis unable to have children. Wallis and Winfield Spencer returned to the USA in late 1925 but divorced in 1927.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-88832242764446929472017-09-28T04:48:35.074+10:002017-09-28T04:48:35.074+10:00Very interesting post. It makes me think of the fi...Very interesting post. It makes me think of the film, The White Countess. That film really opened to what a cosmopolitan place Shanghai was. Although, the main family were Russian refugees, their neighbour was a Jewish man. It also brings out how awful it must have been when the Japanese invaded (and then later on when the communists took over). Interesting that one of the comments above is from someone living in Taiwan which is of course the continuation of the nationalist government of China which fought as one of the great powers in the second world war. Also, an interesting link with your later piece on Edward and Mrs Simpson. She was living in Shanghai in the 1930s, and mixed with fascist sympathisers there.WoofWoofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14142792485921452481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-30115665188968657642017-09-26T01:38:25.677+10:002017-09-26T01:38:25.677+10:00Joseph
quite right..many thanks.
The reference ...Joseph<br /><br />quite right..many thanks. <br /><br />The reference was in "Jewish Shanghai 1850-1950: safe haven"<br /><br /><br />Helsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-8282450201645360602017-09-25T09:24:48.517+10:002017-09-25T09:24:48.517+10:00You mentioned -Goodbye Shanghai- by Sam Moshinsky ...You mentioned -Goodbye Shanghai- by Sam Moshinsky before, a fascinating book. The publishers wrote During his seventeen years in Shanghai, Sam experienced wars, changing regimes, different currencies and a variety of schools that reflected the evolving political landscape. In a world obsessed with conflicting nationalism, his family survived as stateless residents. Through Sam's memories of early life and his love of history, we learn of Shanghai's uniqueness as a home and haven to thousands of Jews over many centuries.Josephnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-73270466908516989122017-09-19T14:33:18.310+10:002017-09-19T14:33:18.310+10:00koi seo
Agreed. I am finding my long term memory ...koi seo<br /><br />Agreed. I am finding my long term memory is still fine, but my short term memories are falling out of the grey matter. So the answer is: write everything down! Sad but true.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-90771260141692578362017-09-19T13:13:35.472+10:002017-09-19T13:13:35.472+10:00I hope my memories are as wonderful at 82.
ดูหนั...I hope my memories are as wonderful at 82.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://reviewmovie2017blog.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">ดูหนังออนไลน์</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16241817112636794365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-33168866346000271932017-09-17T10:44:24.398+10:002017-09-17T10:44:24.398+10:00Parnassus
the boiled drinking water, I believe, w...Parnassus<br /><br />the boiled drinking water, I believe, was highly symbolic. Berliners were the most pedantic, clean and orderly people on the planet; apparently Berlin women used to iron even their undies! So finding unclean drinking water and unsewered, shared toilets shocked the German refugees to the core. And made Shanghai's generosity stand out even more.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-77074911325571795632017-09-17T10:37:05.996+10:002017-09-17T10:37:05.996+10:00bazza
it is a very small world indeed. I had neve...bazza<br /><br />it is a very small world indeed. I had never heard of the Scharnhorst until Peter Nash's book came out.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-92017313125275641842017-09-17T10:33:38.852+10:002017-09-17T10:33:38.852+10:00bazza
good question.
Sugihara was sent back to J...bazza<br /><br />good question. <br />Sugihara was sent back to Japan, dishonoured and discharged from his position. Since Japan was Germany's ally, Sugihara probably expected it. <br />Ho Feng-Shan's career continued; his punishment didn't come until he retired from the Foreign Service and was denied a pension. <br />Tadeusz Romer was the most successful; he became Foreign Minister of the Polish Government in Exile in 1944-5. However even Romer had to leave Poland straight after the war.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-87988728568687186802017-09-17T03:00:40.509+10:002017-09-17T03:00:40.509+10:00Hello Hels, It's kind of sad that what stands...Hello Hels, It's kind of sad that what stands out is the relatively few places that did accept Jewish refugees, although for those that did and those who enabled the flow it is much to their credit. <br /><br />On a matter of less moment, you mentioned that the refugees had to boil their water. Even today, almost everyone in Taiwan, including me, still boils the drinking water. (I also triple-filter all water that will be consumed.)<br />--Jim Parnassushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08958901307538141468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-23349491574344618832017-09-17T02:45:49.865+10:002017-09-17T02:45:49.865+10:00I forgot to add that tomorrow morning (Sunday) I w...I forgot to add that tomorrow morning (Sunday) I will be leading my walking group to Fairlop Waters a mile from here. That was where, in 1944 when it was an aerodrome, Supermarine Spitfires were scrambled to seek out the <b>Scharnhorst</b> (and the Gneisenau). It seems that fog and mist in the Thames estuary prevented them being sighted.bazzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794010156639774028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-62561928810234308782017-09-17T00:39:26.771+10:002017-09-17T00:39:26.771+10:00Is it known what happened to those officials who h...Is it known what happened to those officials who helped so many people? I wonder if their fate was similar to that of Raoul Wallenberg.<br /><b><a href="http://todiscoverice.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> CLICK HERE for Bazza’s Arcadian Blog ‘To Discover Ice’</a></b>bazzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794010156639774028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-42968778836823647612017-09-16T18:48:13.049+10:002017-09-16T18:48:13.049+10:00LSK
Thank goodness Peter Nash's parents kept ...LSK<br /><br />Thank goodness Peter Nash's parents kept all their written records, relics and photos, from Berlin and Shanghai. <br /><br />Sam Moshinsky published Goodbye Shanghai: A Memoir (in 2009). His book shows how they were sustained in their beloved Shanghai haven by their Russian Jewish culture and community. He too was very grateful to his parents for their completely documented treasures.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-88645790952469775902017-09-16T18:40:59.133+10:002017-09-16T18:40:59.133+10:00Andrew
The topic of safe haven for asylum seekers...Andrew<br /><br />The topic of safe haven for asylum seekers and refugees is so hot now, we tend to forget that the issue has been with us for a very long time. I am thinking, for example, of the half million Protestant Huguenots who were hounded out of Catholic France in 1685-1700. Protestants around the world got down on their knees to thank Britain, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark for providing safe havens to people with no money, no food and no language other than French. Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-84275306567128115532017-09-16T16:46:56.700+10:002017-09-16T16:46:56.700+10:00I hope you went to the book launch because everyon...I hope you went to the book launch because everyone was amazed with Peter Nash. I hope my memories are as wonderful at 82.LSKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-91342698085766287722017-09-16T06:28:28.004+10:002017-09-16T06:28:28.004+10:00I was very surprised when I first heard about larg...I was very surprised when I first heard about large numbers of Jewish refugees in Shanghai. Since my initial enquiries about how they ended up there, I read more and more over the years and this post adds a little more to my knowledge. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com