Dr. He Fengshan’s Permit for Entry

In November 1938, Nazi had formally started the plan of the massacre of the Jews. At that time, the whole Europe had been shrouded in the shadow of war; every country was afraid of the vengeance of Germany, so they blocked the border line and refused the entering of the Jews. However, there was the only one place is open for the Jews, and that place is Shanghai. Dr. Fengshan He, who was the Chinese Consul General in Vienna, opened the visas to Shanghai for the Jews. Thousands of Jews managed to escape Nazi’s persecution and survived due to this “Visa for life”. Dr. Fengshan He was recognized as “The Chinese Schindler” because of that.

Oil painting, Dr. He Fengshan’s Permit for Entry (Photo Credit: CC – BY Zhang Ping, Chinese Jewish Cultural Foundation)

Dr. He Fengshan (Feng Shan Ho), Chinese Consul General in Vienna, Austria from 1938 to 1940, was one of the first diplomats to save Jews by issuing them life-saving visas to escape the Holocaust. (Photo Credit: CC – BY Vancouver Holocaust Education Center ed., Diplomat Rescuers and the Story of Feng Shan Ho, Vancouver, 1999)

Special thanks to Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum for providing the sources of literature and photo on this topic. Further contact with Chinese Jewish Cultural Foundation (CJCF) via email: postmaster@cjcf.org.cn‍.