A Jewish Girl in Shanghai
Encyclopedia
A Jewish Girl in Shanghai is a 2010 Chinese animated family film written by Wu Lin and based on his graphic novel
of the same name. It is directed by Wang Genfa and Zhang Zhenhui, and voiced
by Cui Jie, Zhao Jing and Ma Shaohua.
Set mainly in and around the Shanghai Ghetto
in Japanese-occupied Shanghai
during the Second World War
, the film tells the story of three children. Rina and her younger brother Mishalli are Jewish refugees who escaped Europe but are without their parents. A-Gen is a Chinese boy who meets Rina and helps her and her brother to survive. The children form strong friendships and have adventures as they try and fend off the Japanese army
occupying the city, and their allies, the Nazis
. In the background, the Second Sino-Japanese War
takes places, while the children must face the uncertainty that concerns the fate of Rina and Mishalli's parents in Europe.
Well-received in China
and internationally, A Jewish Girl in Shanghai has been heralded as the first animated Chinese film to address the Holocaust
, and has been described as "China’s first homegrown Jewish film". The film has been nominated for awards in China and Israel
, and has been considered an important step towards improving China's relations with Israel and intercultural relations
between the Chinese and Jewish peoples.
of Shanghai by the Japanese Empire
, designated the Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees
, one of the poorest and most overcrowded areas of the city. Shanghai had previously had a small population of Baghdadi Jews
and Russian Jews, the latter mostly having fled the Russian Empire
as a result of anti-Jewish pogroms
.
The new Ashkenazi Jews
that immigrated to Shanghai began arriving from 1933, firstly German Jews following the Nazi Party's rise to power. Despite the cultural differences they faced, and restrictions imposed by the Japanese under Nazi pressure, the Jews of Shanghai survived the war unharmed, as the Japanese refused to hand them over to the Germans.
Following the end of the Second World War, many Jews who had sought refuge in Shanghai returned to Europe or decided to settle in countries with much larger Jewish populations, such as the United States
and Palestine. Most of the Jews that chose to stay in Shanghai left shortly afterwards as a result of the resumption of the Chinese Civil War
, and by the late 1950s very few Jews remained in Shanghai. As a result of Chinese economic growth
in recent years, however, the city's Jewish population has grown to around 1,500 in 2010. This compares to a Jewish population of fewer than 100 around 20 years before.
.. Wu had previously lived in Los Angeles
, and he based the character of Mishalli on Jerry Moses, a Jewish American
friend who was originally from Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland
) who, like the characters of Rina and Mishalli, was offered a safe haven in Shanghai. Moses and other Jewish friends helped Wu to learn about Jewish religious practices
. Wu has stated that his main reason for making the film was to let children know about what really happened, and to promote the story and the history so that people all over the world can learn from it.
The story was originally conceived for adults, but Wu decided to aim the film at children in the hope that the film could influence the future generation. Glenn Timmermans, the organiser of the Macau Jewish Film Festival, has stated that he believes the film's intended age group is between around eight and fourteen years, though he notes its wider appeal. One of the film's characters, a talking
monkey
, has been noted as one of the more child-orientated features of the film.
Wu first created a A Jewish Girl in Shanghai as a graphic novel, published in 2008 by East China Normal University Press
. The graphic novel has been described as a "great success" by Wu, selling 4,000 copies in the first six months since its release, though, as it was only published in English
, its Chinese market was naturally limited. Wu has stated that a Hebrew
version of the graphic novel is under consideration.
In 2009, Wu began work on a film adaptation to bring the work to a broader audience in China. The film, produced using using 35 mm film
, is, unlike the graphic novel, in Mandarin Chinese, and was developed by the Shanghai Film Group Corporation
and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio
. The film score
was composed by Shi Jiayang.
The film subsequently made its premiere in Macau
on 14 November 2010 at the Cultural Centre of the University of Macau
, as part of the 1st Macau Jewish Film Festival. The Hong Kong
premiere took place a week later, on 21 November, at the Jewish Community Centre on Robinson Road
, as part of the 11th Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival.
The film's Israeli premiere took place in July 2010, when it was shown as part of the 27th Jerusalem Film Festival
on 13 and 14 July. The film was well-received by the Israeli audience.
The British
premiere took place in November 2010, when it was shown at the Tricycle Theatre
in Kilburn
, London
. The film was first shown on 20 November as part of the 14th UK Jewish Film Festival
. The film's subtitles in English were noted as containg a few mistranslations and mistakes, including the anachronistic
use of the word "badass".
, Jiangsu
, China, the film received the Golden Cartoon Award Best Chinese Film Prize.
The film's animation has been widely praised, being described as "beautifully drawn" with "breathtaking traditional animation" and as being "artfully created with traditional animated imagery".
The sensitive treatment of the Holocaust has also been commended: "The fresh perspective of the main characters means that the events of the times are freed from cliched depictions of the Holocaust and the viewer is able to draw their own conclusions."
Some criticism has been directed towards the historical grounding of the film. One flashback
scene of the film, set in 1936, sees Rina and Michaili, in what appears to be an alpine
setting in Europe, escaping being bombed by Nazi planes
, despite the date preceding the aerial warfare
of the Second World War. Wu himself has said that the film is "both true and untrue" in that it is a composition of fiction and history; "the main characters were all based on real prototypes…I can’t promise it’s 100% accurate, but I think it fits the background of the time."
Wu has stated that only by remembering the past can friendship for the future be built, declaring that while "the friendship between the Jewish people and the Chinese people is only a spray in the long river of world history", it is "extremely meaningful because it took place in the hard times of anti-Fascism
."
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
of the same name. It is directed by Wang Genfa and Zhang Zhenhui, and voiced
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
by Cui Jie, Zhao Jing and Ma Shaohua.
Set mainly in and around the Shanghai Ghetto
Shanghai ghetto
The Shanghai ghetto, formally known as the , was an area of approximately one square mile in the Hongkou District of Japanese-occupied Shanghai, to which about 20,000 Jewish refugees were relocated by the Japanese-issued Proclamation Concerning Restriction of Residence and Business of Stateless...
in Japanese-occupied Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the film tells the story of three children. Rina and her younger brother Mishalli are Jewish refugees who escaped Europe but are without their parents. A-Gen is a Chinese boy who meets Rina and helps her and her brother to survive. The children form strong friendships and have adventures as they try and fend off the Japanese army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
occupying the city, and their allies, the Nazis
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. In the background, the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
takes places, while the children must face the uncertainty that concerns the fate of Rina and Mishalli's parents in Europe.
Well-received in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and internationally, A Jewish Girl in Shanghai has been heralded as the first animated Chinese film to address the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and has been described as "China’s first homegrown Jewish film". The film has been nominated for awards in China and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and has been considered an important step towards improving China's relations with Israel and intercultural relations
Intercultural relations
Intercultural relations is a relatively new formal field of social science studies. It deals with the ability to get along with others, especially those from a different cultural background.Some of the main topics of study are:...
between the Chinese and Jewish peoples.
Historical background
During the Second World War, approximately 20,000 Jewish refugees fleeing German-occupied Europe were given an area of approximately one square mile in the Hongkou DistrictHongkou District
Hongkou District is a northern district of Shanghai proper, People's Republic of China. It has a land area of and population of 799,700 as of 2001.It is the location of the Astor House Hotel, Broadway Mansions, Lu Xun Park and the Lu Xun memorial....
of Shanghai by the Japanese Empire
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, designated the Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees
Shanghai ghetto
The Shanghai ghetto, formally known as the , was an area of approximately one square mile in the Hongkou District of Japanese-occupied Shanghai, to which about 20,000 Jewish refugees were relocated by the Japanese-issued Proclamation Concerning Restriction of Residence and Business of Stateless...
, one of the poorest and most overcrowded areas of the city. Shanghai had previously had a small population of Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
and Russian Jews, the latter mostly having fled the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
as a result of anti-Jewish pogroms
Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire
The term pogrom as a reference to large-scale, targeted, and repeated antisemitic rioting saw its first use in the 19th century.The first pogrom is often considered to be the 1821 Odessa pogroms after the death of the Greek Orthodox patriarch Gregory V in Constantinople, in which 14 Jews were killed...
.
The new Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
that immigrated to Shanghai began arriving from 1933, firstly German Jews following the Nazi Party's rise to power. Despite the cultural differences they faced, and restrictions imposed by the Japanese under Nazi pressure, the Jews of Shanghai survived the war unharmed, as the Japanese refused to hand them over to the Germans.
Following the end of the Second World War, many Jews who had sought refuge in Shanghai returned to Europe or decided to settle in countries with much larger Jewish populations, such as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Palestine. Most of the Jews that chose to stay in Shanghai left shortly afterwards as a result of the resumption of the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, and by the late 1950s very few Jews remained in Shanghai. As a result of Chinese economic growth
Economy of the People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China ranks since 2010 as the world's second largest economy after the United States. It has been the world's fastest-growing major economy, with consistent growth rates of around 10% over the past 30 years. China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of...
in recent years, however, the city's Jewish population has grown to around 1,500 in 2010. This compares to a Jewish population of fewer than 100 around 20 years before.
Production
Wu, a former history teacher, first become interested in the history of Shanghai's Jews, obscure to both Jews and Chinese alike, in 2005, when many newspapers and magazines in Shanghai published the stories of Jewish refugees to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, seeing parallels between the Jewish and Chinese peoples' oppression by the Germans and Japanese respectively, and their struggles against fascismFascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
.. Wu had previously lived in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and he based the character of Mishalli on Jerry Moses, a Jewish American
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
friend who was originally from Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) who, like the characters of Rina and Mishalli, was offered a safe haven in Shanghai. Moses and other Jewish friends helped Wu to learn about Jewish religious practices
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. Wu has stated that his main reason for making the film was to let children know about what really happened, and to promote the story and the history so that people all over the world can learn from it.
The story was originally conceived for adults, but Wu decided to aim the film at children in the hope that the film could influence the future generation. Glenn Timmermans, the organiser of the Macau Jewish Film Festival, has stated that he believes the film's intended age group is between around eight and fourteen years, though he notes its wider appeal. One of the film's characters, a talking
Talking animal
A talking animal or speaking animal refers to any form of non-human animal which can produce sounds resembling those of a human language. Many species or groups of animals have developed forms of Animal Communication Systems which to some appear to be a non-verbal language...
monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
, has been noted as one of the more child-orientated features of the film.
Wu first created a A Jewish Girl in Shanghai as a graphic novel, published in 2008 by East China Normal University Press
East China Normal University
East China Normal University , was founded in October 1951 in western Shanghai, on the campus of Great China University. It is the first Normal University founded after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.-History:...
. The graphic novel has been described as a "great success" by Wu, selling 4,000 copies in the first six months since its release, though, as it was only published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, its Chinese market was naturally limited. Wu has stated that a Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
version of the graphic novel is under consideration.
In 2009, Wu began work on a film adaptation to bring the work to a broader audience in China. The film, produced using using 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
, is, unlike the graphic novel, in Mandarin Chinese, and was developed by the Shanghai Film Group Corporation
Shanghai Film Group Corporation
Shanghai Film Group Corporation is a film, animation and documentary production company under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group conglomerate...
and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Shanghai Animation Film Studio is the animation division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese animations.-History:...
. The film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
was composed by Shi Jiayang.
Release
A Jewish Girl in Shanghai made its world premiere in Shanghai in May 2010. The film began showing across China from 28 May. After a month following the film's general release, it was being shown in 200 Chinese cinemas. When it was first shown in China, it was in front of 700 school pupils, who, according to Wu, "laughed and cried several times". He described the emotional impact of the film as "very rare for an animated film".The film subsequently made its premiere in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
on 14 November 2010 at the Cultural Centre of the University of Macau
University of Macau
The University of Macau, ;, established in 1981, was the first and currently the largest university in Macau, a former Portuguese colony. It was formerly known as University of East Asia , and was renamed the University of Macau in 1991. The university offers about 100 Doctoral, Master's and...
, as part of the 1st Macau Jewish Film Festival. The Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
premiere took place a week later, on 21 November, at the Jewish Community Centre on Robinson Road
Robinson Road, Hong Kong
Robinson Road is a 2-lane, bi-directional road on the Mid-levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. In the east, it is connected with the Magazine Gap Road and Garden Road, and in the west with Babington Road and Park Road, Robinson Road is quite long. With Central-Mid-Levels escalator, it also...
, as part of the 11th Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival.
The film's Israeli premiere took place in July 2010, when it was shown as part of the 27th Jerusalem Film Festival
Jerusalem Film Festival
The Jerusalem Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, Israel. The festival was the brainchild of Lia van Leer, who inaugurated it on May 17, 1984...
on 13 and 14 July. The film was well-received by the Israeli audience.
The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
premiere took place in November 2010, when it was shown at the Tricycle Theatre
Tricycle Theatre
The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
in Kilburn
Kilburn
Kilburn is an area of north west London, England, which is divided between three London Boroughs, Brent, Camden, and a small part in Westminster. The main thoroughfare running northwest-southeast is Kilburn High Road, part of the modern A5 road which forms the boundary between the boroughs of Brent...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The film was first shown on 20 November as part of the 14th UK Jewish Film Festival
UK Jewish Film Festival
The UK Jewish Film Festival is a film festival held annually in the United Kingdom, specialising in films that concern Jewish culture, religion, history and contemporary life, both that of British Jews and other Jewish communities worldwide. Founded in 1997, the festival as of 2010 is currently in...
. The film's subtitles in English were noted as containg a few mistranslations and mistakes, including the anachronistic
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
use of the word "badass".
Reception
The critical reception to A Jewish Girl in Shanghai has been generally positive. The film was nominated for the Jewish Experience Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese film nominated for that award. At the China International Animation and Digital Arts Festival in ChangzhouChangzhou
Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, Jinling, and Wujin. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhenjiang to the...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, China, the film received the Golden Cartoon Award Best Chinese Film Prize.
The film's animation has been widely praised, being described as "beautifully drawn" with "breathtaking traditional animation" and as being "artfully created with traditional animated imagery".
The sensitive treatment of the Holocaust has also been commended: "The fresh perspective of the main characters means that the events of the times are freed from cliched depictions of the Holocaust and the viewer is able to draw their own conclusions."
Some criticism has been directed towards the historical grounding of the film. One flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
scene of the film, set in 1936, sees Rina and Michaili, in what appears to be an alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
setting in Europe, escaping being bombed by Nazi planes
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, despite the date preceding the aerial warfare
Aerial warfare
Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift...
of the Second World War. Wu himself has said that the film is "both true and untrue" in that it is a composition of fiction and history; "the main characters were all based on real prototypes…I can’t promise it’s 100% accurate, but I think it fits the background of the time."
Intercultural relations
A Jewish Girl in Shanghai has been praised by commentators for being a positive step towards improving Chinese–Jewish and Chinese–Israeli relations at a time where there is growing interest in China about Jewish life.Wu has stated that only by remembering the past can friendship for the future be built, declaring that while "the friendship between the Jewish people and the Chinese people is only a spray in the long river of world history", it is "extremely meaningful because it took place in the hard times of anti-Fascism
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
."