Born in ‘20s Shanghai to Russian-Jewish parents who fled the Bolshevik Revolution, Liliane Willens lived in our fair city until 1951. She recounts the unique story of her life in a China that rose international heights and then collapsing under the weight of foreign invaders and civil war. The period covered is from 1930-1951. Click here for a review of the book.

Why and when did you decide to share your story?

Friends were repeatedly telling me to write about my life in China. I finally decided “why not”, not realizing how much work is involved in writing one's story. I believe my doctoral thesis was easier to write since it had a limited scope and of course my professors were telling me what was right or what was wrong.

Are there any authors who served as an inspiration for you?

[Shanghai-based author] Tess Johnston and her numerous books of old pictures of old Shanghai, which reminded me so vividly of my life as a child and young adult in Shanghai.

What are the main things (emotionally and politically) you would like the reader to take away from your story?

Emotionally, I would like the reader to understand the suffering of the Chinese people under the Japanese occupation. They lived in conditions of extreme poverty and suffered a miserable life under various dictatorial and corrupt regimes. In a political sense, people should know that with war comes horror - bombardments, deaths, and the general indifference of the world towards not only the Chinese but also the stateless refugees who fled Nazi Europe.

"I would like the reader to understand the suffering of the Chinese people under the Japanese occupation"

Is there a sequel, or perhaps another book dealing with China but from a different angle?

I am considering writing a children’s book about my Amah (term traditionally used for AYI) and her brood of foreign children.

How did you adjust to Hong Kong, Japan and then America, after having had grown up in China?

Spending five days in British Hong Kong and one year in U.S.-occupied Japan reminded me of the injustices inflicted on the Chinese during colonialism, since colonialism reigned in these two places, just as it did in old Shanghai under the three Treaty Powers. Nevertheless, I adjusted rapidly to my new life in the U.S.

What changes or similarities did you find between old and new China?

I am amazed by the booming market economy. When I left China in March 1951, the country was extremely poor and I never thought that it would become a world economic power.

When writing the book, was it difficult to bring up memories of such a difficult period?

Strangely enough, it was not difficult overall because I returned to my youth writing this book. As such, my late parents and sister, my Old Amah, our cook Shao Wang and our tailor Loa papa were back in my life as I was writing about them.

Dominica Drazal