Two plaques commemorating a Chinese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during World War II were unveiled here Thursday.
Ho Fengshan, known as "China's Schindler," served as the Chinese Consul-General in Vienna from 1938 to 1940, when Nazi Germany carried out its inhuman persecution of Jews in Europe.
Austrian Jews fled the country in a bid to survive as the situation turned worse, but many countries refused to provide them refuge for fear of the Nazis.
Driven by humanitarian concerns, Ho issued thousands of Jews with visas to Shanghai, helping them escape Nazi persecution and slaughter.
Guests from Israel, China, the United States and Austria attended the unveiling ceremony, which took place in front of the old Chinese consulate in central Vienna.
Wang Shunqing, the Chinese charge d'affaires in Austria, said Ho was a shining personification of the virtues of bravery, fair-mindedness and kindheartedness, and would be respected by Jews all over the world.
U.S. Ambassador to Austria David Girard-DiCarlo, U.S. Commission for the Preservation of U.S. Heritage Abroad's Chairman Warren L. Miller, and the president of the Israeli Cultural Organization of Vienna, Ariel Muzicant, also expressed their gratitude and paid their respects to Ho in their speeches or interviews.
Source: Xinhua
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