On the morning of January 27, the unveiling ceremony of the original large-scale bronze sculpture "Survivor's Song" was held at the Jewish Refugee Memorial Hall in Shanghai. More than 80 people, including representatives of consular offices in Shanghai from Israel and other countries, their wives, and Friendly Chinese and foreign non-governmental figures, attended the meeting. The design of the sculpture "Survivor's Song" was inspired by the novel of the same name by writer Bella.
The Shanghai-born writer Bella has been following the literary creation and research of the theme of "Jews in Shanghai" for many years, and has published books on related topics. The "Jews in Shanghai" series was translated by the famous American sinologist Ge Haowen in English, and after publication, it received great attention in the international community, especially in the Jewish world. Among them, the novel "Survivor's Song" is based on the real life of the Hollywood producer Mike Medway's family in Shanghai during World War II, which won the Oscar for best picture eight times, telling the story of his father David and his mother Dora in Shanghai, who fell in love and married in Shanghai, and struggled to realize the Shanghai dream in the difficult and turbulent years. Through the ups and downs of the storyline, the work fully shows the feelings of the Jewish people for Shanghai, and is called the Shanghai version of "Gone with the Wind" by scholars, media and readers.
Writer Bella presents Shanghai's open and inclusive character to the world in the form of literature, music and art. At present, the world is still shrouded in the melancholy of the epidemic, and the warmth, gratitude, remembrance and hope projected by the sculpture "Survivor's Song" will help people remember the friendship between the Chinese nation and the Jewish nation.
In order to create, Bella spent a lot of time researching and consulting the archives of David's tenure at the Shanghai American Telephone Company. In addition, she also visited Dora many times in the United States to obtain first-hand historical materials. Bella takes love and faith as the core of her works to show the spirit of Shanghai's city, as well as the spirit of great love that the Chinese and Jewish peoples have sought together in the face of suffering. Earlier, Mike said in an interview with the media: "I am extremely proud to live in Shanghai, Chinese people are very friendly, this is a great city, this sculpture commemorates my life, not only Hollywood life, but also from the beginning of my life."
The sculpture unveiled this time was designed and produced by Lu Qizhang, a famous sculptor who stayed in Russia. The sculpture "Survivor's Song" is 2.8 meters long, 1 meter wide and 2.6 meters high, and depicts the eternal moment when Mike Madway stood on the deck with his parents in 1948 and waved goodbye to Shanghai in a romantic way, creating a portrayal of the wandering Jews who regarded Shanghai as a warm hometown.
The sculpture "Song of survivors" is produced by Shanghai Qiyuan Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., and the sculpture is planned to be permanently displayed in front of the Baima Cafe in Hongkou District.
January 27 is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, established by a united Nations General Assembly resolution. Taking the opportunity to tell the story of Jewish refugees in Shanghai and to remember history and cherish peace with the people of the world, the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial Hall cooperated with the Consulate General of Hungary in Shanghai to launch the photo exhibition "Today's Jewish Culture from the Perspective of V4 National Photographers" on the afternoon of January 27.
The V4 states, the Visegrad Group, were a subregional organization of four countries, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, where a large number of Jews in the four countries were massacred by the German Nazis during World War II. The exhibition, which is jointly participated by four countries, will showcase 40 contemporary photographs, introduce some Holocaust sites and contemporary Jewish culture, and plan to exhibit for one month.
In addition, from the evening of January 27 to the early morning of January 28, the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial Hall will cooperate with the Israeli Consulate General in Shanghai to hold an International Holocaust Remembrance Day themed projection event, projecting the words "We Remember" on the building façade of the memorial hall. It is understood that Israeli embassies and consulates in various countries will also hold projection activities at the same time.
Author: Li Ting
Editor: Xu Luming
Editor-in-Charge: Xiaofang Xing
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