From the China Daily:
A once-thriving Jewish culture in the city’s Tilanqiao area is to be revived on the site of its former heyday.
Almost 30,000 Jewish refugees settled in the area, around the northern Bund, during World War II, and set up schools, libraries, cafes, synagogues and even their own newspapers…
…After nearly five decades ignoring its Jewish legacy, Shanghai is waking up to this unique part of the city’s history and looking at preserving aspects of the Tilanqiao area, which has been listed as one of 12 key historical zones in the city.
“To return the old Jewish neighbourhood culture back to Tilanqiao, an urgent task is to get rid of widespread temporary cabins illegally put up by locals. It has already ruined the original look of the community and obscured those nice historical buildings,” said Wang Weiqiang, a professor with Tongji University, at a hearing held by Hongkou District People’s Congress on Monday.
“The famous Ohel Moishe Synagogue, one of only two surviving synagogues in Shanghai, built in 1927 by a Russian Jew, has already been crowded with illegal constructions around, making an unharmonious scene in the area.”
He said the renovation of Tilanqiao should introduce some high-end businesses to the area. The current rash of low-standard eateries and food stands not only affects the street scene but also ruins the look of existing old buildings.
“The renovation should be focused on the protection of historical sites rather than on exploiting its commercial potential,” Wang Fengqing, a local pensioner, said at the hearing.
Jewish houses, synagogues, parks and cafes still stand in Tilanqiao, but most have either been converted to other uses or fallen into ruin.
The China Daily story is here.