The winter solstice is as big as the New Year, and in traditional Chinese customs, the winter solstice is a very important festival, second only to the Lunar New Year.

However, since the establishment of the Republic of China, the lunar calendar has been regarded as a symbol of backward culture, and the winter solstice has been officially banned like the Spring Festival. On the contrary, the "winter solstice for Westerners" and "winter solstice for foreign countries" are becoming more and more popular, and they are becoming more and more lively and important in coastal cities and among intellectual youth groups.

The so-called Western winter solstice and foreign winter solstice are Christmas.

Because as long as there is no leap month in the lunar calendar, Christmas is celebrated every year three days after the Chinese winter solstice. Therefore, since the late Qing Dynasty, Chinese people have called Christmas "foreign winter solstice", and it was not until the 20s that it was commonly called "Christmas".

But in the eyes of many Chinese, that is the foreign winter solstice, even after the end of World War II, there are still people shouting it.

After Chiang came to power, nationalism rose rapidly, and foreign holidays such as Christmas were suppressed, and he spent Christmas with his wife while looking down on Christmas. And in order to compete with Western Christmas, Lao Jiang also made a Chinese Christmas, that is, Confucius's birthday.

Funnily enough, the birthday of Confucius issued by the Nanjing Nationalist Government is not calculated according to the Chinese lunar calendar, but is set on August 27 of the Gregorian calendar every year. If Confucius came back from the dead, he must have wondered - what is the calculation of this day?

Every year, the Nationalist Government celebrates Confucius' birthday, which is nicknamed "Earth Christmas", and Jesus' birthday is called "Foreign Christmas".

At that time, Christmas was already very commercial, we can intercept an advertising slogan from the 20s: "Santa Claus said that the noblest and most economical winter solstice gift is - Green Tree brand cigars!" ”

Yes, just like the "New Year gifts" printed on the packaging during the Spring Festival in later generations, the Christmas packaging during the Republic of China was printed with "Winter Solstice Gifts".

Perhaps, the people are keen on Christmas, not all worship foreigners, but the government has abolished the winter solstice, and the people can only spend the winter solstice by celebrating Christmas.

Christmas in 1938 was a bad time for the Chinese people, and even worse for the Jews in China.

Thankfully, the Jews don't have Christmas because they don't believe in Jesus, even though Jesus himself is a Jew.

Now two of the richest Jews in Shanghai are sitting together to discuss what to do.

From the beginning of the year to the present, the number of Jewish refugees in Shanghai has exceeded 10,000, and they have all settled in the Sassoon and Kadoorie tent houses. Sassoon: We know that he is the richest man in Shanghai. Kadoorie is no small man, and The Peninsula is his property.

Later generations believed that the number of Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II was around 14,000 to 16,000. This was influenced by the American scholar David Chrysler, who mentions the relevant data in his book, but that was only after the establishment of the Jewish ghetto in Japan in 1943, and many more Jewish refugees were not counted.

In fact, at the end of 1940 alone, more than 23,000 Jews were admitted to the Committee for the Aid of Jewish Refugees in Europe – an organization founded by Kadoorie. And in addition to this, there is the "International Commission on European Emigration" established by Sassoon, and Sassoon has more energy and receives more Jewish refugees.

It is highly likely that the number of Jewish refugees in Shanghai exceeded 60,000 before 1941.

Sassoon smoked his cigar and said, "Now there are two choices in front of us. The first is to cooperate with the Japanese, who not only promised to establish a Jewish refugee area in Shanghai, but also was willing to allow the Jews to establish a state in Northeast China. Second, in cooperation with the Chinese, Mr. Sun Ke promised to persuade Chang Kaishen to open up a refugee area for Jews in Yunnan. ”

Kadoorie said without hesitation: "I want to work with the Chinese, Japan and Germany are too close." ”

Sassoon retorted: "But the situation in China is very bad, and it may be annexed by Japan one day." Moreover, Jewish refugees now mainly gather in Shanghai and Harbin, both of which are Japanese territories. If you choose to cooperate with Japan, everything will go much smoother. ”

"Even if the Jews are founded, they should not be in China, but return to the homeland of our ancestors!" Kadoorie emphasized.

Sassoon smiled wryly: "Do we still have a choice?" Take advantage of every opportunity. ”

Kadoorie glared angrily: "You want to disobey Mr. Wise's instructions? ”

Sassoon shrugged his shoulders and sneered: "He's not my superior, why should I listen to his instructions?" ”

"Mr. Wise", whose full name is Stephen Samuel Wise, is the founder of the American Jewish Zionist Organization, the American Jewish Association, and the World Jewish Congress, and can be called the spiritual leader of the Zionist movement in the 30s.

Historically, Japan claimed to be willing to help the Jews establish a state in the Northeast, and many Jews were tempted. It was Stephen Wise who stood up for strong opposition and said that "any Jews who cooperate with Japan are traitors" that made the Jewish refugees completely reject Japan's "good intentions".

Hearing Sassoon's disrespect for the leader of the Restoration, Kadoorie was indignant: "The Jews have only a nation, not a state. If we want to restore our country, we must work together, not defy the authority of the Jewish leaders! ”

Sassoon said: "Working with the Japanese is a shortcut. ”

Kadoorie was angry: "You forgot the Kasper incident six years ago? ”

"Uh......" Sassoon was stunned.

There were also many Jewish refugees in Harbin, but most of them were "White Russian Jews" who came from the Soviet Union in the 20s. As early as after the 918 Incident, Japan began to cooperate with Jewish refugees in Northeast China, but trapped, tortured, and killed a Jew named Simon Casper.

After that, the Jewish refugees in Northeast China no longer trusted the Japanese, so they fled to Shanghai en masse, spreading this distrust and fear of the Japanese to the Jewish circles in Shanghai.

The Jews are very vindictive and united, and this alone makes them feel that the Japanese are not trustworthy.

Kadoorie continued: "'Manchukuo' was also actively rescuing the Jews, and the northeast was the territory of 'Manchukuo'. If we promise to establish a state in the Northeast, then what will 'Manchukuo' think? The compatriots rescued by 'Manchukuo' will inevitably be persecuted! ”

Sassoon smiled: "Pu Yi is just a dog raised by the Japanese, don't care about his feelings." ”

Kadoorie was so angry that he stood up and said, "I am not consulting with you, but conveying the decision of the World Jewish Council. The parliament has discussed the result, that is, we must cooperate with the Chinese and no longer have any contact with the Japanese! ”

"What a stupid decision." Sassoon shook his head repeatedly.

That's the difference between the two, Kadoorie is more obedient to the big picture. Later, when Japan was about to occupy Hong Kong, he bombed his own power plant in order to add to the blockage of the Japanese. As a result, Kadoorie's properties in Hong Kong and the mainland were forcibly confiscated by the Japanese army, and Kadoorie's family was imprisoned in a concentration camp.

And what about Sassoon? Although he used his property to take in Jewish refugees, he kept in touch with the Japanese. Later, under German pressure, Japan set up a Jewish ghetto in Shanghai, making Jewish refugees hungry and cold, and Sassoon did not stand up to help.

Sassoon survived World War II with great grace and kept his property, but also sold off his property after the war, causing great financial chaos in Shanghai.

At this time, Kadoorie represented the World Jewish Parliament, and Sassoon had to abide by the resolution no matter how rich he was, otherwise he would be isolated by the entire Jewish community.

In the United States, the day after Christmas, the Nanjing Massacre documentary was officially released.