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The Street Formerly Known As Wulumuqi Road

As Wulumuqi Road street signs were taken down in the wake of protests that began early Sunday morning, rumors were flying that the street name may be changed--again. Although most of the street signs do remain, it seems like a good time to take a look at the century-long history of this street, and the ...

No Exit: David Marshall and the Last Jews of Shanghai

David Marshall, Singapore's first Chief Minister, visited China in 1956, and became the man who got the last Jews out of China. On Sunday November 20, we heard from Marina Shlau Cunningham, a member of one of those Jewish families who was here until 1957. It's quite a story. (For the event recording, ...

Stateless in Shanghai: Living History with Liliane Willens

What was it like to grow up, from birth into young adulthood, in Old Shanghai? Glamour, chaos, deprivation, hope? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. The delightful Liliane Willens, our guest in the ‘Living History’ series, was born in Shanghai in 1927 to stateless Russian Jewish parents and lived here – ...

Queen Elizabeth II in Shanghai

September 9, 2022 – As the world bids a sad farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s much beloved and longest-serving monarch, we take a look back on her historic trip to Shanghai, in October 1986. Embed from Getty ...

Shanghai Gangsters: The Big Eight Mob

Before the rise of notorious gangster kingpins like Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong, there was the Big Eight Mob 八股党 and a crooked cop named Shen Xingshan. Dan Stein delves into the tale: The Louza Police Station, where Shen likely worked. In February 1909, the International Opium Commission, ...

Shanghai’s Cathedral School for Girls: A Ballerina, A Sci-Fi Author, and Mao

Well, well. They’re refurbishing the Cathedral School for Girls on Avenue Haig/Huashan Lu, and look who’s popped up over the entrance! The posh Cathedral School for Girls (sister school to the Cathedral School for Boys) was established around 1918 on Yates Road/Shimen Yi Lu and moved to the ...

The Battle of Shanghai: An Illustrated Guide

On August 14 1937, the day after the Battle of Shanghai began, misfired bombs rained death and destruction on civilians in downtown Shanghai. "Bloody Saturday" claimed 2,000 lives in what was then the deadliest aerial bombardment the world had seen, and for the following three months, the Battle of ...