ABSTRACT

When many countries closed their borders to refugees from the Nazis, Shanghai provided a rare safe haven for some eighteen thousand Jews, mostly from Germany and Austria, who eventually created a vibrant community in the Hongkou area. Much of this once flourishing but decayed Jewish district has since fallen victim to urban development, but part has been preserved. The former Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which had been a small museum since the 1990s, was restored, and two exhibition halls were added. The institution reopened in May 2008 as the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. This essay explores how the museum, shaped by one of Mao’s favorite sayings, “Gu Wei Shi Yong” (“Use the past to serve the present”: Vickers 2007, 373), depicts and utilizes this history. While it preserves the story of the refugees, its focus on their harmonious life with local residents romanticizes reality and downplays the hardships exiles faced in adapting to their host country. The renovation of the synagogue and the surrounding area, together with the museum’s expansion, were driven by recognition of the neighborhood’s historical importance, its potential for tourism, and its value as soft diplomacy. In “Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum’s Road to be an AAA National Tourist Attraction” (see Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum 2015), officials from the Shanghai Tourist Bureau called it “historically unique and internationally influential.” Presenting a positive image of China at home and abroad in order to foster cooperation and trade with other countries has become an integral part of the museum’s role. Furthermore, by depicting China as a caring country at a time when other nations refused to accept refugees, the museum attempts to counter Western criticism of China’s human rights record.