Embedded Files
Up until the time the Designated Area was established, Alfred had very little contact with the Japanese. This changed given he needed to obtain a pass to leave the Designated Area. In order to do so, he had to go to the Japanese office every month to have it renewed. Like many other refugees who had to obtain the pass from the Japanese, Alfred was frightened by having to do this. Nevertheless, he maintained later that “Overall, the Japanese treated us well. As a matter of fact, they protected us from the Germans, really. There was a fairly large German community in Shanghai. [On a] couple of occasions—they had the Hitler Youth organizations--they came with trucks into the Ghetto to start trouble, but we got together and we got rid of them, we fought them. Of course, they didn’t have any weapons—it was just fist fights—so then they didn’t come back again.”[1]
[1] Alfred Brosan Interview, December 5, 1991.
Alfred Brosan's work permit. Anyone working outside of the Designated Area needed to have one.
Alfred’s interactions with the Chinese were much more pleasant than those with the Japanese and Germans. He remembered them as being cordial and noted that he had good relationships with friends, customers, and employees: “I always liked the Chinese. Still do!” [2]
[2] Alfred Brosan Interview, December 5, 1991.
brosan_interview_chinese_culture.mp3Listen to Debra speak about her father's love of Chinese culture...
… and Alfred's friendships
brosan_interview_friends.mp3Of course, he witnessed the suffering of the Chinese living in Shanghai: “You walked down the street and saw a corpse laying of the street. But that was part of Shanghai…. If you had, for instance, during the Winter, a cold wave—there were a lot of homeless there—and in the morning they came with these wooden carts that were pushed by men to pick up the corpses and remove them and burn them. There was a field a few miles away from us where they did this.”[3]
[3] Alfred Brosan Interview, December 5, 1991.
brosan_interview_life_in_shanghai.mp3Hear Alfred's daughter describe his life in Shanghai.
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