Youth Talk: Li Shan Wee

Li Shan Wee is in Grade 11 at Concordia International School Shanghai. She was part of a team that won second place in the National History Day competition for dramatic performance. Her team’s performance subject was Manli Ho’s father and his rescue of thousands of Jews.

Last September, four students from Concordia International School Shanghai began working on a group project for Shanghai History Day. I was one of them. Together, we conveyed the relatively unknown story of Chinese diplomat Dr Feng Shan Ho through dramatic performance. A righteous hero during World War II, Dr Ho helped Jews escape Nazi control and persecution, secretly issuing Chinese visas to them. Our research began on an impressive path; we interviewed Manli Ho, daughter of Dr Ho, and Lottie Lustig, a Holocaust survivor who escaped to Shanghai using one of Dr Ho's visas. We read dozens of scholarly articles and books on the Holocaust and consulted with experts from Yad Vashem in Israel, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Nanjing University. To deepen our understanding and strengthen our research, we visited the Hongkou District, which was once the Jewish ghetto. We even shared our performance with the Jewish community in Shanghai during Passover. With our completed work, we earned first place for dramatic performance at Shanghai History Day and were guaranteed a spot in the History Day final competition in Washington DC. 

At the end of the first day of the first round of competition, we were chosen for finals as one of 14 groups, qualifying out of over 100 other teams from every US state. By our final round of competition, we were standing on stage in front of a large audience and a panel of expert judges. Nervous but confident in our research and preparation, we performed for the audience and eagerly awaited results. When the results were announced the next day, we were awarded silver medals for group dramatic performance.

Ultimately, our achievements were far more than purely academic. As a member of the international community, I now have a greater understanding of both Jewish culture as well as the city I have inhabited for more than 10 years. All four of us have become active global citizens and successfully spread the inspiring story of Dr Feng Shan Ho.

For more information on Dr Feng Shan Ho, read 'Five Minutes With' with his daughter Manli Ho.