Download
Peter Max recalls crying hard on a ship from Shanghai to Israel with his parents over 60 years ago. After living in Shanghai for more than a decade, the Jewish boy was reluctant to leave behind his Chinese nanny, playmates and pet cat.
Max, now an internationally acclaimed artist, has returned to Shanghai for the first time, and his greatest wish is to find his nanny.
"I became an artist because of her," said Max, who is known for using psychedelic shapes and colors in his paintings and poster designs.
Max was born Peter Max Finkelstein in Germany in 1937. He came to Shanghai with his parents Jacob and Salla Finkelstein in 1938, and lived in the Hongkou Jewish community until 1949.
His nanny was the daughter of a Chinese friend of the Finkelstein family.
"She came to me when I had just turned 3," Max recalled. "She used to come to my home almost every day, walking with me, playing with me and teaching me to draw."
Max does not remember the name, age, or any personal information about his nanny, except that she was a few years older than he, was sweet and always smiling and hugging him. He recalled with emotion how she walked in the park with him, showing him the moon and stars, and taught him to draw freely.
Max brought with him some childhood pictures of his family, who opened the first large clothing store in the neighborhood, hoping his nanny might recognize them.
If he can find her, Max said: "I want to do everything I can to make her life better." He is ready to provide all possible help to her children and family too. But even if he cannot find her, "I'll love her all my life as a sister. She still lives in my mind," he said.
"Many Jewish people became very successful after living in Shanghai through the war," said Chen Jian, director of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. "Their achievements are largely because of their experience in Shanghai. The city nurtured them."
Shanghai hosted about 30,000 Jewish refugees during World War II, and more than 20,000 of them lived in Hongkou.
Max and his daughter Libra visited the former Jewish ghetto in Hongkou as soon as they arrived in Shanghai. This is the first time he has been back, but is unlikely to be the last.
Max will exhibit some of his work in Shanghai and plans to open his own studio in the city. He also plans more trips to China and hopes to bring more of his art in the future.
"I've heard about China all my life, from my father and my grandparents, how the beautiful Chinese people saved our lives," said Libra Max. "I've been very emotional the whole morning. It feels like coming home."
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.
中考英语阅读猜词6大法宝
猪流感英语词汇
中考病句题金题精炼及参考答案
初中英语语法几大基本时态讲与练(3)
初中英语8种时态归纳复习
中考英语语法:使用比较等级的三点注意
初中生容易混淆拼错的英文单词三
中考英语介词知识点精讲大全
初中英语:since的四种用法
中考英语重点句型43例二
中考英语重点句型43例一
初中英语语法几大基本时态讲与练(5)
中考英语考前语法复习
初中英语简单句基本知识
中考英语备考全攻略:完型填空
初中英语九大简单基本句型
初中英语语法口诀5
中考英语复习词组攻略二
中考英语完型填空 妙招教你拿高分
初中英语语法几大基本时态讲与练(1)
初中生容易混淆拼错的英文单词一
初中英语语法口诀4
初中英语常用动词习惯用法72例一
英语中考考纲基础知识练习(句型转换)一
英语期末备考突击语法的7大捷径
初中英语语法几大基本时态讲与练(2)
容易误用作及物动词的9个不及物动词
中考英语基础练习之动词的时态1
how long,how often与how soon的区别
初中英语:比较since和for
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |