Chapter 867 866 [Christmas]
The Winter Solstice is as big as the New Year. In traditional Chinese customs, the Winter Solstice is a very important festival, second only to the Lunar New Year.
However, since the founding of the Republic of China, the lunar calendar has been regarded as a symbol of backward culture, and the Winter Solstice has been officially banned like the Spring Festival. On the contrary, "Western Winter Solstice" and "Foreign Winter Solstice" have become increasingly popular, becoming more and more lively and important in coastal cities and among educated youth groups.
The so-called winter solstice for Westerners and foreigners is Christmas.
Because as long as there is no leap month in the lunar calendar, the date of Christmas every year will be three days after the Chinese Winter Solstice. Therefore, starting from the late Qing Dynasty, Chinese people called Christmas the "foreign winter solstice", and it was not until the 1920s that it was generally called "Christmas".
But in the eyes of many Chinese people, it is a foreign winter solstice. Even after World War II, some people still called it that.
After Chiang Kai-shek came to power, nationalism rose rapidly, and foreign holidays such as Christmas were suppressed - while he celebrated Christmas with his wife, he despised Christmas at the same time. In order to compete with the Western Christmas, Chiang Kai-shek also created a Chinese Christmas, which was Confucius’ birthday.
What's funny is that the Nanjing National Government's statutory birthday of Confucius is not calculated based on the Chinese lunar calendar, but is set on August 27 of each year on the Gregorian calendar. If Confucius came back from the dead, he would definitely be wondering - how to calculate this day?
Every year, the Nationalist Government celebrates Confucius’ birthday, which is jokingly called a “local Christmas,” while the birthday of Jesus is called a “foreign Christmas.”
Christmas at that time had a strong commercial atmosphere. We can intercept an advertisement from the 1920s: "Santa Claus said that the noblest and most economical winter solstice gift is-Green Tree cigars!"
Yes, just like "New Year gifts" were printed on packages during the Spring Festival in later generations, Christmas packages during the Republic of China were all printed with "Winter Solstice gifts".
Perhaps the reason why people are keen on celebrating Christmas is not because they all worship foreigners, but because the government has abolished the Winter Solstice, and the common people can only celebrate the Winter Solstice under the pretext of celebrating Christmas.
On Christmas Day in 1938, the Chinese people had a very hard time, and the Jews in China had an even worse time.
Fortunately, the Jews don’t celebrate Christmas because they don’t believe in Jesus—even though Jesus himself was a Jew.
Now the two richest Jews in Shanghai are sitting together to discuss countermeasures.
From the beginning of the year to now, the number of Jewish refugees in Shanghai has exceeded 10,000, and they have all been settled in houses made by Sassoon and Kadoorie. We know Sassoon, the richest man in Shanghai. Kadoorie is no small figure, and the Peninsula Hotel is his property.
Later generations believed that the number of Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II was about 14,000 to 16,000. This was influenced by the American scholar David Kreisler. He mentioned relevant data in his book, but that was only the data after Japan established the Jewish ghetto in 1943, and there were many more Jewish refugees who were not included in the statistics.
The actual situation is that at the end of 1940 alone, the "Committee to Assist European Jewish Refugees" - an organization established by Kadoorie - admitted more than 23,000 Jews. In addition, there is the "International Committee for European Immigration" established by Sassoon. Sassoon has greater energy and accepts more Jewish refugees.
It is very likely that before 1941, the number of Jewish refugees in Shanghai exceeded 60,000.
Sassoon smoked a cigar and puffed away: "Now we have two choices before us. One is to cooperate with the Japanese. Japan not only promised to establish a Jewish refugee area in Shanghai, but was also willing to allow the Jews to establish a nation in the Northeast. The second is to cooperate with the Chinese, Mr. Sun Ke promised to persuade Chang Kaishen to open a refugee area for Jews in Yunnan."
Kadoorie said without hesitation: "I hope to cooperate with the Chinese. Japan and Germany are too close."
Sassoon retorted: "But the situation in China is very bad, and it may be annexed by Japan one day. Moreover, Jewish refugees are now mainly concentrated in Shanghai and Harbin, both of which are Japanese territories. If you choose to go with Japan Cooperate and everything will go more smoothly.”
"Even if the Jews establish a nation, they should not be in China, but return to the homeland of our ancestors!" Kadoorie emphasized.
Sassoon smiled bitterly: "Do we still have a choice? We must seize any opportunity."
Kadoorie glared angrily: "You want to violate Mr. Wise's instructions?"
Sassoon spread his hands and shrugged, and sneered: "He is not my superior, why should I follow his instructions?"
The full name of "Mr. Wise" is Stephen Samuel Wise. He is the founder of the American Zionist Organization, the American Jewish Society and the World Jewish Congress. He can be called the spiritual leader of the Zionist movement in the 1930s.
Historically, Japan claimed that it was willing to help the Jews establish their country in Northeast China, and many Jews were tempted. It was Stephen Wise who stood up to strongly oppose and declared that "any Jew who collaborates with Japan is a traitor" that made the Jewish refugees completely reject Japan's "good intentions."
Hearing that Sassoon was disrespectful to the leaders of the restoration of the nation, Kadoorie said angrily: "The Jews only have a nation, but no country. If we want to restore the nation, we must work together instead of despising the authority of the Jewish leaders!"
Sassoon said: "Cooperating with the Japanese is a shortcut."
Kadoorie said angrily: "Have you forgotten the Casper incident six years ago?"
"Uh..." Sassoon was speechless.
There are also many Jewish refugees in Harbin, but most of them are "White Russian Jews" who came from the Soviet Union in the 1920s. As early as the September 18th Incident, Japan began to cooperate with Jewish refugees from Northeast China, but it trapped, tortured and killed a Jew named Simon Kasper.
Since then, the Northeastern Jewish refugees no longer trusted the Japanese and fled to Shanghai in large numbers, spreading this distrust and fear of the Japanese to Shanghai's Jewish circles.
Jews are very vindictive and clinging to groups. This alone makes them feel that the Japanese cannot be trusted.
Kadoorie continued: "Manchukuo is also actively rescuing Jews, and the Northeast is the territory of Manchukuo. If we agree to establish a country in the Northeast, what will Manchukuo think? Those rescued by Manchukuo Our compatriots will definitely be persecuted!”
Sassoon smiled and said: "Puyi is just a dog raised by the Japanese. Don't care about his feelings."
Kadoorie stood up in anger and said: "I am not discussing with you, but conveying the decision of the World Jewish Congress. The Congress has already discussed the results, that is, we must cooperate with the Chinese and stop having any contact with the Japanese!"
"What a stupid decision." Sassoon shook his head repeatedly.
This is the difference between the two. Kadoorie is more obedient to the overall situation. Later, when Japan was about to occupy Hong Kong, he blew up all his power plants just to create trouble for the Japanese. As a result, all Kadoorie's properties in Hong Kong and the Mainland were forcibly confiscated by the Japanese army. Kadoorie's family was also imprisoned in a concentration camp. He even died of illness in the concentration camp, and he did not see the dawn of victory in the war until his death.
And what about Sassoon? Although he used his property to accommodate Jewish refugees, he maintained contact with the Japanese. Later, under pressure from Germany, Japan set up a Jewish quarantine zone in Shanghai, leaving Jewish refugees hungry and cold, and Sassoon did not come forward to help.
As a result, Sassoon survived World War II with great glory and saved his property. He also sold off his properties on a large scale after the war, causing great chaos in Shanghai's finance.
At this time, Kadoorie represented the World Jewish Congress. No matter how rich Sassoon was, he had to abide by the resolution, otherwise he would be isolated by the entire Jewish community.
Far away in the United States, the day after Christmas, the documentary about the Nanjing Massacre was officially released.