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 will be our guest on ‘Living History’ on October 22 (details below). She was born in Shanghai in 1927 to stateless Russian Jewish parents and lived here – through the glamorous 1930s, the Japanese occupation, civil war, and the early years of the Communist era – until 1951.

For a preview, here’s a roundup of snippets from Liliane on different aspects of life in Old Shanghai, from her memoir, Stateless in Shanghai.

Living History series is a rare opportunity to hear from eyewitnesses to Shanghai history, and ask them questions about what life was really like in Old Shanghai. Liliane’s a gifted raconteur of a dramatic period in Shanghai history – don’t miss it!

Saturday October 22, 10am / RMB 100 members, 200 nonmembers / Living History with Liliane Willens /To register: Scan the QR below the post. Outside of China: Register here. Questions? info@historic-shanghai.com

ON FOOD

“Sometimes, when Old Amah had a few extra copper coins to spare, she bought a piece of tofu fried in sizzling oil which she blew upon before handing it to me. She would also share with me her breakfast food, the small da bing pancake and the you tiao, strings of dough friend in boiling oil and then twirled by the vendor into an elongated shape. When Old Amah was feeling extra generous, she bought and shared with me the pyramid-shaped zongzi filled with glutinous rice and wrapped in palm leaves, which I munched with delight. For dessert, which she bought for me if I nagged her sufficiently, there were the sticky yuan xiao, balls of rice covered with sesame seeds.”

ON SCHOOL (Collège Municipal Francais)

“Although we benefited from an excellent educational system, it was a very difficult one for the average student. In order to survive scholastically, most of us in middle school started to cheat on quizzes, devising many ways to keep from being caught. We copied poems, dates of battles, wars, and the reigns of kings on scraps of paper and pinned them on the back of a willing student sitting in front of us. This of course enabled me and my classmates to recite passages flawlessly and with fervor when called upon!”

ON WARTIME

Use of electricity, gas, and water was rationed to a few hours daily – but we never knew when they would be turned on or off. All our rooms were lit by low-wattage lamp bulbs and when electricity was suddenly cut, we had to finish our homework by candlelight. In the evening we usually washed by candlelight with hot water our amah had heated on the gas stove … we could not use our bathtub since it was filled to the brim with lumps of coal needed for cooking and boiling water. We went to bed wearing layers of warm clothing and place hot water bottles at our pillow and feet.

ON WORK (Shanghai Race Club)

Though horse races were longer held [in 1947], one of the small buildings was used as a Racecourse Club for members of various nationalities, including English-speaking Chinese, all of whom could use the basketball and tennis courts and play mahjong, ping pong and card games. I worked as Mr [walter] Kerr’s private secretary and office manager, supervising two Macanese women who collected dues from the 3,000 foreign and Chinese club members. Since membership was dropping as foreign members left shanghai, I cajoled Westerners I met at social events to join our club … reminding them that our Racecourse Club was one of the few foreign clubs left in Shanghai.

Saturday October 22, 10am / Living History with Liliane Willens – Stateless in Shanghai / RMB 100 members, 200 nonmembers / To register: Scan the QR below the post. Outside of China: Register here. Questions? info@historic-shanghai.com