Shanghai Sanctuary

When the world closed its borders to desperate Jews fleeing Europe during World War II Shanghai became an unexpected last haven for the refugees. An open port that could be entered without visas this unique city under Western and Japanese control sheltered tens of thousands of Jews. Shanghai Sanctuary is the first major study to examine the Chinese Nationalist government's policy towards the Jewish issue as well as the most thorough analysis of how this issue played into Japanese diplomacy. Why did Shanghai's German-allied Japanese occupiers permit this influx of Jewish refugees? Gao illuminates how the refugees' position complicated the relationships between China Japan Germany and the United States before and during World War II. She thereby reveals a great deal about the Great Powers' national priorities their international agendas and their perceptions of the global balance of power.