On October 22, I had the honor to present my research on some of the most interesting post-Habsburg Central European lives in Republican China. Those who tuned in the Royal Asiatic Society’s Shanghai Branch’s Zoom event were introduced to the fascinating political backdrop and personal stories of Jewish emigrants fleeing Hitler’s Third Reich to Shanghai and their locally settled benefactors: the Austrians, the Czechoslovaks, and the Hungarians.
Paul Komor/Komor Pál
Publication News: “The Flag of Paul Komor was Published in Hungarian
Today my article about the tragedy of Shanghai Hungarian Paul Komor was published. Written in Hungarian, it is introducing Komor, the savior of the Shanghai Jewish refugees, and the long time quasi-consul of the local Hungarian diaspora in Republican/Japanese occupied China (1915-1943).
Despite being the selfless benefactor of destitute Central Europeans for decades, Paul Komor was abandoned in his troubles by the Hungarian state during World War Two. Today, everyone, including the current Hungarian government’s culture diplomats and the Shanghai Hungarian Consulate General, is right to be proud of Komor. However, the less glorious parts of the story that were left to fade into oblivion now come to light.
Those reading in Hungarian, click on this link for the article on the online historical magazine Újkor.hu. Everyone else waiting for an English version, there might be coming up soon one in the form of an academic publication, so stay tuned! (In the meantime, perhaps a Google translation can give you the gist of the content.)