Shanghai, China

Overview

Shanghai served as home to Jesse Chan’s family in the immediate post-WWII period (1945-1950s), a transitional time between the war’s end and the family’s eventual scattering across different countries. Here Jesse wanted to become a Navy pilot, learned Shanghainese, and lived during the tumultuous period of Chinese Civil War and Communist victory.

Significance to Family

Post-War Arrival (1945)

After Japanese Surrender:

Jesse’s family moved from Jiaji Village (Fujian refuge) to Shanghai
Family had spent 3 years in Fujian ancestral village during Japanese occupation
Shanghai represented return to urban life after years in rural mountains

Jesse’s Age:

Teenager during Shanghai years
Had just finished elementary school
Wanted to join military but was “too young, not qualified”

Jesse’s Shanghai Years

Military Aspirations:

Jesse wanted to join military to “fight Japanese” but war had just ended
Wanted to be a Navy pilot
Influenced by:
- Neighbor who was a pilot
- Mother’s cousin in Air Force
- Both encouraged him: “If you want to be a soldier, Air Force, you can do it”
Not qualified - just finished elementary school, too young
This dream never realized due to age and timing

Education:

Completed high school in Shanghai (or during village years)
Education interrupted by constant family movements

Language Learning:

Learned Shanghainese dialect (added to Cantonese and Hokkien)
Part of becoming multilingual (eventually 7 languages)
Jesse later said Shanghai was “nice but too noisy, too crowded”

Basketball:

Jesse played basketball in Shanghai
Far Eastern team
Did not continue playing in Philippines
Shows athletic ability (also good swimmer, dancer)

Dancing:

Jesse learned to dance in Shanghai
Friend’s sister was “really a good dancer”
She taught Jesse
Jesse became excellent dancer - “people would stop to watch him dance”
Later taught Betty how to dance

Family Movements During Shanghai Period

Constant Displacement:

Family kept moving during this period
“Shanghai, then other places, back to Shanghai”
Eventually settled in ancestral village (Jiaji Village) for stability
Instability due to Chinese Civil War (1945-1949)

Jesse’s Mother (Amma):

Lived in Shanghai until around 1959
After Jesse married Betty (1957), mother moved to Hong Kong
This move coincided with Communist consolidation of power

Uncle’s Control:

Jesse’s uncle (father’s brother) controlled all family money
Everything Jesse’s family needed, had to ask uncle for permission
Mother “always had to talk to her proper head”
Uncle was compiling Zheng/Chan family genealogy book

Jesse’s Sacrifice:

Uncle told Jesse: If you go to work, I’ll send your brothers to college
Jesse was only sibling who didn’t go to college
All other brothers finished college while Jesse worked
This sacrifice shaped Jesse’s later emphasis on children’s education

Uncle’s Genealogy Project

Summer Work:

Jesse had to work on family genealogy book every summer vacation
Would stay at uncle’s house in ancestral village
Uncle would “ask him to write those things and write a lot”
Jesse would sometimes hide in hotels to avoid this work

Published Book:

Genealogy book was published in Taiwan
Now in 12+ libraries worldwide (Michigan, Germany, Australia)
Written in Chinese
Traditional format: only boys included initially
Girls added only after marriage and accomplishments
Rose (Jesse’s daughter) added after graduating Stanford (late 1970s/early 1980s)

Cousin Jimmy’s Mother - Tang Yunyu

Notable Shanghai Connection:

Tang Yunyu (唐蕴玉) - Republican-era painter
Cousin Jimmy’s mother
Lived in Shanghai
Shanghai house preserved with commemorative plaque
Listed among Jiaji Village’s notable figures
Connection to artistic/cultural Shanghai

Family Complexity:

Tang Yunyu’s son is “Cousin Jimmy”
Shows extended family had established presence in Shanghai
Intellectual/artistic circles

Departure from Shanghai

Jesse’s Path:

Mother and uncle decided to send Jesse to Philippines
Jesse left Shanghai after finishing high school
Returned to Manila in late 1940s/early 1950s
Had to relearn Tagalog and learn English as young adult

Mother’s Path:

Stayed in Shanghai until 1959
Moved to Hong Kong after Jesse already married (1957)
Timing suggests leaving due to Communist policies

Siblings’ Paths:

Some stayed in China
Some went to Hong Kong
Some went to Philippines
Family scattered across countries

Historical Context

Post-War Shanghai (1945-1949)

Chaos and Transition:

Japanese defeat left power vacuum
Chinese Civil War intensifying (Nationalists vs. Communists)
Economic instability and inflation
Urban refugees and displaced persons
International presence still strong

Cultural Shanghai:

“Paris of the East” - cosmopolitan culture
Jazz, dancing, Western influences
Where Jesse learned to dance
Artistic and intellectual center (Tang Yunyu connection)

Jesse’s Description:

“Nice but too noisy, too crowded”
Preferred Suzhou (“prettiest”) and West Lake (Hangzhou)

Communist Victory (1949)

Dramatic Changes:

Communist forces took Shanghai 1949
Nationalists fled to Taiwan
Foreign businesses closed
Western influences suppressed
Many fled to Hong Kong, Taiwan, overseas

Impact on Jesse’s Family:

Mother left 1959 (10 years after Communist victory)
Some siblings stayed, some left
Jesse already in Philippines by this time
Family genealogy book published in Taiwan (not mainland)

Chinese Diaspora Pattern

Shanghai period shows family scattering:

Jesse → Philippines → Taiwan → USA
Mother → Hong Kong
Youngest brother → sent by government to Xiamen to help build city
Other brothers → some stayed China, some to Hong Kong
Sisters → one to Hong Kong (went blind), one stayed China

Each made different choices based on opportunities and constraints.

Jesse’s Favorite Chinese Places

From Jesse’s interview, his preferences:

Suzhou - “It’s the prettiest”
West Lake (Hangzhou) - Beautiful scenic area
Shanghai - “nice but too noisy, too crowded”

Shows Jesse appreciated beauty and calm over urban bustle, despite being social and entrepreneurial personality.

Connection to Later Life

Shanghai experiences shaped Jesse:

Military Dreams Unfulfilled:

Wanted to be Navy pilot, too young
Later built businesses instead
Entrepreneurial success compensated for lost military career

Education Sacrifice:

Didn’t attend college so brothers could
Worked hard to send all four children to elite universities
All received scholarships
Breaking cycle of his own sacrifice

Dancing Skills:

Learned in Shanghai, became excellent
Social skill useful in business
Nightclub ownership in Taiwan natural fit
“People would stop to watch him dance”

Multilingual Ability:

Shanghai added Shanghainese and Mandarin
Total 7 languages by adulthood
Critical for business success across countries

Basketball:

Played on Far Eastern team
Later owned/managed basketball team at Eastern Textile Factory in Manila
Sports as social connection and business tool

Migration Journey

Shanghai fits in Jesse’s displacement:

Philippines (0-3) → Hong Kong (3-?) → Jiaji Village (WWII, 3 years) → Shanghai (post-war, teenage years) → back to village → Manila (1950s-1968) → Taipei (1968-1990) → Los Angeles (1990-2022)

Shanghai was the urban return after rural wartime refuge, but political changes forced another move.

Legacy

Shanghai represents:

Post-war transition - brief stability before more displacement
Coming of age - Jesse’s teenage years, education, aspirations
Family scattering - siblings went different directions from here
Skills acquisition - dancing, sports, languages, social abilities
Sacrifice - gave up college for brothers
Cultural exposure - cosmopolitan city shaped worldview

The Shanghai years prepared Jesse for his later entrepreneurial success by exposing him to urban business culture, teaching social skills (dancing, sports), and reinforcing the value of education through his own sacrifice.

Loui Family

Explorer