Reset Password
Reset Link Sent
| Blogs > annathewriter > Anna The Writer Writes |
|
Jews in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Kaifeng BEIJING I've recently visited Beijing and with the Olympics being held there later in 2008 many of you may be either visiting China or watching it on TV and reading about it. KAIFENG You probably already know about Kaifeng where a Jewish community existed in previous centuries but died out. In London, England, a Chinese kosher restaurant was named after Kaifeng. SHANGHAI Beijing and Shanghai have Jewish communities. The Jewish Museum has a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and can send you on a walking tour. In Shanghai if you contact a community group you can have a kosher meal at a group get-together. Historic building with Jewish origins include the Peace Hotel on the bund (waterfront). It had a well-known Jazz bar for years, and a Chinese style restaurant featured in films. A smaller but equally architecturally stunning hotel is the Hengshan-Moller Villa, once home of Eric Moller, a British Jew. His dreamed of a fairytale castle, so he built this house to realize her dream. The family was originally in shipping so it's full of ship symbols. Later Eric owned a succesful racehorse. You see a copper racehorse statue in the garden. I'm checking th fact from the hotel brochure. I brought the brochure back to England. I had tea in the hotel with an ex-pat fried who has been living in Shanghai. Her American husband was working there. Shanghai has lots of buildings which were former homes of Jewish people or were built by them. BEIJING In the hotel I visited in Beijing was surprised to find on the Executive lounge a small library containing a handsome large hardback picture book about the Jews of China. It didn't tell me much I didn't know, although it had lots of good pictures. You'll find lots of fascinating information if you do an on line search. In Beijing a kosher restaurant recently opened. If you know any more about the past or future of Jewish communities in China or what tourists can see please let me know. Thanks. 
|
 |
 |
 |
| Become a member to comment on this blog | ||
 |
×
×