A PARK that was popular among Jewish refugees during World War II in Shanghai’s Hongkou District will reopen at the end of this month after a six-month renovation.
The historic Huoshan Park, which was built in 1917 and covers 3,000 square meters, was a major meeting point for the Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi-occupied Europe.
The renovation restored the park’s historic look and rebuilt many former British style gardens, a city government official said. A former pavilion, path and scenery walls that were all broken have been restored.
One of the highlights after the renovation is the “path of peace,” which has stone plaques placed along the path introducing the history of Jewish residents in the area during the war. A public square in the park has also been expanded to 120 square meters from the former 80 square meters for people to commemorate.
The Huoshan Park was originally called Studley Park when it opened in August 1917. Chinese and the Jewish refugees spent their afternoons there when there was little or no work. In the 1930s and 1940s, about 25,000 Jews took refuge in the city to escape the Nazis.
