Shanghai at War
A first-hand account of living through the Japanese occupation in the 1930s and 40s
Witness History · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
In 1937, Japanese forces entered Shanghai - spelling the end of a period when the Chinese city had been a thriving commercial centre governed by international powers and known as the "Paris of the East". During the eight-year Japanese occupation, local people in Shanghai endured starvation and brutal treatment; while foreigners scrambled to escape as their lifestyle of servants and glamourous parties slowly disappeared. Josephine McDermott speaks to Liliane Willens, who lived through the invasion and occupation of Asia's most international city.
PHOTO: Japanese troops in Shanghai in 1937 (Ullstein Bild via Getty Images)