Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Zuolian Jinianguan; No. 2 Lane 201 Duolun Road; daily 9.30am-4pm; free). Founded in
1930 by a group of writers, including Lu Xun, its goal was 'struggling for proletarian liberation'
through writing. Located in the former Chinese Arts University where it was founded, the mu-
seum showcases the league's works and an exhibition on the lives of the martyred writers
who were executed by the Kuomintang during the Communist witch hunts in 1927.
(Lu Xun Guju; No. 9, Lane 132 Shanyin Road), a plain red-brick house where he lived from
1933 until his death from tuberculosis in 1936. The small, simply furnished house is in keep-
ing with Lu Xun's character, left as it was when he lived here. A clock displays the exact time
Lu Xun died: 5.25am, 19 October 1936.
LITTLE VIENNA
Now take a taxi to
Huoshan Park
(Huoshan Gongyuan; 118 Huoshan Road; daily 6am-6pm;
free) to begin an exploration of the area where some 20,000 Jewish refugees were se-
questered by order of the Japanese Army during World War II. Shanghai's Jewish presence
dates back to the 19th century, when Sephardic Jewish families made the city their home,
followed by Ashkenazi Jews from Russia in the early 20th century. They arrived via the trans-
Siberian rail line and formed a sizeable community. The last group of Jewish immigrants to
arrive were German, Austrian and Polish refugees, fleeing persecution in Europe. Unfortu-
nately, their arrival coincided with that of the Japanese. In Huoshan Park, a plaque commem-
orates the district as the 'designated area for stateless refugees between 1937 and 1941'.
Just opposite on Huoshan Road, at No. 119 and No. 121, are the former offices of the Amer-
ican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which raised money to help relocate Jewish
refugees, including the Shanghai Jews. The 'Joint' still operates today (
www.jdc.org
).
Much of this historic district within the Hongkou Redevelopment Zone has been des-
troyed, but a few throwbacks remain. One block west at 57 Huoshan Road you'll find the Art
Deco Broadway Theatre, where not only movies but also Yiddish plays were presented and
Jewish musicians would play at the rooftop garden. Turn back and take a left on Zhoushan
Road to soak up the bustling street life in this overcrowded neighbourhood - conditions are
not too different from when the Jews were crammed in with the Chinese residents so that the
Japanese could keep an eye on them. This was the area dubbed 'Little Vienna', where
European refugees established meagre cafés, delicatessens and grocery stores during the
war.
A left on Changyang Road brings you to the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue, now the
Changyang Road; daily 9am-5pm; charge). Founded in 1927 by mostly Russian Ashkenazi
Jews, the former synagogue was renovated in 2007. The museum tells the story of the Jew-
