Intheearly years of the 20th century, Shanghai was famous not only for its spies and intrigues but as a refuge for the world's persecuted.Once upon a timein Shanghai is thememoir of Rena krasno, from a Russian Jewish family growing up in Shanghai during World War II. The setting is multicultural, multilingual and multiracial, and the author provides fascinating details from the history of a city that no longer exists.This book is based on the diaries of Rena Krasno. The historic value of the book lies in the fact that Rena madedaily diary entries and the entries included facts about the social events and people's life at that time. It gives readers a broad picture of various sides of Shanghai. Reading it feels like appreciating a huge social life roll unfolding.First-rate research, good writing, and an interesting story add up to a great read.The book is remarkable because Rena is such a great and optimistic person who never lost her courage, never complained, and, in spite of increasing pressures, ploughed forward, maintaining intellectual and moral standards.Rena Krasno was born in Shanghai, China, in 1923 and lived there until 1949. Her parents, stateless Russian Jews from Siberia, arrived in China in the early 20th century.In her professional life, Krasno worked as a freelance interpreter for international organizations in Europe and Asia. Krasno has lectured at Stanford University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, the Commonwealth Club, and other wellknown institutions in America, Asia, and Europe. She is currently Public Affairs Officer of the Sino-Judaic Institute in Menlo Park, California, as well as a member of the Editorial Committee of their publication, Points East .Krasno was featured in several documentaries including the Chinese one (Sanctuary Shanghai, Chen Yifei, 1999). Nine of Rena's books have been published, including Floating Lanterns and Golden Shrines (Pacific View Press, Berkeley,a winner of 2002 Benjamin Franklin Publishers Award).ContentsPreface 1Chapter 1 Beginnings 5Chapter 2 Early Childhood 13Chapter 3 Tea Time 20Chapter 4 Walking to School 24Chapter 5 Pidgin English 29Chapter 6 Tailors 33Chapter 7 Broadcasting 38Chapter 8 Blue Caps 43Chapter 9 Money, Bank and a Tycoon 51Chapter 10 The Triumph of Jesse Owens 58Chapter 11 Expatriate Households-Life in Paradise 64Chapter 12 Bloody Saturday 69Chapter 13 Christmas 1939 75Chapter 14 Abbot Chao-Kung and His Hatred 80Chapter 15 The Portuguese Colony and Father RobertJacquinot de Besange 85Chapter 16 Albert Einstein's Visit to Shanghai 91Chapter 17 The Shanghai Volunteer Corpsand Boy Scouts 96Chapter 18 December 8, 1941 100Chapter 19 City of Refuge 106Chapter 20 Jack Riley 113Chapter 21 U.S. Bombing 117Chapter 22 Pacific War Unwinding 121Chapter 23 Japanese Internment Camps 128Chapter 24 U.S. - from Amzon