When Japanese forces attacked Shanghai in 1937,
a French Jesuit, Father Robert Jacquinot de Besange,
through relentless negotiations with
Japanese and Chinese military leaders,
convinced them to allow for the establishment of
a safe zone in the midst of the ongoing war.
Father Jacquinot's example was subsequently
copied in other Chinese cities and saved the lives of
more than half a million Chinese civilians
over the course of the brutal Sino-Japanese war.
The Jacquinot Zone is mentioned by name in both
the Protocols and Commentaries to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
Author Dr. Marcia Ristaino explores the leadership qualities and personality of Father Jacquinot, and what prompted him
to take such a surprisingly bold stance in coming to the aid
of war refugees and civilians.
She delves into the special circumstances that contributed
to this unique and fascinating historical episode.
Dr. Ristaino, Research Associate at the John W. Kluge Center
at the United States Library of Congress
and consultant to the U.S./China Policy Foundation,
is the author of China's Art of Revolution: The Mobilization of Discount
and Port of Last Resort: The Diaspora Communities of Shanghai.
Presentation
Sunday, May 11, 4pm 2008
with author Marcia Ristaino
Please RSVP for this event:
info@m-theglamourbar.com, 6350-9988
RMB 50, includes a drink
The Glamour Bar
6/F, No.5 The Bund (entrance at 20 Guangdong Lu)
Shanghai, 200002, China
Tel: +86 21 6350 9988 (office hours) + 86 21 6329 3751 (most other hours),
Fax: (86-21) 6322-0099
www.m-theglamourbar.com
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