Exit strategist

My father, Ho Feng Shan, was born into poverty in rural Hunan province on Sept 10, 120 years ago, during the twilight of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Today, he is remembered as the Chinese diplomat who, on the threshold of World War II, saved thousands of Jews and provided the Chinese port city of Shanghai as a refuge of last resort.

I am often asked: "What would lead a man from China to save Jews when others would not?" My answer has been: "If you knew my father, you would not need to ask. "But of course, that is no longer possible. To the majority of people, my father is already a one-dimensional historical figure from long ago onto whom they can project their own interpretations.

For example, my father is called "the Chinese Schindler", a label I regard with some irony. For, aside from having saved Jews, my father had nothing in common with Oskar Schindler, the German war-profiteering businessman and Nazi party member whose single attack of conscience led him to save the Jews laboring in his factory.