Olomouc, North Moravia, Sept 22 (CTK) – An international exhibition presenting the unknown stories of thousands of Jews who fled the Nazi Europe and sought safety in China will open in Olomouc on Tuesday, Palacky University spokeswoman Gabriela Sykorova Dvornikova told CTK on Friday.
“I am very happy that we succeeded in bringing this unique exhibition to Olomouc,” Vice Rector Ivana Oborna said.
After its Central European premiere in Olomouc, the exhibition on Jewish refugees in China during World War Two will tour other European towns.
The exhibition was prepared by experts from the Shanghai Museum and the Confucius Institute of Palacky University seated in Olomouc, marking the 10th anniversary of the institute’s foundation.
The Shanghai Museum lent to Olomouc 40 panels telling the stories of people when fled to China from the Nazis in 1933-1941 and the then political situation in the world.
The Confucius Institute worked out a list of Czechoslovak Jews who sought refuge mostly in Shanghai and the routes that the Jewish refugees took.
The Olomouc Jewish Community took part in the preparation of the exhibition as well.
At the opening of the exhibition, a Czech-Chinese television series on Ho Feng-Shan, a Chinese diplomat in Vienna who saved thousands of Jews by issuing visa to them and helping them leave Europe, will be presented to the visitors.
The Confucius Institute was founded by Palacky University, in cooperation with Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), in Olomouc on September 26, 2007. Its branch in Prague opened in 2014.
Apart from language courses, the institute organises training of Chinese language teachers and promotes Chinese culture in the Czech Republic and cooperation between Czech and Chinese universities. It also provides consultations in education and trade and deals with the rules of business talks with Chinese partners.