STORY: Documentary "Jewish Melodies Left in Shanghai" premieres in Los Angeles
DATELINE: Aug. 1, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:14
LOCATION: LOS ANGELES, U.S.
CATEGORY: CULTURE
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of the premiere of the "Jewish Melodies Left in Shanghai" at Harmony Gold Preview House on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): JIN YANG, Director of "Jewish Melodies Left in Shanghai"
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JADE ELLIS, Audience
 
STORYLINE:
 
A musical history documentary "Jewish Melodies Left in Shanghai" premiered in Los Angeles on Saturday, which recalled the stories of many Jewish musicians who had resided in Shanghai about a hundred years ago. 
 
The event, held at Harmony Gold Preview House on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, left a strong impression on attendees and invoked thoughtful discussions of historical events and cultural exchanges and how friendship can build bridges between any cultures and across any borders.
 
The film recalls the stories of Jewish performers and composers who had immigrated or fled to Shanghai from the 1920s to 1940s.
 
Shanghai, a bustling Eastern metropolis, received many groups of Jewish exiles from Europe, many fleeing Nazi persecution. These immigrants included over 400 Jewish musicians and composers, many quite prominent in their fields, who continued to expand their musical careers in China.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): JIN YANG, Director of "Jewish Melodies Left in Shanghai"
"The story of Jewish refugees during World War II in Shanghai is well-known, and we are quite familiar with it. However, the stories of musicians are seldom mentioned, so this documentary is filling in this part of history."
 
At the premiere, Jade Ellis, an IT executive who had lived with his family in Shanghai's modern Jewish community for six years, shared his thoughts on their experiences there. 
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JADE ELLIS, Audience
"When we saw the Shanghai (Jewish) Refugee Museum, all the Jews were saved in that city in that time period. I think that was a very positive thing and I think everybody there has their kids and grandkids, who definitely have a positive impact from that experience. And I think even now we think positive things about Shanghai and our relationship with Shanghai, with Chinese, so I think it's very positive."
 
Xu Shen, host of the film and an expert historian who helped initiate the project, credited Jewish musicians and composers living in Shanghai then with taking Chinese music to a higher level and being instrumental in introducing Chinese music to the world.
 
Xu hoped to continue exploring and documenting the mutual influence between the Jewish and Chinese people in architecture, medicine and academia.
 
Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Guo Shaochun told Xinhua, "We hope that this film will help us share the story of the friendship between the Chinese people and the Jewish people and express the character of the Chinese nation as open, friendly and peace-loving."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Los Angeles, U.S.
(XHTV)